First thoughts on Products and Materials

I have been struggling for the last couple of weeks, having got my first few posts up, they were in many ways the easy ones. Now it is getting more difficult as I get deeper into the subject so please be patient if the posts become a little more sporadic. I want to do this right. For me it is the ideas and thinking process that matters most. Let us look at a relatively simple product of a spectacles or glasses case. I have a number around the house and in handbags. Let me talk you through them and my thinking.

 I have a couple of these tall bamboo ones. I love the simplicity of the design and they take up very little space. They are robust, the only down side is they take up a lot of space for travelling. 

This next type is more compact. I am concerned I might crush it. It has hidden magnets in the area where my thumb is on the curved ends, the case will not stay open. Not great for a work environment where one minute I have my glasses on and the next off. I do like the fabric lining and the outside has a very tactile feel (see below).

My standard for travelling is an aluminium case as below. This is very robust, holds my glasses and two pens so I can have everything to write my journal while I travel. At least if it was made of recycled Aluminium there would be no further mining impact. And since it is a stamped design there are no other impacts.

  The case on my desk is this plastic one, which I have been trying to replace for a while. The curved top and bottom swivel over each other and one part becomes the base and the top holds the glasses. Perfect for on my desk. I would love a similar design in bamboo – any offers anyone?

Now I have introduced you to these products you can start to see my (and potential customers) dilemmas. It is horses for courses. I travel a lot and so things that work for me at home may not work on the move. What if I had some sort of physical handicap, say could not grip things well. Actually, the only one that might work then is the fabric lined bamboo case. All the others can be fiddly to open. 

I could certainly see the site selling the bamboo cases and if made of recycled aluminium, the metal one as well.

What do you think?

Fabrics – first thoughts

I have also been doing some research on fabrics which has been an eye opener for me, especially cotton, which up to now was one of my favourite fabrics. I have found a great report on fashion fabrics which I will share when I have more to say on that. 

Fabrics that I am looking into are: linen, wool, flax and bamboo. There are some others which will take more research into the chemicals used in the manufacture. I am not against the use of chemicals as long as they are sustainable and reusable and can be safely disposed of when used. Dyes also pose these issues. While dyes can be natural materials such as ochre, some chemicals used are harmful. I am in particular thinking of leather dyeing which can be quite a toxic process. More on this later.