Text: Martina Hošková and M.Zisso; Photo: Itay Benit, Noam Preisman and archive
They say if you want to walk far, walk with friends. In iota, people of goodwill from around the world can find a safe space to be valuable and earn an honest living while creating together luxury decorations and accessories of unexpected designs. Alongside the managing team, there are many other talented women who knit, weave and join together the elements from which the products are finally made. The majority of profits from iota’s product sales will be invested in welfare and educational programs worldwide.
From a single stitch to a final product
iota is a social project striving to design beautiful handmade objects for our homes while creating jobs for otherwise unemployed women worldwide. The vision behind iota is to establish a movement that allows different women from around the world to learn a technique of traditional handcraftsmanship, by providing them employment and allowing them to work from home and earn an honest living. Behind the idea, there is also the belief that regardless of the infinite possibilities that technology offers, there is still a search for a personal and unique handprint.
The name iota has a meaning. It stands for “a bit” in Latin and as it is, little by little, from a single stitch to the final product, from the individual to the global, the project aspires to make an impact on the lives of everybody involved – the clients, the employees and the community. iota aims to work within communities with high rates of unemployment and provide mentoring and training programs for both men and women. iota teaches methods of re-appropriating traditional craft techniques and as a result, the apprentices create handmade elements which then turn into the final design and earn their living.
iota – making tradition contemporary
Craftsmanship leads to emotional products
The main concept in iota’s design is creating innovative products from a traditional starting point, and changing the perception of what can be done using hand techniques. The motto followed here is “We make tradition contemporary”. First, old techniques are learnt and when combined with modern knowledge it is possible to come up with new unique and innovative design. Luxurious bespoke yarns are used in the process and collaboration is going on with various designers and craftspeople, as well as manufacturers. All this creates a new textile language that combines various materials into unlimited products.
The process of hand craftsmanship, which necessarily requires time and attention from the crafts-woman, creates an emotional connection between her and the final product she created. This connection creates emotional products. The products embody the craftswoman’s unique fingerprint thus making her an inseparable part of the final product. As opposed to a machine which creates anonymous products, such handmade products have a past, a background and a memory.
A skill, if utilized, can have rewarding qualities; rewarding to the product that is created as a one-of-a-kind element; and rewarding to the craftsperson, whose skill makes him an expert, and therefore meaningful. This empowerment, deriving from owning a skill, is what iota strives to preserve and enhance.
Knitting is an international language
In iota, they use different traditional techniques and different fibers: wool, polyester, cotton, acrylic and leather. Most of the threads are made especially for iota and are unique in their shape, construction or coloring. By combining different materials to create the fibers, they are able to preserve the strong qualities of each of the components and to create the precise assembled thread combining both fine texture and construction strength. Along with the fibers which draw together the textiles, iota products are composed of additional materials such as timber, metal and leather. These answer constructive and design requirements and create smart and complex objects.
iota’s collections are dedicated to crochet knitting (knitting with one needle). This technique, originally from northern Europe, allows the creation of both planar and three-dimensional shapes by making knots in different spacing and thus represents endless configurations. Knitting is an international language, with global terms and signs, thus overcoming distance, culture and language difficulties, and permitting iota to create an equal identical starting point for their team. The women who knitted the elements for the collection needed no prior knowledge of knitting but were rather taught the technique in a short course given by iota which allowed them to specialize in it.
In addition, numerous knitting tutorial videos are available online, allowing the apprentices to magnify their knowledge and refine their skills individually.
The brand is built on people
They say, if you want to walk far, walk with friends – and this is exactly what iota is doing. The brand is built on people, and they are the ones creating the products and the company’s vision. Speaking about iota wouldn ́t be complete if we didn ́t mention a few names behind the project.
Shula Mozes is a social entrepreneur and founder of LAMERHAV. LAMERHAV seeks social change through in-depth intervention in the lives of highly motivated Israeli youngsters who lack the family backing necessary to realize their potential as adults. Shula presents social motivation by backing the iota brand and working to push it forward.
iota team
The connection between Shula and Tal Zur, an Industrial Designer, who is responsible for the design vision, is what created the brand and brought it into development. Tal, an alum of the HIT Design Academy and today a junior professor at the school is also an alum of the Museology and Curator program at Tel Aviv University. Tal works a great deal with crafts and combining industrial and textile designs. She serves as the brand’s CEO.
Dorit Chesler is the Commercial Manager. Dorit is an Architect, a graduate of Tel Aviv University, and has an advanced master ́s in historical construction. She is an organically raised manager who believes in the integration of creativity and management. Her role in iota is managing of all the brand ́s day-to-day operations and leading all chief processes within the brand and with its partners.
Noa Curiel, Product Designer, is an industrial designer, an alum of HIT Design Academy and L’ecole Lesage for embroidery in Paris. In iota, Noa is the lead designer of product development in all stages, from the drawing table to the final production, and leads the processes of the creative team.
Tami Eilat, Project & Visual Manager, is a graphic designer, alum of Shenkar design academy. She plays two roles in iota, integrating her skills and abilities. Tami manages all the brands day to day and operations, being the one who sees all the small things that no one ever sees and making sure that everything is as it should in every scale. She is also the brands visual manager, bringing her unique visual point of view and defining how the brand presents itself in all aspects, online and around the globe.
Fancy a swing?
From right: Shula Mozes and Tal Zur
Chen Bogin, Head of Marketing & Customer Relations, is a product designer, alum of HIT design academy. In her final project she was trying to bring together plant seeds with textile, realizing that sustainability could come alive in different ways. In iota Chen takes care of telling iota’s story, creating new business, partners and contacts.
Lena Wolchok, Hand Work and Product Development, learned to knit at age five in her hometown of Novosibirsk, Russia. She did not pick up a needle again for 25 years, until she realized her talent for knitting could save her from a frustrating career as a math teacher. She began applying her mathematical mind to the counting of stitches and became an expert knitter. In iota she is responsible for the translation of ideas into tangible items.
iota handmade luxury products can be purchased at: www.iotaproject.com/shop
NEW – iota handmade luxury products can be purchased now in the Czech Republic: https://perdonahome.cz/