Color Inspiration - Keep Your Eyes Open, Always!

As a designer and artist, I'm always looking at colors. And the colors can come from anywhere or anything. You might find it amusing from where some of my inspiration comes when working on Dunitz & Company designs.

Some of you may know that I took a lovely vacation for two weeks, not too long ago, mostly spent in the north of Spain. It was so fun discovering locations I'd never been. The art, architecture and food did not disappoint. Maybe the food was just a little bit too inspiring. Ha. Here are a few pics that boast excellent colors. In no particular order, here are a few pics from my trip that give me pause for thought.

The art museum in Oviedo was absolutely amazing. And huge, I might add. It was absolutely impossible to see and digest it in it's entirety. You'd need days, we didn't have. This portrait by Luis Pardo definitely inspired me. I adore the way he used green to communicate the stubble for his mustache and beard. For me this is such an excellent combination of colors. Black, Green, Beige & Grey.

 

 

 

I'm addicted to sugar. This translates my having eaten A LOT of desserts on my vacation. Yum. The first cookies I ate on my vacation came from this batch. I'm sure it's the colors that spoke to me first. Brown, Red & Beige.

 

On our last day of Spain we traipsed through several parks including the Parque de El Retiro. This park was enormous and was very close to the backside of the also enormous Prado Museum. It seems odd to travel all the way to Spain for the "change in leaves." As it turned out, that is what we experienced. Every color in the earthy rainbow. Green, Gold, Brown & Rust.

 

 

 

 

 Discovering Santander was fantastic. For most tourists, this city of approximately 170,000 is definitely off the beaten path. It was lovely strolling along the coastline and taking in so much beauty. Randomly I looked left, when most people would be looking right - right at the water. What I discovered was a huge vehicle for recycling. I actually watched a woman carefully dumping things in the glass section, then the paper section, then the old clothing section and other sections. Yes to the people of Spain's efforts to taking care of the environment. And check out the various shades of green. Blue Green, Lime Green, Sea-foam Green, Yellow-Green! Nice for Spring jewelry, don't you think?

Exploring Basque Territory was fascinating. I can see why the rich and famous adore San Sebastian. It's a gorgeous resort. But gee whiz, I sure was attracted to Bilbao which was a bit more gritty. The Guggenheim Museum designed by Frank Gehry is a site to be seen. For jewelry color combinations, random painted buildings in Bilbao seemed a bit more inspirational. Here's a cool stretch of buildings with excellent colors. Beige, Pink, Blue & Garnet Red.

 

 

 

If you follow my personal Instagram, you probably know I'm a nut for street art. I'm often inspired by the color choices of other artists. This random drawing on a store gate is no exception. This was snapped in Madrid. Pinky-Beige, Ruddy Brown & Sea-foam-esque Blue. OK - that was a bit specific in my description of color. This piece of art wasn't created with just any shade of blue or brown!

 

In my past, I've been accused of being too monochromatic and having a love of neutral colors. This has never changed. I was traveling with a friend and when we couldn't choose which giant cream filled cookie we wanted to share, we opted for one of each. Chocolate Brown, Pale Beige, Snow White.

 

 

 

When in Spain, do as the Spanish do. Eat lots and lots of tapas. And it varies from city to city. Endless tapas. And often these beautiful, small pieces of art are so easy on the eyes, you hardly want to sink your teeth into them. Or perhaps you do! Yes I love anchovies and they are lovely in color. Browns, Salmon, Grass Green, Olive Green, Yellow. (I'm inclined to not add the white white of goat cheese to my color combos!)

 

This is all you get from me today on my honing in on colors. But you get the gist. I can't encourage you enough to pause and check out the artistry and color of EVERYTHING! Want to know what will inspire some of our new color combinations for the next season of Dunitz & Company jewelry? It might be lodged in one of the photos shared here. -ND

Listening. The Best Way To Come Up with New Ideas!

It's such a challenge to come up with new ideas and designs that our customers will have success with. If you listen and register the tidbits that people share, it might just prompt something wonderful. This often happens with me when I'm trying to mastermind some fun new things for Dunitz & Company.

A light bulb went off when one of my nieces was drooling over my (knockoff) Wassily Chairs which are now in her living room, and another niece was crazy for my collection of Los Angeles Pottery. It seems the now 30-somethings are ONLY hunting for Mid Century Modern cast offs on Facebook Marketplace. Is there any interest in my grandmother's Wedgwood? Absolutely Not. Franciscan Atomic Starburst dinnerware? Heck yes! Translation? I had to explore some jewelry designs that although new, screamed Mid Century Modern.

Sassy Cat Earrings

These interactions brought me to design our newest Mid Century Modern earrings and pins. And for fun, I doubled down with cats. Atomic Cats. Do you carry any of these designs in your retail store? If you haven't given them a try yet, please do. These have a built in target market. You'll be reordering. Or buying a second pair for you. Or adding them to you Christmas list. Trust me.

 

 

 

We often introduce new "fashion" designs. But, it seems over time our collection is more gift. With "gifts" it seems successful designs have legs, as they say. Once we find a success, it works season after season and year after year. When we were more fashion focused, we had to create oodles of new designs twice a year in many new colors. Coming up with a "gift" winner sounds simple, but it really is not that easy. Trust me. We keep listening and as I mentioned the Mid-Century inspired designs earlier, we're always seeking themes that will inspire sales and lots of happy customers.

 

Over the last few years, we've developed and have been expanding our collection of ceramic jewelry. It's been really fun.  We've introduced what many would perceive as 'standard' shapes.  Round hoops, hearts and always, flowers. All good.  Some of our customers told us they want earrings that reflect water and their beachy locations. Hmmmm. Others want kitsch. A couple of museums told us dinosaurs are their most popular category. (That was news to me!) Such comments and conversations have resulted in a few new designs this season. I have high hopes for our Sea Shells, Seahorses and Dinosaurs! Maybe these newest designs from Dunitz & Company will be perfect for your customers.

 

 

Have you honed in on any sleeper trends lately? Bring it on. I'd love to hear what you're thinking. Maybe Dunitz can come up with some new best sellers for next season. I always want to listen to your feedback. - ND

The Goings On in Fair Trade: Fair Trade Federation Member Blogs

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It definitely takes effort to keep a blog current. And I do my best to keep the ball rolling on our Dunitz & Company blog. Have you read some of my entries? I've been at it for a long time. Sometimes I create gift guides that include products from my Fair Trade Federation colleagues. Since COVID lock down, I've taken up drawing portraits. For fun, I use Photoshop to add Dunitz designs. That has allowed me more opportunity to show off my artwork.  I also enjoy interviewing colleagues. 

It's always a challenge to come up with new topics that might pique some interest. I was browsing our blog when I noticed it had been more than 4 years since I posted about other blogs written by my Fair Trade Federation colleagues. That was a popular and very well-read entry. Since it's been that long, it definitely makes sense to do this update! I noticed on review, there were companies listed that are no longer affiliated with FTF. And there are others that haven't made any posts for more than a year. I just scoured all the FTF member websites so I could create an updated list of  Fair Trade Federation blogs. Since 2020, there are many new members actively blogging.  I'm amazed to find 14 new blogs that are active and worthy of this list. If a blog hasn't been updated in nearly a year, they've been dropped from my list.

I check in on my colleague's blogs from time to time. I share their stories on X and Threads. When I click to read blogs, I want to discover recent posts. I have to believe that's what other people want to find as well. I know sometimes companies/people pause on writing, and then get back to it. If you start writing again, let me know and I'll add you to this list.

In no particular order, check out the blogs of Fair Trade Federation members. Mine is listed last. (But it is also linked in the first paragraph above.)

MAYAN HANDS - A few years back I became aware of Mayan Hands' blog when they wrote an article that touched me deeply. This particular entry delved into how many vendors in Guatemala call their designs recycled, when in reality, poor people desperate for money are selling them their family textile heirlooms. These in turn are sewn into bags, hats and coin purses. Ever since reading that post, I know Mayan Hands always has something important to say.

FAIR TRADE WINDS -  I love that Fair Trade Winds often writes about the lines they sell in their stores. They're so supportive and informative. In fact, they interviewed me not to long ago to commemorate Women's History Month.  They also post some fabulous fair trade recipes that will make you drool. (I always pin them to our Fair Trade Recipes board on Pinterest.)

LAADI DESIGNS - It was fun for me to see Laadi Designs latest blog post which reflects on 2024 fashion colors. I take color trends quite seriously, although I don't always agree with what some of the experts project. Do you remember when Pantone suggested gray and yellow were going to dominate? I really enjoyed browsing Laadi Design's blog posts that have a strong fashion bent.

CAFE CAMPESINO - Lovely posts. Lovely photos. In June of this year they wrote about the process of making and the evolution of decaf Coffee. Seriously folks. There's always something new to learn about coffee and how it is made!

MOSAIC - (a blog from Ten Thousand Villages) - Now here is a site where you can read about every possible topic that interests you. Yoga. Fashion. Travel. Maker Stories. This site is actually quite overwhelming.

BUNYAAD - Here's a blog you can relate to. Reading lists. Recipes. How to clean wine from a rug. Even tips for choosing the right rug. (and they should know!) This is all info that just about anyone can benefit from.  And I'm drooling over the Gulab Jamun Bundt Cake recipe they've written about.

HOONARTS - HoonArts blog addresses topics that specifically relate to Central Asia. And this is a good thing because I think most of us know very little about this part of the world. After checking out HoonArts blog, you can read my post where I interviewed Rikki Quintana, the woman behind this company. Rikki will also tease you with photos from her recent tour (you can go on the next one) to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

SERRV - Read about eyeglass initiatives or snag a recipe or two. There are posts that will warm your heart. Yes, I posted from their blog to the Dunitz Pinterest recipe page, yet again!

HUMANKIND SLO - Check out Humankind's blog. It's fun to read their stories about the lines they carry. They also write about topics that are specific to their community. Maybe one day soon, they'll interview me.  In the meantime, I actually wrote a post on this blog where you can learn a bit more about LynAnne Wiest, their store manager.

RAVEN & LILY - It looks like Raven & Lily's blog, noted as "the Journal" covers many topics. Most recently they wrote about gemstones. You'll find interviews with makers, reading recommendations and a bit about their home base of Austin, TX.  I'm going to keep my eye on this journal, for sure.

DR. BRONNER - You'll need an afternoon to read through all of Dr. Bronner's entries. You'll find thoughtful articles addressing current events. And you'll find great tips for how to use their wonderful products. I vote for their Peppermint Pure-Castile Soap. Learn more on their blog.

MAYAMAM WEAVERS - I am always drooling over the photos Mayamam Weavers posts on Instagram. Now I can drool more when checking out their blog.  And since they work in Guatemala (where I've been working for almost forever,) I really adore seeing their images. I see faces and designs that have become part of me. (Figuratively. Not literally.)  I really enjoyed reading their post about the ceramics of San Antonio Palopo. I remember in the 90's I hiked to this community with my niece, who joined me on one of my working trips. We took some time off to hunt for these ceramics, which at that point in time, were not yet widely available. Thank you Mayamam for reminding me of this wonderful day spent with my niece many moons ago.

FAIR TRADE DECOR - Fair Trade Decor, a retailer in Coronado, CA has a blog perfect for their customers. They share stories of their products and producers. Most recently they blogged about Planet vs. Plastic which was the focus for this year's Earth Day. We're right there with them in trying to do things that make our planet a better and healthier place.

 EQUAL EXCHANGE - This might be one of the best blogs I've seen from our membership. It's thorough covering so many topics. (Yes! Recipes!) It's super easy to navigate. Seriously, I can't pin-point one entry worth missing. Definitely check it out.

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PROJECT HAVE HOPE - You must read these incredibly well written and often heart wrenching stories about life in the Acholi Quarter of Uganda. I found the entries here some of the most informative and enlightening of all the Fair Trade Federation blogs I reviewed. Want to learn more about Karen, the founder of Project Have Hope? I interviewed her and you can read the blog post here.

GANESH HIMAL TRADING -  Learn a bit more about Ganesh Himal and their activities domestically and in Nepal when you check out their blog. They post regularly and I was touched by their recent blog post "How Life Happens When We Support Each Other." I think this is a good lesson for all of us. Ganesh Himal also operates a non-profit Conscious Connections Foundation which has their very own blog. Learn all the good being done in Nepal from these their two blogs.

ZAMBEEZI - Have you tried Zambeezi's lip balm? It's fabulous. I discovered Zambeezi had a blog when they posted an interview a few years back with LeeAnne McCoy from the fab website Change The World By How You Shop.  You can read our interview with LeeAnne on our blog, posted in February 2019.

GOEX - GOEX blog often goes within sharing information about their business.  We call that transparency. They also write about issues affecting all business, and topics that are educational. If you're up on the news, you know things are quite politically unstable in Haiti. And that's where GOEX works. It's really informative to read their posts about their work there. Recently they posted a message from their manager based in Haiti.

LUCUMA - The Lucuma blog is really fun and collaborative. I like the way they remind us and teach everyone about the fair trade principles we follow. Most recently they focused on FTF's principle #9. Respect cultural, racial and ethnic Identity. Honor people. Read their post to get their take on it while working to better the lives of artisans in Peru.

PASSION LILIE - This company refers to their blog as a 'Designer's Journal.' I like that many of their posts make you think. Their most recent post (worth sharing to X, I might add), lets us discover how "fast fashion" hurts our minds and doesn't add to our wardrobes in a positive way.

QUILLING CARD - Are you a fan of Quilling Card? Check out their blog to learn more about their most recent beautiful cards.

GLOBAL MAMAS -  Global Mamas has a robust blog and it is well worth visiting. Great photos.  And posts that share more about the Mamas and just about everything else from health and fashion to volunteering in Ghana. Recently they wrote about their new journals. And since blogging is about writing, I decided to highlight that entry here.

SEVYA -  The women of Sevya are always so thoughtful. And their blog entries also prove this point. When I was younger, I spent some time in Indonesia learning about batik and batik making. Because of this, I found their article about Block Printing in India of particular interest.

AWAMAKI - If you have the time, check out this blog. Awamaki's post from earlier this year shares photos of weavings that have wonderful patterns of geometric shapes and all sorts of animals. Artisans weave what they see. And there are animals everywhere in Peru where they work. The colors the artists use all have meaning too. Read the post to get more insight. Every morsel of information allows us to love the art even more. It's a VERY informative post. Kudos.

DEAN'S BEANS - Who doesn't love fair trade coffee? After checking out the Dean's Beans blog, I just learned that the founder Dean, just retired and now this company is a worker owned coop.  Learn more about this on their recent blog post. It's so cool. What a difference Dean made with the business he grew over the last 30 years. I'm impressed. 

IT'S CACTUS - I wasn't familiar with It's Cactus until I scrolled through the FTF member list to create this post. They work in Central America and South America. And they have a very active blog! Their latest blog highlights the life of Frida Kahlo - and the products they offer inspired by Frida. We know something about that! Who doesn't love Frida Kahlo?

HANDSPUN HOPE -Were you around and remember the news reports that covered the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda? It seems like yesterday, and it's been 30 years. Read one story of hope and healing on the Handspun Hope blog. Out of such unthinkable tragedy there are often heartfelt stories worth hearing about.

MATA TRADERS - Here's the thing. I belong to a virtual book club - sorority sisters I went to college with at the University of Michigan. #goblue (I had to get that in there.) When I saw that Mata Traders latest blog post was a thoughtful list of books worth reading, I couldn't have been more pleased. I'm sure I'll find something I'd like to read, and suggest to my group. On their list, Pachinko is the only book I've already read. Are you in a book club? Maybe you have a recommendation? (Hmmmm. Maybe I should recommend some good reads for a future blog post.)

WORLD FINDS - World Finds blog is new to my list. And browsing it gave me some good ideas for things I might blog about in the future. Their latest post celebrates influential women and their quotes. Melissa Gates. Michelle Obama. Maya Angelou. Good for blog posts. Good for Instagram posts. Someone over there is thinking!

UPAVIM - Upavim works with artisans in Guatemala. We've been doing the same since 1989. I didn't know that they had sponsored a tour to Guatemala. It was fun for me to read their posts about their stops along the way. So many good photos. So many good stories. If you've never been to this beautiful country, reading their blog posts might whet your appetite.

CRAZY LOVE AFRICA - Crazy Love Africa posts company "updates" on a regular basis. Did you know they're planning a group trip to Uganda for September 2024 that sounds amazing. It might not be too late to join in.

FAIR ANITA - Another fantastic blog from a FTF member!  Fair Anita tackles many controversial topics that will make your brain really think. You must click through and read some of what they offer. I have a date planned with their blog for this weekend!

SPAZA -SpaZa focuses on eco-living and their latest blog post shares ideas for doing just that. They actually link to other blog posts. One from Good Housekeeping shares how you might make your own home cleaners. After you've got your cleaning solutions, they share more about the handmade and knit cloths they offer that are wonderful alternatives to sponges and microfibers. They're attractive, useful and fair trade. What could be better?  They support producer groups near Cape Town, South Africa.

TULIA'S - Maker's stories. Chicago fair trade news. Tulia's blog was created last year with only a few posts so far. There latest post was in November 2023, so I'm hoping they'll be posting more soon. I vaguely remember reading something about a new Fair Trade Museum. And it was great to learn more about it on their blog. Did you know about? Have you been?  

DUNITZ & COMPANY - Yup! That's us. 'Nuff said. After all, this is our blog post you're reading.

I am so pleased I took on the chore of updating this list. As mentioned earlier, I discovered many new member blogs that are active and worthy of note. After reading some of my colleagues recent posts, I want to reiterate that you should definitely pop in from time to time and check out what FTFers have to say. I'm almost certain these blogs are being under-read, under-shared (hint hint) and not acknowledged enough. Without question, there are many posts that took the contributors hours to prepare. I know how much time I spend writing some posts for the Dunitz & Company blog. Our colleague's blogs deserve our eyes.

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I hope you'll get on board and read what our Fair Trade Federation colleagues have to say. The wisdom and information many share on their pages stretch so many boundaries. And while you're at it, if you read something you appreciate, share it, tweet it, pin it and post it. Let's all generously share each other's posts. Every share, tweet, pin and post makes a difference.

Please follow us on social and we'll follow back. Promise. Facebook. Instagram. Threads. X. Pinterest. & thanks for reading. -ND

My Latest Artwork with Dunitz Fair Trade Jewelry

Many of you know I took up drawing during Covid lock-down. I took a drawing course for 5 days with an accomplished artist, Isis Rodriguez in San Miguel de Allende in October 2019, and then set my pencils down. When we were forced to stay put - I picked them up again and haven't stopped since.  I tend to overshare a bit on Instagram, if you're interested. And to really milk it, I often add Dunitz & Company jewelry (thanks to Photoshop) to my drawings and then post to our business social.

What happens next? I post my posts here on the Dunitz & Company blog. Why? It might be that everyone possibly interested, hasn't seen everything I do yet. Ha. Below are some of my most recent works, in no particular order. Feedback is accepted. 

 

 

 

Do you see a pair of earrings you JUST need to have for yourself or for your store? Dunitz & Company is ready and willing to ship to you. Of course we are! And if you want to see more drawings by me, don't forget to follow my personal Instagram where I don't tend to add the jewelry:). - ND

That Company Copied My Design - It Happens All The Time

Has Dunitz & Company had designs ripped off? I thought I'd jot this blog post because I'm regularly hearing about and reading about designers having their creations copied. Artists on Etsy complain about it often. And many of my wholesale colleagues have had similar experiences. I know I have. Many many times over the years. The best defense? If you're a good designer you can come up with new designs! I recount some of the more than bothersome stories of being copied below. Believe me. There are others.

 

When I was first starting out, Dunitz & Company primarily focused on home accessories from Guatemala. I was admitted almost immediately to the New York Gift Show when there supposedly was a long waiting list. This I was told happened when you offered "new to market" items that were otherwise unavailable. I offered beautiful handmade and handwoven pillows from Guatemala. In 1990, there were few wholesalers working in Guatemala because the country was in the midst of civil war and it just wasn't that safe. One of the designs I offered were these lovely rectangular pillows created using handwoven placemats from Comolapa. I placed them in several lifestyle furniture stores. A prestigious catalog company came by my NY Gift Show booth and loved what I was doing and we discussed this specific pillow at length. I might have even sent them a sample, but of that I can't be certain. Back in the day all the larger companies asked for samples before they made decisions. The next season something almost identical was in their catalog. They weren't from me. (Obviously they had found another source to make them. At the time, I was almost sure who that was. But it was never confirmed.)

 

 

What a mix of emotions. Not too long after introducing beaded jewelry to the wholesale market, my colleagues and I collaborated on wide cuff bracelets in a host of patterns and colors. The first cuffs we offered were about 2 inches wide. Bracelets of many widths followed. Upscale boutiques discovered them almost immediately and sales were quite good. There was a fancy boutique located in Soho. Everyone drooled over this store and they got a lot of press. If they represented you, you were in the in. So there I was at the New York Gift Show. A very well dressed man and woman came into my booth, provided their card from this tony store and proceeded to took copious notes on our cuff bracelets. They spent a lot of time studying our designs and colors. They asked permission to take photos. And then they ghosted me. Turns out they took all this information and went to Mexico where they had Huichol women bead similar bracelets. The bead stitch was different, but to those who don't know about such specifics, they seemed the same. They gave away their bracelets to celebrities, got tons of press. Their wholesale prices were double ours. Even more people noticed our cuff bracelets then and they all thought I had copied this fancy Soho operation. Gosh I was irritated. You know what happened? Because our wholesale prices were half, we had one of our biggest revenue years. Stores flocked to us because they viewed our prices as being so much more reasonable. I'm sure you can guess what happened next. The cuffs were knocked off  on the low-end. Obviously artisans were paid substandard wages to produce similar looking pieces. You get what you pay for and the quality was terrible. Those cuffs had become such a big part of our business, and it seemed overnight our business died. We had one sales rep who told me we had had a good run and we'd need to reinvent ourselves. Seems we've had to do that many times. (The picture here is of the one cuff I kept for myself!)

 

 

 

I've always joked that I must be so self centered, that I don't always "know" who all the other players are. Customers often ask me if I'm familiar with this other designer or that one. And sadly most of the time my answer is "no." I now recount the time a stylish woman came into my Los Angeles Gift Show booth, spent some good time studying my beaded jewelry designs and placed her $500 order COD. (COD- Cash on Delivery. Pre-Credit Cards, guys. UPS would deliver a box and collect a handwritten check, that was then mailed to us for deposit. That was a common way of doing business in the 90s.) At that time, this designer had a boutique in Palos Verdes. The punchline. She had already studied my line. She refused the COD and ghosted me. Why bother writing an order, having us produce it and then do that? Frankly that's just mean. When you're young in business, cash flow is crucial. I'm sure she did that to lots of small businesses. Over the years this person built a fashion dynasty which still exists today. When I met her, her business hadn't grown to what it has become. The annoying thing is she soon after that offered some trendsetting bracelets that definitely referenced ours. People would say to me that our designs looked like hers. In my gut, I always knew it was the other way around. (Side note: We sold these bracelets and similar to J Jill for a few seasons. At the time, the buyer told us they were the best selling bracelet they had ever offered. I think that was around 2007/8.)

My mini-scarf necklaces were one of my best sellers of all time. This design supported me for two or three years when the market had nose-dived in general. Lucky us! And none of the hoity toity designers caught on during those important years. They sold so well that every season I had to find new ribbons to keep our customers satiated. Boutiques and museum stores reordered and reordered and reordered. After about three years, most stores were looking for something new. Our sales on our mini scarves were reasonable, but they had slowed. It was at that point, a customer came running into my booth showing me a catalog from a Chinese producer that was offering necklaces that looked identical to ours. They managed to use ribbons in the same colors and didn't even change our beading accent colors. Bead for bead. Color for color. They were wholesaling at half our prices. Oh ugh.  It was the same season I randomly went into a Target and saw necklaces that looked exactly like one I had designed using black lace. You know what that meant? It was time to reinvent ourselves again. Did you sell our mini scarf necklaces back in the day? I have some stock if you'd like to offer them again? By now, they'd be new again because they're long forgotten.

 

 

 

Over the years we've sold tons and tons of (finger) rings. One design that sold particularly well were these big 'ole faux pearl and crystal baubles with a herringbone stitch band. I mention it because as I was writing about the mini scarves above, I was reminded that that same company that had ripped off our mini scarves, also made exact copies of these rings shown here. And again, bead for bead and color for color.

 

 

I am so thankful for the "fair trade" community and retailers and customers who believe that artisans should earn living wages and be treated with the respect every human being deserves. Thankfully to this day, there are many who continue to buy products solely from verified Fair Trade Federation members like us. 

 

It's already several years ago (but well after the refused COD story above,) a young man (well, younger than me) spent significant time in my Los Angeles Gift Show booth. If I recall, his badge indicated he had a store in New Mexico. He came back on three days in a row, which was unusual.  He had picked up all my designs and studied them so carefully. Truthfully this is not how most buyers shop. The behavior is of someone who actually beads themselves. When I asked him if he was ready to place his order his response was not one I was expecting. "Oh no. I'm just looking at your line. You're the queen of beaded jewelry from Guatemala, I know your reputation. (He actually bowed.) I'm now importing jewelry from Guatemala too." #$%@^&#! Seriously.  This man is now responsible for importing bales of beaded jewelry from Guatemala at low low prices. I know well how long it takes to make a necklace or bracelet. Believe me, the people making the jewelry he offers can't be even making $1.00 per day. You can't feed a family on that, even in Guatemala. This man now earns money in both directions. The small Guatemalan vendors who sold Czech glass beads by the ounce were put out of business. This fella now exports Chinese glass beads into Guatemala. They're not the same as Czech beads, but in many cases look quite similar. Obviously they're much cheaper and now easily available for purchase in Guatemala. I believe most of the beaded jewelry coming out of Guatemala now is made with Chinese beads. (We import our own Czech and Japanese beads for the jewelry we offer you.) 

 

 

Sadly, copying and stealing designs also happens within the fair trade community. Dunitz & Company has always worked in a clandestine workshop where our newest designs are not easily seen. Once they've been introduced to market, it is tougher to protect those designs. Actually, you can't. There are bead workshops in Guatemala that produce goods from designs they are given or have seen. I am familiar with "fair trade" companies that buy from some of these workshops. These companies select items to sell, but they are not involved with designing the items they choose to sell. I cannot judge these workshops with respect to wages their artisans are paid. But I certainly can vouch for designs they sell that were 'borrowed' from what we originally created. I was particularly upset when I had to retire a very good beaded paisley earring style we sold. We could no longer produce them and compete with lower wholesale prices I discovered in the marketplace for replicas.  A few years back we labored over a new teardrop design and it was fun! I ordered samples so I could photograph them for our website, sales rep books and on models for social media posting. What happened? I was ready to introduce them at the trade shows. Before I could do this, the artisan we collaborated with was so pleased with the design, he took a pair and showed them to other workshops.  They took photos of his work. You guessed it! They were copied (not as beautifully made, I might add) and chosen by another 'fair trade verified' company to offer at wholesale. I caught wind of this and I retired the design before I even introduced it. I sold my initial inventory at cost to one of my retailers. And sadly that artisan we collaborated with got no work for his efforts, except for the initial 24 or 36 pairs I'd ordered. This sadly was not an isolated incident.

 

Alexx is a lovely musician who has modeled for us several times. The photo shown reminded me of several points. First, she's wearing the paisley earrings we retired from our wholesale lineup that I previously mentioned. She also is wearing a coral necklace that we introduced in the 90s and still sell today. It's one of our best necklaces that has been copied numerous times. If my ego got in the way, I would have retired it. Our customers continue to tell us our quality, the way the beads softly hang and our color combinations are superior to anything they have found elsewhere. At their regular request, we still produce it for wholesale, only because they are willing to pay the price we ethically must charge.

 

See those little skinny bracelets Alexx has stacked on her wrist? I remember when Dunitz & Company first introduced them. Damian from Aid Through Trade (who has always been seen as our main "beaded jewelry" competitor, even though I think what we offer is quite different) came storming to our trade show booth in New York. He had heard that we had copied their best selling roll on bracelets that are made in Nepal. We could have copied his bracelet easily and offered it, as so many other copycats in Nepal and Guatemala have. I quite frankly told him I didn't need to do that, and although we could, I wouldn't. (And I never have.) I walked him in my booth and showed him bowls filled with these little bracelets. He breathed a sign of relief and felt better once he saw what I was exhibiting. Did you know back in the day, Damian actually wrote a recommendation letter on our behalf for our Fair Trade Federation member application? It shows how respectful we are. Just saying.

 

Most long time designers could go on and on with stories like the ones I've shared above. They are endless. My mother and grandmother before her always would say 'emulation is the sincerest form of flattery.'  That's not what any of us want to hear when it affects our livelihood. What do I respond when my artistic friends share similar tales of woe? "You are safe because you will always be capable of coming up with new and original designs!" Keep designing my friends. That's what we do at Dunitz & Company. - ND

 

*note: I have consciously chosen not to call out the culprits described above. But if any of you are reading this post, karma is a beast!