It was my mission to find and promote artisans, to help support their livelihoods and preserve traditional ways of production!
In the many years of traveling with my textile business, I discovered so many beautiful hand crafted items. Often times I brought what I could home...rugs made in Turkey, tapestries from Europe, wall hangings from Afghanistan (purchased in Amsterdam), silk duvet covers from China, hand painted plates from Italy. It was a dream that grew into my new business, Material World.
I often thought to myself, what can I do as a grow older that would make the last part of my life as fun, fulfilling and exciting as the first part of my life? The first part of my life was pretty much a blur. It was because I was having so much fun! I traveled, partied, and did what any 20 something in the 80's did....I just lived it up! I definitely sowed my wild oats during this time.
The middle part was a bit of a blur..having my two handsome sons, Adriano and Luca, being a mom to them, all while juggling my career as a sales agent for European textile mills, selling their fabrics to all the fabric wholesalers in the U.S. who supply the high end interior design trade. I rarely had time to think let alone ponder a new career choice.
Then the kids moved on, I got divorced from my husband (my soul mate..but this is another story...we are still very good friends!), and I found myself thinking. What next?What could I do that would allow me to travel, but travel with a purpose. I'm not the person who sits for hours on a beach somewhere, doing nothing, or just downing endless drinks at the poolside tiki bar. I need to be moving. And I love to explore and interact with people and discover their culture. I wanted to be up close and personal with the locals.
The ultimate goal was to be able to do something that would allow me to travel to exotic locales, meet creative people, interact with various cultures and to find all the hand made treasures that I knew existed. I also wanted to be able to give back.
The craftspeople that I had met in my past travels were all so humble and so very proud of the unique and beautiful crafts that they had made. I wanted to champion these people. Most of them happen to be women. And these women are some of the most marginalized in the world. They eke out a living by working tirelessly, day after day, to help support themselves and their families.
If I could buy and sell their products, they in turn, would be able to earn a little more. It might even mean the difference between eating or not eating on some days.
For me, it was a win-win. I could discover all these beautiful hand made products, champion and help these women artisans and promote these products to women who have the same "joie de vie" as me.
My products are for people with personality. They are unique and colorful. Each item tells a story. There is a person behind every item and product. I want to be able to tell their stories and help them while I'm at it.
This is how my brand Material World was born. Now I am determined to make it work. I'm starting a little late (I'm 63) but this will give me something new and exciting to do as I live out my 'golden' years.!
I always say, 'It's never too late to start something new!" For me, it wasn't just a slogan but a mission statement! I hope I can inspire others to do the same!
Sincerely,
Rachelle