During Covid’s lockdown, we noticed our family was using a lot of paper towels and paper napkins. Not only did it make the table a little sad, it was also horrible for the environment. That’s when we decided to make napkins that weren’t only sustainable, but also would make dinner feel special. As our team began our journey, we also found there was an opportunity to partner with and empower women and immigrants, so we did that too. The end result are these napkins – sustainable, functional, powerful and beautiful. We like to think of them as a work of art on your lap!
To take you through our process here are the problems we solved.
Problem: When considering which material to use for our napkins, we discovered that cotton napkins, come from highly irrigated crops that require lots of chemicals.
Solution: Our napkins are made of linen from the fibers of the flax plant. Flax fiber is the strongest natural fiber, making linen fabric durable and long-lasting. As well linen fabric is biodegradable and recyclable so doesn’t need to go into landfill sites, thus reducing the carbon footprint.
Problem: Many people use paper towels and paper napkins which are bad for the environment and create a large carbon foot print. They are usually used only once then thrown out. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in 2018, paper products accounted for the third largest proportion of all municipal solid waste (nearly 12%).
Solution: By choosing to make napkins out of linen; the napkins are washable, durable.
Problems: Over the years many linen napkins that we would purchase would fray even after the first wash. This got to be very expensive!
Solution: In the stitching process our napkins are sewn with a double hem that prevents fraying from happening.
PROBLEM: When sitting down for a meal, we wanted to design a collection of linen napkins that were beautiful and different from what was out there.
From a design perspective, most linen napkins are boring and not interesting.
Solution: We designed 3 napkin collections that are beautiful, fabulous and unique. They are also block printed, an artisanal process that is 350 years old.
We hear all the time from our customers that sitting down with our napkins brings an extra level of good taste to their meal!