The past is not dead, it is living in us, and will be alive in the future which we are now helping to make.
— William Morries
140 years ago, after industrial revolution, William Morries, an English designer and novelist, initiated “Arts and Crafts movement” in Britain. He treasured craftsmanship, and believed that “the reward of labor is life”. As of today, when technology brings us so much convenience in every aspect of our life; have we forgotten that back in hundreds and thousands years ago, what can human do with hands?
Since October 2019, Ranadu project – “online museum for craftsmanship” has been officially launched in Paris. We hope to build a bridge between traditional craftsmanship and the modern world, as they have gaps in terms of aesthetic, IP protection, technology, etc. We hope this hidden part of the world can be recognized, so that the traditions will survive longer in this fast changing era.
The entrepreneurship journey is such a fresh and joyful experience for us, we face various challenges but also have received priceless support, from our old friends in New York, Los Angeles, and our new friends in Paris and Morocco. During the past months, we’ve built solid cooperation with the artisans in Morocco. We are touched by their generosity of sharing their stories, their authenticity of human nature, and their genuine love for the inherited crafts skills.
At the moment, we completed our first phase of the Moroccan project in early March 2020; unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone’s daily life and hitting the economy. While we are all together under quarantine to fight with this challenging situation, the future is still a bit gloomy. In Morocco, the handcrafts business heavily relies on tourism industry. Therefore, in order to help the local craft business get through this dark time, Ranadu team decided to contribute 30% of our revenue generated from the first 90 sets of our boutique products, together with our online exhibition income till the end of the pandemic, to the handcrafts industry in Morocco. We will also disclose the details of how we dispose the money.
The videos that provide the comprehensive traditional crafts information are recorded and edited by Ranadu team. We are still working on building the online content that will be more incisive and detailed. The exhibition is now on the mode of “pay as you wish”, with a recommended ticket price of 1 euro.
The exhibition is still “under construction”. In order to provide more professional information, we are also seeking for collaborations with universities, researchers, and museums that are specialised in the crafts and culture subject.
Ranadu team re-designed the traditional crafts into modern style. All products include packaging are made in Morocco by the local artisans. Please visit the story page for more information. We are opening for pre-order now. (Each product has 30 sets for the first batch.)
Hope our project will give you some fresh air and positive energy during this challenging time, and bring you back to the crafts era that we had been living in long time ago. Maybe do some handmade activities while under quarantine, and send your personal “handcrafts” as a gift to your family? Ranadu team is a big fan of practicing handmade style in our daily life. Please visit our YouTube channel to explore more.
Welcome to share your thoughts and feedbacks with us on our social media. Meanwhile, if you are interested in collaboration with our online content research, or would like to share with us the traditional handcrafts information in your own country, please email us at info@ranadu.com.
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