T H E V E R D A N T S T O R Y
I am an eco interior stylist and importer of organic fabrics. I seek out materials for your home that carefully considers the environment and our health. All materials should be sustainable i.e. be able to be replaced within your lifetime.
Verdant aims to provide you with information about our products including:
- where and how it is grown
- where and how it is produced through to the finished item
- what health effects the item will have in your home
- what effect the product will have on the environment once you have finished with it.
This is termed as a ‘cradle to cradle’
approach. Think organics, fair-trade, carbon miles, NZ made, recycled,
upcycled, renewable resources, bio-degradable or long-lasting.
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BACKGROUND
My name is Janette Sherwood, owner of Verdant
Design. I studied a Bachelor of Textile Design at Massey University and
am a self-confessed fabricoholic. (I managed to inherit this from my mother and
grandmother)
My various jobs and positions after studying led me
to work for Liberty of London while on my OE where I co-ran the soft
furnishings department. (Liberty is a fabulous boutique department store
historically famous for their Tana cotton Lawn fabric prints and tudor style
building) On my return to New Zealand, I began working for a Wellington based
soft furnishings retailer.
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ENVIRONMENT
I have always had a bit of a conscience about the
environment, doing a little bit here in there, such as recycling and buying
second hand. More often than not, I was thinking and talking, but not doing a
lot because it seemed too hard or too expensive! However, when I came
back from London my first major choice to do something about it was the
decision to not buy cheap imported products. This step in itself
was a huge undertaking, as it seems that the majority of everyday products and
clothing are imported from countries where less than ideal working and living
conditions are the norm.
This was a fantastic first step, as it curbed my
addiction to The Warehouse, and I stopped filling my house with junk that would
end up in the landfill. I buy less, and what I do buy, lasts me far
longer, and frankly in terms of wool clothing, is far warmer. Snug
Acrylic Jumpers? should be a Tui billboard!
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JOURNEY TO SUSTAINABILITY
The word ‘sustainability’ seems to be a little
overused, and used in different contexts.
I like to define it in the context of the materials I choose for the
home. Can the virgin source be replaced
within your lifetime or the life the product.
I believe if we look at the big
picture, but change things one small step at a time, then we can make a
difference. It is about a change of habits, rather than doing something
massive because it is the trend.
Through working in interiors, I was inspired by a
particular customer who specifically wanted organic and eco textiles. In
my quest I discovered a lack of understanding and cynicism about what
happens in the production of textiles and the impact they have not only on the
environment but the people who produce them. Four years after my return
from London, it was time to lead my own journey and I founded Verdant Design in
2011. Alongside this I have completed a Certificate in Biological Building and
Design taught by the BBE Insttiute & Aoraki Polytechni,c which covers a
broad range of building and interior materials and techniques.
Join me in following the
journey to true sustainability, by changing our small everyday habits one step
at time, so we can protect our finally balanced ecological system.
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