The circular economy, or circularity, is an economic model that follows the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. It’s a concept that turns the more common linear economy of Take, Make, Waste, on its head.
The circular economy aims to retain the lifespan of products through repair and maintenance, reusing, remanufacturing, or upcycling. To sum it up, circularity is about maintaining value and not creating waste in the process.
I gave this one a lot of thought over the time of the pandemic. It’s strongly linked to Value 2 – Sustainability. I had a bit of an epiphany one day. It was actually back when I did the John Lewis pop up, which was a great experience, but I was standing there alongside my work, in this space with people walking about and consuming mass produced things without maybe giving much thought to what they were buying other than the fact that they maybe liked it. And I thought to myself “Is this what I want for Camban Studio? – To have people come and consume my work in a way that isn’t necessarily showing an understanding or appreciating the value of the textile?”
This maybe sounds really harsh, because I think we all consume in this way to an extent. I know I still often do! But I’ve worked to create value in what I’m producing. I want you to really love it! I want you to be able to enjoy it for a long time, forever hopefully. I don’t want it to be a trend or a passing desire, then sit somewhere waiting to be discarded.
So, I start by making you a really high quality product. The materials are often sourced as offcuts or end of line or deadstock so I’m keeping those in circulation as useful products. And they’re impeccably small batch manufactured by experienced Scottish makers.
I’m not trend led, my work is inspired by the timeless beauty of our local Scottish landscape.
I strive towards zero manufacturing waste. I even keep the shortest threads!
I make to order for a number of my products so I’m not over producing stock.
If something breaks, I’ll repair it.
If it’s getting worn out, I’ll repair it with my textile mending skills.
If you’re getting bored of it, or if it doesn’t match what you like anymore, I’ll transform it by over printing, over dying, embellishing with stitch. Or, you can trade it in for something new, and it can go to a new user.
If after all this it does really reach the end of it’s life because I use mono-materials it’s easy for me to take an item back, strip it back to it’s original components and recycle it. At worst, the natural fibres will biodegrade.
At Camban Studio you’re getting value. That’s my lifetime guarantee to you.
My next value - Promoting Positive Wellbeing - My Values - Promoting Positive Wellbeing. (cambanstudio.com)