Manifesto
Our conviction is that:
- When we travel again it will be with renewed intensity
- We are now looking for emotions probably more than the over-used« experiences » concept
- We need to know where things are coming from, how they are made, who they benefit before we buy them
- We want to buy less, and what we buy to last longer
- We want connections, communicate with people even if we do not share a common spoken language
- We want to travel again to the other end of the world, because curiosity and marveling will always be stronger, but also open-up to the world whilst staying close to home
Our answer to this conviction is Crafts and Artisans
The tourism world as we have known it, years of catching flights on the spur of the moment, accumulating trips, everyone gathering at the same“Instagram-compatible” spots, might be behind us for a long time, and this is for the better. However something is certain: our craving for travelling will not fade away, discovering the world is more important than ever and understanding how other people live will help us find meanings and ways forward, together.
And being ethical and sustainable, caring about local communities and spreading good when we travel or shop is a given, not an option any more.
Tomorrow’s way of travelling must be thought about now, and new strategies must emerge. And similarly, customers will ask more and more questions about where things they buy are coming from, how they are made, and we need to be ready to embrace and promote new consumption habits.
The World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has been promoting Shopping Tourism(in which Crafts sit) as an “increasingly relevant component of the tourism value chain”.
So here at Atelier Ikiwa we have this vision and conviction that crafts should be at the cornerstone of everything we do. We strongly believe that placing Craftsmanship and Artisans at the heart of Tourism and Retail Strategies is a way to respond to our changing world.
Our ambition is to help Destinations, Tour Operators, Retailers, Brands, Cultural Organisations and Artisans build and implement narratives and business opportunities through Crafts that will trigger emotions to customers and bring them closer to the world whilst keeping sustainability as the grounding motto.
