Waste Not, Want Not: Collaborative Design With a Purpose

Online, September 24, 2013 (Newswire.com) - What you see is what you get with WE'VE (www.wevebuilt.com), an e-commerce community launching September 24, 2013, that unites artisans and buyers through an integrated design process and purchase experience. Intertwining thoughtful purchasing through production transparency and technology, WE'VE offers a collaborative e-commerce community that goes beyond traditional e-commerce marketplaces. Rooted in crowd buying, WE'VE links buyers directly to artisans to ensure demand always dictates creation, thus eradicating over-production and excess waste. WE'VE also unravels the unclear by giving consumers a first-hand look at how each limited-edition, handmade product is made. Taking the guesswork out of "who" is behind and "what" goes into products, WE'VE fosters deep design connections that support scaling and demonstrates "high design" and "handmade" aren't mutually exclusive.

The foundation of WE'VE formed when Eve Blossom, a trained architect with a passion for artisan goods, and her company, Lulan Artisans, sponsored a textile design competition and discovered a pent-up demand. Designers from around the world, interested in connecting with craftsmen, submitted more than 1,600 designs in just 16 days - unveiling an underlying need for a forum for broader participation. Weaving a desire to support community, commerce, and social awareness, Eve threaded an idea of collaboration. Her unique vision debuts as WE'VE, an eye-opening alliance of sustainability, transparency, technology, storytelling, and design.

Unlike most e-commerce experiences, WE'VE fosters a unique connection between the community, contriver and commissionaire by engaging users from the first click. WE'VE crowd sources its product selection to present a curated collection of exclusive, design-forward products from one-of-a-kind artisans; the limited quantity ensures enough demand (and fair pricing) before the item is created. From accessories and home decor to jewelry and playful pieces, once an item's pre-order minimum is met, a crop of limited-edition pieces enters production. Rather than simply listing the materials used or denoting the sustainable characteristics of its offerings, WE'VE shows you. Buyers can follow their artisan's creation process step by step, through integrated production videos disseminated via email. WE'VE shares more than behind-the-scenes footage: It shares a story.

The refreshing transparency is a cornerstone of WE'VE's composition. Without lingering questions of how something is made, buyers can feel confident - even empowered - in their purchasing. In turn, the economic independence and passion of artisans is preserved, promoting a viable livelihood backed by a thriving network of support. WE'VE maintains a sustainable philosophy that creates value by honoring values. Committed to using quality materials that are locally sourced and of low impact, WE'VE partners with like-minded artisans, who recycle everything possible, such as reusing dye baths, reclaiming clay, and sourcing discarded materials.

By sharing a product's journey as the connecting thread between artisans, designers and buyers, WE'VE designs an exceptional experience. As beautiful relationships evolve, a unique object emerges. The transparency of the e-commerce community transforms the way that buyers, artisans, and designers perceive and interact with each other, revolutionizing our relationship to the making process.

About WE'VE
WE'VE is an e-commerce community where beautiful relationships and objects emerge through collaboration. WE'VE connects artisans, designers and buyers, through story and passion for quality craftsmanship, contemporary design, and social change. Change lives through the commerce of WE'VE, where the beauty of craft meets the power of story. For more information, please visit www.wevebuilt.com.

For more information on WE'VE, please contact Kim Morrison of Skirt PR
at 773.661.0700 or [email protected]