Artecnica
Artecnica wins Aid to Artisans' 2009 Innovation & Visionary Design Award! Artecnica began with a mission to blend art and technology to create innovative and inspirational everyday objects. But along the way, social and envir...
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Angie Olami, Inc.
Since the 1980s, maverick jewelry designer Angie Atkins has created stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces using ancient Roman glass and other interesting materials. Angie has recently extended her philosophy of salvaging found objects beyond the ancient to...
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BauXo Inc.
Learning BauXo’s story, you might think that Bali is a crossroads of the world, paradise-style. And you’d be right. BauXo, as a company, is a true cultural blend. So is the design sense of its head designer, Hariyono, who draws inspiration from Bali...
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Be Sweet
The tragedy of 9/11 and a personal near-miss helped Nadine Storyk Curtis and her husband realize the importance of living life to the fullest. Within months of that horrid day, they had packed up their life together and moved to Cape Town, South Af...
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Blueblood
Where is a natural place to inspire an idea for a new business designing fashionable, functional and fun accessories for dogs? A dog park, of course! And that is exactly how Blueblood was born. Dog-lovers Tina Pao and Alexis Moran and their dogs met...
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Bottled Up Designs
Bottled Up Designs emerged literally from the woodlands and glades of Pennsylvania's Amish Country. The well-tended fields, cultivated with care for generations, the tidy farm buildings and the interspersed woodlands, offer an unmat...
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Butt Naked Baby
The trauma of 9/11 and the focus of the camera lens unexpectedly brought Diana Renee' the clarity to search for her true passion and the courage to pursue it. The result is a business committed to giving babies the clean, natural glow of healthy sk...
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Canine Confections
The Canine Confections company recipe: start with years of experience running a ranch, fold in years of working with animals as common as Cockers and as rare as orangutans, then knead in years running a pet store and a decade of baking. Sprinkle gen...
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Cheeky Bee Candle Company Inc.
The quest for alternatives to darkness and cold may very well be the story of humanity. And pure beeswax candles represent a chapter worth the retelling. The beeswax flame has something profoundly primal about it, something irresistibly appealing ak...
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Creative Women
Some people are blessed with a bounty of energy and intellectual verve. Ellen Dorsch is clearly one of the lucky. At 60, Ellen changed careers from the non-profit public health sector to starting her own international business. She tackled a steep l...
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db clay
The folks at db clay have enjoyed richly deserved accolades recently. Their revolutionary new eco-friendly synthetic fabric, coupled with their unique, proprietary printing process has made db clay media darlings and an archetype of the new breed of...
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Dimples
With 14 children and 12 grandchildren, New Zealander Jane Anne McAllister knows a few things about baby clothes. What started out as a thrifty hobby – sewing for her own children – has evolved into a booming business: Dimples by Jane Anne.
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Dirt
Husband-wife team James Eric New and Kelli Palmer Kennedy began their small candle-making business in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2000. Today, the company has garnered national media coverage and an international following for its line of undeniably hi...
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Dori Csengeri
Designed for women by a woman of extraordinary vision. Made for women by women of unsurpassed artistry. Dori Csengeri's highly acclaimed creations successfully transform ordinary evenings into memorable occasions worldwide. Put simply, Dori Csengeri...
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Dreamsacks, Inc.
Wouldn’t you like to buy baby clothes or travel accessories made by a company that provides nurturing, natural products while caring for people and the environment? That is Dreamsacks's stated mission and it has met the challenge. In every aspect ...
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Dwelling LLC
Imagine a business that creates beautiful, soulful, natural products. Further imagine this business bringing economic independence and dignity to underprivileged artisans, providing free literacy programs and health care while employing environmenta...
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En Gry & Sif
Burnt out by their jobs, Danish sisters Sif and Gry quit them and set off on a three-month trek through India and Nepal in search of inspiration. They found it in a small village near Katmandu where the local women create gorgeous, colored felt. Wit...
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English Retreads
Based in Boulder, Colorado, English Retreads proves that fashion can indeed have a conscience. Heather English’s line of hip accessories made from 100% recycled rubber inner tubes is a testament to her uncompromising commitment to both high style an...
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Etcetera Media
Sometimes boredom can be a good thing. It leads to new directions and sometimes new businesses. Designers Kelly Smith and Chris Grimley founded Etcetera Media in Boston in 2005. Their laptop bags are designed and sewn in Massachusetts and exude old-...
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EvokeBaby
In 2007, Julie Kramer decided to give up corporate life to create a line of unique and meaningful baby gifts. She and her husband, Mark, launched EvokeBaby, a company that gives the ancient principles of color theory a modern application with a line...
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Green Gecko Imports
Green Gecko demonstrates true kinetic humanitarianism, achieving for the benefit of others by placing action behind sentiment and inspiring like achievement in others. Their achievements, both profound and personal, demonstrably improve lives. The r...
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Hands Up Holidays
Been there, done that is an unfortunately common sentiment in these days of packaged trips to all corners of the globe -- trips so processed they might as well be Disneyland. Guaranteed you'll never have that feeling again when voluntourin...
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Kimochi Life Inc.
Kimochis are not always happy. Just like the little ones who will love them, Kimochis have a full range of emotions from happy to proud to cranky and jealous. Kimochi Life Inc. was born as the collaboration of an extraordinary array of creative tale...
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Julio Pagliani
In northern Mexico's Sierra Madre, Richard Speedy fell in love with the people of the remote village of Norogachi. He soon learned, however, that the villagers had insufficient work to sustain their culture and lifestyle. Richard committed to help. ...
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Kokoro Candles
Does your imagination of a Hawaiian vacation include the vibrance of exotic flowers? Sure. And intoxicating fragrances? Absolutely. And how about soy candles? Perhaps not, but lounging on the beach surrounded by exotic floral scents can cause a pers...
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Lichen Studio LLC
Nature or nurture? Which creates great talent? For Brandon Perhacs of Lichen Studio, the answer is “both”. Brandon, an environmental designer and sculptor, grew up playing and working around his parents' art studio and bronze foundry. In Lichen’s ne...
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Marcel Miller
What do the island nation of Jamaica, the business classes of the University of Florida, the literature classes of the Universite de Niamey in Niger and the highlands of Peru have in common? They represent four points giving shape to Marcel Miller, ...
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Milani Home
Ceramist Tammy Milani’s interest in tableware began with a passion for food, home and family gatherings. Her dedication to life’s beauty extends beyond her line of porcelain art to a small town outside of Lima, Peru, where a team of fair-wage artisa...
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Oberon Design
Brendan Smith’s passion for the artistry and nuances of leatherwork began in the late 1960s and blossomed during the Summer of Love . Today, his Northern California company, Oberon Design, continues Brendan's deep commitment to craftsmanship, ...
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Om Aroma & Co.
One night while performing in Chicago, concert pianist Angela Jia Kim began to itch. Looking at her hands between pieces by Mozart and Beethoven, she realized her skin was as red as her gown. And that’s how Om Aroma was born.
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Paul Morse
Perhaps every road to the White House is an unexpected journey. But that is precisely the path Paul Morse has traveled from his undergraduate days in Long Beach, CA. And that's just the beginning.
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Pharmacopia
A diagnosis of a painful muscle disorder prompted Lisa Levin to leave her graphic design work and search for a natural cure. Along the way, she discovered a passion for homemade body products that aren’t just natural, but also therapeutic. And so Ph...
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Pineapple Seed
Pineapple Seed is the story of a young Thai-American couple from San Francisco who reached around the globe to start a jewelry business in consort with local Thai artisans. Contemporary designs and centuries-old silversmithing techniques result in s...
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Rainforest Native LLC
The story of Rainforest Native is the story of love—love among a young family; love of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon; love of the rainforest environment; and the love of making beautiful jewelry gifts while protecting the rainforest and the p...
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Redstart
Silicon Valley may be known as a hotbed for high-tech innovation, but three Stanford graduates have shown that successful entrepreneurship can take many forms. RedStart, founded by Sara Shaughnessy, Kim Hoffmann and Amanda Knox, is a company that r...
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Seed Shaman
“Seed”. The very word is charged with the power of transition -- as in provocation, cause, the seed of an idea, seeds of rebellion, seed capital for a new venture. It’s the kernel, the core.
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Selva Designs
Colombia’s economic and social turmoil has roiled for many years causing thousands of people to be displaced—mostly rural people seeking physical security in city shanty towns. The economic instability profoundly affected Colombian Gustavo Villegas,...
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Sevya
When ancient wisdom and modern vitality combine, exceptional ideas result. In a 2001 dialogue in India on the erosion of traditional cultures, Swami Dayananda Saraswati proposed to attending luminaries—the Dalai Lama and the Prime Minister of India,...
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Sexy Beast
Based on a firm belief that people consider pets to be part of the family and only want the very best for them, Renée Ryan founded Sexy Beast TM in 2006. The small Manhattan-based company creates all-natural dog products wit...
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Shokay International Group
Shokay is the brainchild and heartsong of some very special entrepreneurs, Carol Chyau and Marie So. As they say, Shokay represents luxury with a story and style with a touch of humanity. We agree! Gifting a Shokay creation truly helps make a bette...
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Smart Glass Jewelry
Smart Glass founder Kathleen Plate juxtaposes Old-World stained glass methods with a decidedly modern sensibility to create one-of-a-kind jewelry. By transforming recycled glass bottles into chic accessories, Kathleen is redefining what it means to ...
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Sonoma Lavender
Lavender has been used for centuries in medicine and perfume, and early civilizations believed the fragrant purple flowers restored vitality. For Gary and Rebecca Rosenberg of Sonoma Lavender, the ancient plant was a means for them to reinvigorate a...
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Stephen Estelle Jewelry
In 1996, global pursuits and chance opportunity brought Stephen Estelle to the doorstep of a family of jewelers in Nepal. Their gift to him was an education in the centuries-old art of Nepalese jewelry making. In return, he has offered them financia...
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Toni Tierney Designs
It isn't always easy to follow a dream. Financial and emotional risks abound. Toni Tierney recognized those risks but refused to let them interfere with her design passion. Years ago Toni left her successful Nordstrom managerial job to study desig...
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Tribal Home
What might result when a multilingual citizen of the world sets a goal of giving back to people and planet by assisting the remote but extremely talented KwaZulu-Natal weavers by personally bringing their masterpieces to the world’s markets? Tribal ...
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Tutto Mio
One of the country’s premiere importers of fine, handmade Italian ceramics, Tutto Mio is an American company doing its part to keep alive a centuries-old Italian craft. In the process, owner and desiger Marguerite Mazzitti is nurturing her own Itali...
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Utopian Creations
Utopian Creations founder Ben Manning is a rare mix of artisan and eco-serious citizen of the world. His South Australia workshop is committed to clever design and clean manufacturing techniques to produce beautiful jewelry collections that leave a ...
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Wentworth Wooden Jigsaw Co
Can state-of-the-art technology and cutting-edge design create a time machine bringing us the best of traditional jigsaw puzzles from the past? Even better, Wentworth Wooden Jigsaw Company uses CAD (computer-aided design) and laser ...
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[wired]
Within a mile of her Chicago-Pilsen neighborhood, Melissa Kolbusz finds tons of discarded industrial materials that make fabulous jewelry. Drawing on her BFA in Industrial Design and her design studies in Genova, Melissa stretches jewelry design, [w...
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Yak Mountain Looms
For centuries, Tibetans enjoyed the serenity of isolation nestled within the world’s highest mountains. In 1959, the Chinese occupation of Tibet triggered a mass exodus of Tibetans to Nepal and other countries. Phuntsok Chuteng and his family were a...
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