The Association for Craft Producers
In 2013, I worked for the not-for-profit, fair trade organization ACP located in Kathmandu, Nepal. While providing design, marketing, management, and technical services to low-income Nepali craft producers, I also produced commercial lines that blend traditional craft with modern design and technology to suit market trends.
This work was recently exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, in Washington D.C. as part of the ACCelerate: ACC Smithsonian Creativity and Innovation Festival.
This line draws inspiration from Swayambhunath, also known as "Monkey Temple," in Kathmandu, Nepal. Probably the most sacred among Buddhist pilgrimage sites, Swayambhunath is home to families of holy monkeys that live on the North-West parts of the temple.
Bringing the playful characteristics of these iconic monkeys to a Nepali children's line, this motif executes itself through a repeatable screen print pattern, block prints, and a fun but chic color palette.
The yellow and grey on white cottons or organic neutrals, offset by a gender-indifferent blue, can be extended from children into housewares and garden. Accompanying this line are hand-embroidered accessory pieces, tying in the Association for Craft Producer's fair trade aesthetic.
