S jo Share: So what's new

After a long hibernation, we are all slowly emerging. While visiting my own family in Karachi, Pakistan over at Christmas this year (my husband’s first christmas away from his family), the lockdown struck and we were there for the long haul of it. While we didn’t mind at all as we were with close family and friends, the weather sunny, and meals cooked (and delicious), it was frustrating to be so close yet unable to visit the villages for our regular workshops. Nevertheless, this gave me time for thinking and reflecting about how we are shifting the way we interact with what we wear and its function. One of the things I have always advocated for – whether in my PhD research or my practical quest with S jo – is that we as designer/facilitators grapple with design, material and social contexts in harmony. With this in mind we always consider form and function for the user and how the experiences of making impact the artisans lives as makers and as women who carry the torch of a thriving material culture.

The AGJ women and I did manage to communicate over Whatsapp with voice messages and our first virtual video workshop! We completed tasks and put design and technical problems to each other. We produced our first glasses (sunglasses and spectacles) chain samples in three formats and then decided on the best one after some user input. One of my favourite moments was when I put a design problem to the women for one of the chain styles and they immediately thought of a design solution. This little peak into how we work out our designs was to give a sense of the understanding and relationship that has been developed over ten years of making together, something that cannot be exchanged for anything else nor are there any shortcuts to it.

These new pieces are designed to be equally beautiful as they are functional. They incorporate the qualities of texture and touch, which I hope, will bring reliable comfort to us in uncertain times.

In UK as spring arrives a more upbeat mood is surfacing as the days get longer and when we wallow indoors, we wallow in more sun filled rooms. I hope our stories and products can enrich your day as the making does ours. 

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