At Flourish, we curate products that are good for people, and good for the planet, through the use of sustainable materials and ethical production practices. Sometimes, due to the nature of materials used or the final products being created, both of these values can be fulfilled by products made by machines. When a product is made by hand, we award it the handmade badge, to celebrate the unique benefits and importance of work done by hand.
What the handmade badge means:
There are many different definitions of handmade, which vary to include a range of production processes from factory line assembly to home workshops. The Handmade badge on Flourish incorporates a wide range of associated terms that capture the different natures of work done by hand.
Handcrafted
The definition of handcrafted from the Oxford Languages dictionary is “Made skillfully by hand”. Through the skilled use of hands, tools, and machinery, materials are brought together to create the final product. In many cases, the raw materials are created by the artisans themselves.
Hand-assembled
Hand assembled products are made with materials that were not produced by the final maker, yet were selected by them and put together to create something new. For example, an artisan that makes jewelry may not create the glass beads that they work with, but they select the particular beads and put them together to create the final work.
Hand-altered
Hand-altered products mean that an original product was changed, embellished, or added to by an artisan. For example, an upcycled piece of clothing may have additional embroidery or dyeing done to it, resulting in an upgraded and altered product.
Why it’s important to us:
Products that are made by hand are a testament to the truly skilled and dedicated artisans and makers that created them, and purchasing them supports the continuation of skills and hard work having value in the economy. Often, these skills have been passed down generationally, and serve as a preservation of cultural heritage and knowledge that would be lost without a demand for makers’ handmade creations. Handmade products are also naturally more environmentally sustainable than products that are made purely mechanically, as they require less energy and resources during the manufacturing process. If you buy from a brand that has received the handmade badge on Flourish, rest assured that time, skill, and energy was transferred from the artisans to their product, and finally to you.