The work at Found Object is always new and exciting, forever changing, and never ending. A big part of the business is discovering new sources of inspiration for product, be it through visits to trade shows or chance encounters.

Recently, Salvo embarked on a scheduled trip to Germany for the Heimtextil show, the largest textile expo in the world. The plan was to then visit Istanbul to check on production for the NY NOW show in New York.

But in between, he had scheduled a three day sojourn with Leslie to the beautiful city of Prague, mostly to gain a bit of rest and relaxation with his wife, partly to discover new product, but also, unbeknown to Leslie, to try to uncover a Czech glass blower named Borek Sipek.

Sightseeing in Prague

Salvo picked up Leslie at the airport in Frankfurt, and the duo rented a comfy BMW X3 for their 450km drive along the autobahn to Prague. Five hours later they arrived on the banks of the Vitava river and pulled up in front of their hotel overlooking the famous Charles Bridge.

Leslie had a full list of tourist activities she wanted to do and places she wanted to visit, and their days were filled with sightseeing and eating. In the old town, they went to a classical concert in the Spanish synagogue and meandered through the eerily crowded Jewish Cemetery.

In the new part of city, they visited the National Theater, the modern (1930’s) Church of the Sacred Heart, and the expansive Olsany Cemetary, known for its incredible art nouveau monuments. They often took the underground metro and above ground trams to get around.

They feasted on delicacies such as goulash and svickova, a popular Czech dish consisting of sirloin and vegetables, boiled with double cream.

Famous Czech Glass

One of the highlights of this mini-vacation was discovering the ubiquitous stores selling beautiful hand-blown glassware. Goblets, bowls, wine glasses and vases – the array of colors and choices were mesmerizing. Prague is especially famous for its glass, precisely because the minerals specific to the soil in the region lends itself to an exceptional clarity to the finished product.

Salvo and Leslie were eager to discover new sources of glass product, especially after the great success Found Object has had with Moroccan glassware.

In Search of Borek

But all this time, Salvo had another goal in mind.  His real interest was locating one specific glassblower – Borek Sipek – whose work Jude had been avidly collecting for more than 20 years. Finding him would prove to be frustratingly difficult.

After they discovered the contact numbers and addresses on his website were not current, they asked the concierge at their hotel, who told them about his glass factory which was over 200 km north.  No one knew if he had a local studio or showroom. They then started asking local storeowners, even knocking on the doors of private homes at his previous address, but again to no avail. They inquired at a local bookstore that sold hundreds of books on Czech design and glasswork, but again they came up empty.

Finally, after many vain attempts, they gave up and began walking out of the Old Town.  But a colorful window display drew then into one last shop. There they found a shopkeeper who seemed to know something, but was reluctant to share any info. When they asked if she had any Borek Sipek pieces, she became irritated. Realizing she wasn’t going to get a sale, she waved them out of the store and brusquely pointed to the back, indicating a small alleyway off the main street. Then she locked the door behind them.

Down the alley Salvo and Leslie ventured until they arrived at a small inner courtyard, where a lone art gallery, completely hidden from street view, featured and sold the work of Borek Sipek!

A Surprise New Friend

And the surprises continued. The gallery owner was lovely and shared all kinds of information about Borek with them. Thrilled as they were to have found his work, they selected a porcelain teapot crafted by the artisan himself in the 1980’s as a gift for Jude. But then, completely unexpectedly, the gallery owner offered to call Borek so they could meet him. Within twenty minutes, the elusive Borek Sipek arrived in the flesh.

They started chatting and he offered to sign a card for Jude. Before long they were at a local pub, dining on steak tartare and Czech sausage and drinking the local pilsner.

After a most enjoyable evening, they bid their farewells and readied themselves for the drive back to Frankfurt the next morning and the flight to Istanbul. Another fruitful, and completely inspirational, trip in the Found Object logbook.

Found Object’s latest creation is a colorful tabletop textile collection – napkins and runners – made from a unique selection of Shweshwe designs from South Africa.

This fabulous collection will be presented at NY NOW, the international gift show that begins in early February at the Javits Center.

From Humble Beginnings

Shweshwe has a most complex and interesting history in South African culture. The presence of indigo cloth dates back to the 17^th century when the Dutch brought back samples made in India. As its popularity grew, French missionaries are said to have presented Mishoeshoe 1, then ruling leader of a large clan in present-day Lesotho, with a gift of printed indigo cloth.

A strong appeal was soon established, hence the name shoeshoe or isishweshwe. Over the years, the working women in South Africa adopted Shweshwe as part of their everyday clothing. The intricate patterns and designs became a highly visible part of the culture that still exists today.

From the Townships to the Runway

Starting in the early 1980’s, after a considerable British investment, Da Gama Textiles, one of the oldest factories in South Africa, began printing cloth with the unique patterns in earnest.  A decade later it purchased the sole rights to produce the known Three Cats range of designs and had all the copper rollers shipped out to its factory.

Da Gama is now one of South Africa’s last remaining textile producers as so much of the printing business has moved offshore to China and India. Headquartered in Zwelitsha, an area in the impoverished Eastern Cape, Da Gama has made a significant imprint with its three most prominent brands, namely Three Cats, Three Leopards and Toto 6 Star, all of which are authenticated by a back-stamp on the fabric.

One of the company’s biggest and most recent forays has been in the world of fashion. It has collaborated with and sponsored several up-and-coming South African designers to showcase the Shweshwe collection. Over the years, the patterns and colors have expanded greatly to become a very contemporary, hip and cool fashion statement.

A Blast from the Past

Jude and Salvo were very drawn to the original prints and textiles as part of their heritage growing up in South Africa.

About a year ago, during a trip to Cape Town, the duo ventured to Bellville, an urban enclave of Cape Town that is home to many retailers offering the Shweshwe fabrics. It was there that they were mesmerized by the full spectrum of colors and patterns available, from luscious pinks and oranges to warm browns, and of course, indigo. Salivating, they grabbed a host of samples in varying patterns and colors and brought them back home to the Found Object warehouse.

Their idea was to make a range of pillows and table linens, namely napkins and runners. They soon discovered that the table items were a huge hit with customers, and it was Leslie who then had the bright idea to create a range of product with bright colored trim.

Shweshwe on the Table

After the initial success, Found Object decided to import a few hundred meters of indigo fabric in a wide assortment of designs. They then created a line of napkins and table runners trimmed in bright pink.

Just last week they received a shipment of four different designs each in pink, green, orange, turquoise and indigo, with which they plan to create a whole new batch of napkins and table runners, again accented with bright color trim.

Many items in the Shweshwe collection will be available at NY NOW which opens February 2 and runs through February 6.

Jewelry is not new to Found Object’s extensive list of individualized products, however, a cohesive brand that has found its way into the wholesale market is entirely novel. For the first time, the company will sell its jewelry in a wide variety of boutique stores around the country, rather than solely online.

Introducing the CHAKRA COLLECTION

The Chakra Collection is made in Jaipur for Found Object. Named for the healing properties of natural stones, the pieces are very feminine, characterized by gems such as labradorite, golden rutile, green amethyst and prenite.

All the stones are set in gold plated brass and are cut individually to fit into each of Found Object’s designs so there is complete flexibility to select the type and color of the stones.

In addition, many of the individual pendant pieces can be removed from their chains allowing anyone to mix, match and add pieces of their own. The line is light, playful and highly affordable – many of the pieces retail between $75-$100.

The Hard Work Pays Off

The inspiration for the new collection came from three sources:  Jude’s personal jewelry box, ideas that had been in her mind for years and jewelry that was already on offer in the marketplace that she believed could value from Found Object’s spin and expertise.

Prior to NY NOW, the huge wholesale home, lifestyle and gift show held this past August at the Javits Center, Found Object sold its jewelry online. The goal had always been to wholesale pieces to specialty boutiques, so early this year, when Jude and Leslie traveled to India, they decided to develop several collections for the New York show.

They carefully and personally developed a palette and painstakingly selected stones. They worked with their jewelers – stone cutters and setters – in Jaipur to fashion pieces that were befitting of Found Object’s aesthetic. After months of hard work, they saw their project come to fruition with a new line, the CHAKRA COLLECTION.

The collection is now available at a variety of specialty stores throughout the United States. Please contact us at 212 254 1515 for further details. You can also visit our website at foundobject.co to see additional pieces available for sale.

About a month ago, the Stoch family was awakened very early one morning by the smell of smoke and the sound of fire engines outside their apartment in lower Manhattan. A fire in the commercial building next door was the culprit.

The following morning, the family was brusquely woken once again, this time by firemen with hoses and lots and lots of water. Another fire next door, and this time the roof had collapsed.

The Stoch’s had no choice but to leave. Their apartment was completely water logged, walls were badly damaged and everything – from clothes to furniture – reeked of smoke. Plus, the city issued a mandatory evacuation order, effective immediately, until the building next door was demolished, and a structural assessment of their apartment was determined.

First Things First

Luckily, Jude was away in Cape Town, so she missed all the chaos. But Salvo, Leslie, the kids and their dog, Blue, swiftly mobilized to a nearby hotel.

The first issue of the day was shopping for clothes. They had none but the items on their backs. Next on the list was packing up the apartment in order to get everything cleaned, and then shipping everything into storage for the duration of the ordeal. Finally, they had to deal with insurance and finding a new place to live. At this stage of the game it became clear that moving back into their apartment was out of the question for at least three to four months.

Found Object to the Rescue

After about ten days of hotel living and with Jude soon to return home, the Stoch family was catapulted into a pair of temporary digs in very different areas of town, both of which were mighty short on furnishings.

In true Salvo fashion – he who is never afraid to take the opportunity to get things done on the fly – a truck was hired, the Found Object studio was raided and two homes were decorated in the blink of an eye.

Two diverse landscapes, two opposing elevations – both equally beautiful abodes after the Found Object makeover.

Apartment One – Sky High

The view to the west.

Window seat in the sky.
Silk velvet ikat pillows and cube. Vintage central Russian serving bowls.

Indi happy as a clam in her new pad.
Suzani upholstered sofa and cube. Silk velvet ikat floor pillow and vintage central Russian bowl.

Jasper in his new bedroom.
Vintage Kantha stitch blankets on white damask embroidered quilts. Micro-fleece plush throw blankets, and cork wall/floor tiles used as bulletin board.

Sophie’s bed and her homework, waiting to be started.
Vintage Kantha throw blanket with white cotton damask embroidered quilt and sham set.

Apartment Two – Street Level

The view to the west.

Jude’s new living area. Seating for 6.
Vintage hand embroidered Suzani ottoman, cube and chair cushions. Silk and velvet ikat throw pillows. British colonial cane chairs. Teak Indian long bench with kuba cloths from Zaire.

Zimbabwean Reed Basket filled with rattan pod beads, African dinka ring and carved camel bone amulets.

Tea time at Jude’s.
Moroccan hand-etched tea glasses with vintage central Russian teapot.

A Little Visitor.
Eating almonds in a bowl, from Granny Becky’s tea set.

It’s true that the thrill is in the find. What’s even more true is that the find can be where you least expect it – at a corner store in some remote land or even at an outdoor market right in your backyard.

On a recent trip to Cape Town, Jude uncovered some exquisite hand-woven baskets in a very serendipitous way.

While strolling the streets, partly as native, partly as tourist, she spotted a giant basket hanging on an office wall right next to a corner store. The intrepid shopper that she is forced her to hit the local street-side market to uncover its origin. She quickly discovered that these special baskets are fabricated from river reeds found in a remote and hard to access village called Binga, which lies in Northern Zimbabwe on the shores of Lake Kariba, close to the border with Zambia.

Without haste, she grabbed her nieces, Louise and Jessica, and the trio ventured to Green Market Square in central Cape Town where they were approached by vendors in all directions plying these Zimbabwean beauties in a grand variety of sizes. Some carried them in feed sacks or hemp bags, others stacked piles in their arms, all hoping to make a sale.

Selection was tough because each basket had a wonderfully individual design and quirky nuance.

Through a series of crazy and colorful coincidences and introductions, Jude and Louise met Lorraine and her sister Margaret. Originally from Zimbabwe, the two regularly make the three day slog from Cape Town to Harare, buying baskets so they can bring them to market in Cape Town.

The final choices came down to size. They only selected those that were easy to ship back to the US and that the Found Object team would be able to group into sets of three, photograph and make readily available for future sale.

Sadly enough, baskets more than 18 inches in diameter did not make the cut and had to stay behind for someone else to discover.