discovered. Connecting global artisans to savvy shoppers

I love worldly finds from independent craftsmen like one-off bags, artisan jewelry and handmade home accessories. Whenever I go on holiday I bring back jewelry and home decorations because, for one it is unique, and secondly, I like to have souvenirs of my travels that are timeless, and wearable or functional. In addition, buying from the local people helps them to maintain their business so I gladly risk a little excess baggage for the stretch home.

Therefore I was very excited to find out about discovered., an online marketplace where you can buy global handmade products directly from the artisans. What I love about discovered. is that you can see and read the artisans background and story, e.g. about the Artesenas Campesinas, a group of farmer’s women from rural areas in the Tecalpulco region, Mexico, who support their families by making traditional handcrafted jewelry. Or the Cooperative Tagmat, a group of women in a village of Tizgaine 70 KM south of Marrakech, who make traditional carpets.

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discovered rugs

Once you set up your profile you are ready to shop, or you can share your own story about a product you bought overseas, an artisan you met while travelling. By cutting out all middlemen, artisans receive at least 20% more for their products. This is what I call fair trade! I selected a few products I like, and you can buy online now:

  1. A jute rug made in Bangladesh by a fair trade cooperative that creates work and training opportunities for underprivileged women.
  2. A burlap and leather iPad sleeve from Surabaya-Indonesia. It’s handmade and handpainted from Burlaps and rice sacks combined with leather and Indonesian traditional fabrics.
  3. A bamboo, Samsung cover with engraved Indonesian traditional art work
  4. A notebook from Bangladesh. The notebook is covered with reused sari fabric with a design of small leaves. The paper is made from 100% jute, from leftover waste.
  5. A camel leather tote, Hand crafted from the Jawaja Artisans Alliance in Rajasthan.

discovered

 

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