New spin on an old traditionArtisan Designers (AND)
Putting a new spin on a traditional art form isn’t a simple thing to achieve, but for niche fashion enterprise Artisan Designers (AND) an ambitious new branding campaign is seeing Cambodian handicrafts pushed in a new direction. Opening eight months ago on the tourist-friendly street 240, AND is the newest arm of Whatthan Artisans Cambodia, a fair-trade handicraft manufacturer and store based at the Wat Than pagoda in Phnom Penh. The enterprise, which does not list itself as an NGO, employs approximately 40 workers in its on-site workshop, most of whom have a disability, as well as contracting traditional ikat weavers in Takeo province. … For the AND brand, Suphearac enlisted British design and marketing adviser Alan Flux, who favours recycled materials like rice bags, cigarette lighters and Anchor bottle tops – bought by the kilo from local rubbish collectors – to create bags, purses and jewellery that would appeal to overseas visitors. …
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012080657820/Business/new-spin-on-an-old-tradition.html
