Want to know more about eco travel?

Quinta Da Comporta, Portugal – Our eco hotel guide

Wildflower Auberge, Hudson Valley – Our eco hotel guide

The Surfrider, Malibu – Our eco hotel guide

The Maker&Son Story

As founders of this incredible furniture line, Alex Willcock and Felix Conran have much more in common than being father and son. A gifted musician, Alex trained as a cabinet maker and furniture designer who’s curiosity led him to start his career path in Australia, where he met Felix’s mother. Growing up with his sister Coco, and a family entrenched in design, they learned to appreciate the aesthetics, but also the intrigue and philosophy. Being the third generation of the Conran family to work in the field, Felix has always been encouraged to shape and ground his natural intuitiveness, and is proud to carry on a tradition of pioneering products for the home.

In this podcast, Cora talks to the father and son duo about how they are maintaining their core tenants of sustainability whilst scaling the business. They delve into the issues of toxins and unsustainable  manufacturing that has come to dominate the furniture world as we know it today, and how we can all begin to ask more questions about where our furniture is made and what is in it.

This is an intimate conversation about a large scale industry, and we hope it leaves you thinking about what a better world of what we put in to our homes could look like!

Where and when did the Misha Nonoo brand begin?

I launched the brand in New York City and debuted my first runway collection on Instagram in 2011. Since then, we’ve progressed and grown into the business we are today.

Tell us about the ‘Create Your 8’ concept.

It started with my ‘Easy 8’ collection – eight pieces that can be combined to form 22 different looks that carry a woman from day to play. I then started offering customizable ‘kits’ from the collection, with the ‘Create Your 8’ being the largest. With this kit, you have the opportunity to build your own Easy 8 wardrobe that best matches your figure and lifestyle. It’s a way for women to take the stress and guess-work out of getting dressed in the morning because she’ll have a versatile, chic wardrobe for any occasion.

Name the three items in your closet you couldn’t live without?

My white Husband Shirt, Saturday skirt, and black Jimmy Choo pumps.

You talk a lot about the appeal of ‘borrowing from the boys.’ Do you think the future of fashion is genderless?

I definitely believe women will continue to draw inspiration from traditionally “masculine” style as our society progresses. We’ve all recently seen the movement of having less-rigid ideas of how a woman should look and dress – the same goes for men.

As the first designer to use social media as a debut for fashion shows, how do you deal with the speed of sites like Instagram in juxtaposition to the slow nature of your fashion?

It’s a careful balance of creating meaningful and engaging content that align with our collections. We may not be dropping a large volume of product at a high frequency, but the platform allows for customer engagement far beyond advertising product. The Insta-Show was great because it allowed our customers to see the collection on a medium they already use everyday and be able to purchase what they loved without a season-long lead time.

Your New York hot spots for sustainable living in the city?

I think we need to be mindful of sustainability wherever we go. Small things like bringing a reusable water bottle or taking the subway instead of a taxi absolutely make a difference. When it comes to dining, Dr. Smood is a great place for food that’s healthy for the environment and your body. Also, I very much believe a sustainable lifestyle begins with mental health. I meditate every day—MNDFL in Greenwich Village is a great place for a guided meditation session.

Finally, what does sustainability mean to you?

Sustainability, to me, means offering a range of products that prioritize a low environmental impact. This is done by creating them with the purpose of being worn for many seasons as opposed to “one-off” occasions. While other brands might use the term to describe a fabric recycling program or other circular aspect of their business, we address the problem at the outset by eliminating waste from the very start of a garment’s life cycle.

The creation of Haeckels

Fed up with London and the advertising industry, Bridges knew he needed a restart. After a weekend in Margate, he and his wife bought a house almost immediately. They really fell in love with Margate, as the town had welcomed them with open arms. After he and his wife found out they were expecting a baby, Dom began to think about what he was doing with his life. “Well, what do I do? I’m watching my wife grow a human being!” So, he decided he should do something positive for this town that he was going to raise a family in. Bridges began cleaning up the beaches, picking up trash that either washed up on shore or blew onto the beach from the town. It was through this activity that he noticed the abundance of seaweed and he decided he wanted to turn this excess of seaweed into a product for people to use. Thus Haeckels, the seaweed product line was born.

Why is seaweed so good for our skin? 

It’s a lot like Aloe Vera! Seaweed has very similar uses, like for sunburns or cuts. Bridges argues it’s actually even more powerful than aloe. “It was used as compresses during the world wars. It helps skin rebuild itself.” We all emerged from the sea, so it makes sense that it would benefit us! Seaweed is very easy to cultivate and in different places around the world, like Margate, there is an excess of seaweed. Bridges has already been working on a Haeckels product in Japan, where there is excess, but this product would only ship within Japan. “True sustainable production is born out of indigenous ingredients and creating a sustainable economy within that location.” The future of Haeckels is a “global brand that is deeply connected to localism.”

How do we rectify this disconnect with nature? 

“Everyone needs more time to be able to connect with nature, we are just so preoccupied with money and manufacturing and speed.” Bridges explains that before we can begin saving a planet, we must first have to spend more time within nature to understand what is happening to it. “You give everyone another day at the weekend,” and that is another day to spend in nature and hopefully reconnect to it.

Do you feel optimistic or pessimistic about the future?  

It is through Dom’s five-year-old daughter that he finds optimism. He recounts when she was three and refused to eat the cheese at nursery because it came in plastic. She was down beach cleaning when she was just three years old. Dom says, “she gets it,” and is already making her own efforts to be more environmentally conscious!

Pippa and the Brand

It was through this interest that she became involved in human rights and working with remote communities all over the world. Pippa explained that she was enamoured with seeing the traditional crafts and skills of other cultures and even though she was warned against it, she wanted to give these craftsmen all over the world a commercial market. Her brand Pippa Small is truly a partnership between her and the artisans she works with, in places like Afghanistan, Jordan, Myanmar, Bolivia, and Panama. As we live in a time plagued with migration due to climate change and conflict, it is important to create safe and creative jobs, so people do not always have to flee their homes in search of money. Pippa Small provides this for people and as the brand has grown, the stories and voices of the craftsman’s and artisans has spread too.

The Jewellery Industry

Simple gold bangles have been on trend now for a while but do we, as consumers, really know how that gold is extracted? The answer is, through mercury, which is used to extract gold from rock. Pippa explains that the poisonous substance never goes away and “seeps in the rivers, sea, and people’s bodies,” causing an array of deadly health problems. Lots of big companies still use this method, as it is cheap and effective, but disregard the effects it has on the local communities and ecosystems around the mines. Smalls suggests that “a kind of veil has been lifted,” in most industries, and that it is easier than ever to pick out the bad companies.

Feeling Connected

It is through brands like Pippa Small that we can become more connected to the products we buy as the brand is truly transparent. We need to consume less of course, but it is key when buying to question where your money is going and who is making your products. With Pippa Small, we know exactly where our money is going and “is going to have such an impact.”

If you want to learn more about ethical jewelry, check out this editorial on ethical gemstones

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