Happy Nes is an ethical, handcrafted accessories brand specialising in small-batch, handmade, everyday products. Meet Turkish founders, Nesligul and Ilan Karaso, and learn about the inspiration behind their sustainable accessories brand and their motivation to keep craft alive.
What inspired you to start Happy Nes?
Creating happiness from the simple things in life. In 2014, a kite surfing trip to the Philippines and Zanzibar turned into a life changing business venture for us. Between the stunning sunsets and blowing wind, it was not long before we started to appreciate the simple and laid back lifestyle of the people we encountered.
When we first decided to create an innovative, forward-thinking brand of tech accessories combined with handcrafted work, we were also committed to manufacturing every product with a high respect for both the environment and the people involved in manufacturing. Without environmental sustainability and ethical production practices, it’s really not fashion for us at all.
Tell us more about the ethos behind Happy Nes.
Happy Nes is a handcrafted accessory design brand that aims to create colourful lifestyles. We are adding value into most daily used products by turning them into fashionable accessories. The inspiration behind the different motifs comes from the colours of different cultures and islands we have explored.
Why do you think it’s important to honour and preserve craft?
All Happy Nes products are 100% handmade. That’s why each of the products, even with the same pattern, might have slight design differences, making your product unique for you. We live in a world where many things are mass produced, not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that – it’s great that some things are manufactured in massive quantities in order to fill a worldwide demand for them. But it’s also wonderful that more people everywhere are beginning to embrace things that are made by hand in small quantities.
The handcrafted concept plays a very important role in representing the culture and traditions of any country or region. Handicrafts are a substantial medium to preserve of rich traditional art, heritage & culture, traditional skills & talents – all of which are associated with people’s lifestyle and history.
Tell us more about your charitable affiliation and why it resonates with Happy Nes.
For us, creating a brand must not be based solely on making profit. We decided to support people around us in need of help and protection. By owning a Happy Nes product, you will be making a donation through us to Tohum Autism Foundation for kids in Need of Social Education and will be helping Tohum kids to realise their colourful dreams. When we first started the business we felt the need to create social awareness for kids in need of help. After plenty of researching, we believed Tohum Autism Foundation was the correct partner for our brand. We are not expecting any benefit from this partnership, we just wanted to be happy by helping the kids and creating a better future for them.
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