Tikau builds sustainability from the grassroots level
By Jani Niipola on July 7, 2021
Design as a way of giving back. That is one way to describe Finnish design company Tikau and the work of Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld. Another description would be that Tikau produces only beautiful, quality objects – since any other products would not be worth producing.
One could say that Tikau is a design company because Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld had been working in design and fashion when she started the company 14 years ago. It is easy to say that Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld is a true pioneer of Finnish sustainaible design. “Sustainability was always the core mission for Tikau. Had I been a doctor, I would probably have founded a different company”, she says, only half-jokingly.
Tikau’s mission does go way beyond design. For years, the Tikau products have been manufactured in small villages of India. But Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld’s trips to India were never just about buying things and selling them in Finland.
Big part of her mission is to give back and to create jobs locally. When Indian artisans enter the Tikau network, they often get entrepreneurial training and the possibility to a brighter future. The artisans have diverse backgrounds and some need more training, some less. The goal is to give a future: if they choose to start selling their products on their own, without Tikau, that is fine, too.
"The principle is the same in Finland and India. We want to create jobs and increase equality." - Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld, Founder of Tikau
Snellman-Langenskiöld stresses the importance of conserving culture, tradition and craftmanship. She tells of a especially powerful moment in recent months. One of Tikau’s first Indian weaver partners has started traveling to train new weaver entrepreneurs in another area, close to Jaipur. That is embodiment of Tikau-style, next level sustainability, so to speak.
Unfortunately, it is no surprise that small entrepreneurs in India deal with a lot of challenges. The Tikau suppliers are mostly located in the countryside of India. Urbanization has affected these villages and potential small business owners face different obstacles. Some might need entrepreneurship training or advice how to find a market, others might have a market but need training in design or craft. And as we know, the Covid situation in has made things dramatically more difficult.
“This is what separates us in terms of sustainability: we deal with the grassroots level.These are not our workers but future entrepreneurs and small business owners.”, she says.
In Glasshouse Helsinki’s online store and the store in Aleksanterinkatu in Helsinki everyone can see the design vision of Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld. Tikau’s carpets, bags and clothing embody the quality, mission and skilled craftwomanship of the brand.
In the store, Tikau clothing collection stands out because they are a step into a new direction for the brand. All the clothes are manufactured in Finland. Despite the difficult times, Tikau has actually managed to hire new workers for its atelier in Karjaa, near Helsinki, following the brand principle on inclusiveness and equality.
“The principle is the same in Finland and India. We want to create jobs and increase equality”,Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld says.
She explains that the new clothing line was a rare, good thing made possible by the pandemic. With India dealing with a very serious pandemic situation, the Tikau founder was forced to stay put in Finland. Again the founder wanted to create jobs but she also has a passion for preserving traditional Finnish crafts for future generations.
The result: launching a Made in Finland collection of clothes that you can find in Glasshouse Helsinki’s online store and the Aleksanterinkatu store.
Discover the homeware and clothing items by Tikau:
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Tikau builds sustainability from the grassroots level
Tikau builds sustainability from the grassroots level
By Jani Niipola on July 7, 2021
Design as a way of giving back. That is one way to describe Finnish design company Tikau and the work of Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld. Another description would be that Tikau produces only beautiful, quality objects – since any other products would not be worth producing.
One could say that Tikau is a design company because Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld had been working in design and fashion when she started the company 14 years ago. It is easy to say that Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld is a true pioneer of Finnish sustainaible design. “Sustainability was always the core mission for Tikau. Had I been a doctor, I would probably have founded a different company”, she says, only half-jokingly.
Tikau’s mission does go way beyond design. For years, the Tikau products have been manufactured in small villages of India. But Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld’s trips to India were never just about buying things and selling them in Finland.
Big part of her mission is to give back and to create jobs locally. When Indian artisans enter the Tikau network, they often get entrepreneurial training and the possibility to a brighter future. The artisans have diverse backgrounds and some need more training, some less. The goal is to give a future: if they choose to start selling their products on their own, without Tikau, that is fine, too.
"The principle is the same in Finland and India. We want to create jobs and increase equality." - Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld, Founder of Tikau
Snellman-Langenskiöld stresses the importance of conserving culture, tradition and craftmanship. She tells of a especially powerful moment in recent months. One of Tikau’s first Indian weaver partners has started traveling to train new weaver entrepreneurs in another area, close to Jaipur. That is embodiment of Tikau-style, next level sustainability, so to speak.
Unfortunately, it is no surprise that small entrepreneurs in India deal with a lot of challenges. The Tikau suppliers are mostly located in the countryside of India. Urbanization has affected these villages and potential small business owners face different obstacles. Some might need entrepreneurship training or advice how to find a market, others might have a market but need training in design or craft. And as we know, the Covid situation in has made things dramatically more difficult.
“This is what separates us in terms of sustainability: we deal with the grassroots level.These are not our workers but future entrepreneurs and small business owners.”, she says.
In Glasshouse Helsinki’s online store and the store in Aleksanterinkatu in Helsinki everyone can see the design vision of Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld. Tikau’s carpets, bags and clothing embody the quality, mission and skilled craftwomanship of the brand.
In the store, Tikau clothing collection stands out because they are a step into a new direction for the brand. All the clothes are manufactured in Finland. Despite the difficult times, Tikau has actually managed to hire new workers for its atelier in Karjaa, near Helsinki, following the brand principle on inclusiveness and equality.
“The principle is the same in Finland and India. We want to create jobs and increase equality”,Taina Snellman-Langenskiöld says.
She explains that the new clothing line was a rare, good thing made possible by the pandemic. With India dealing with a very serious pandemic situation, the Tikau founder was forced to stay put in Finland. Again the founder wanted to create jobs but she also has a passion for preserving traditional Finnish crafts for future generations.
The result: launching a Made in Finland collection of clothes that you can find in Glasshouse Helsinki’s online store and the Aleksanterinkatu store.
Discover the homeware and clothing items by Tikau:
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