Indonesian Fairtrade Akarwangi

From autumn 2007 to spring 2008 I have been to Indonesia together with the designer C.Kocx upon an invitation from DDiD. I was teaching design and trend theory as well as developing products.
On the island of Java especially the Yogyakarta region is rich in handicraft, which is produced there under harsh concurrence conditions.
In Yogyakarta I have been working with Pekerti, a fair trade foundation which facilitates trainings for the local craftspeople and trades with their products on an international base.
In my designs I focused on genuine craft techniques. I used for example Javanese wood screw-connections as well as weaving bamboo fibres in combination with plastics and basket making from Vetiver (Indonesian: Akarwangi, a perfume plant).