Intentionally choosing sustainable + ethical brands is an important part of my personal life as well as what we promote here at Flourish! We believe that we can impact change not only in the industry but also in people’s lives through the brands we support. We hope you enjoy this new monthly Sustainable Brand Feature highlighting brands that are making a difference!
Do you have a favorite sustainable brand? Please let us know in the comments so we can keep adding!
Sustainable Brand Feature | Cardenas & Kinn
Cardenas & Kinn is quickly becoming one of my go-tos for home decor! I have loved getting to know Erica, she’s quite the holistic mama and a total gem, and her product line is expanding!
Q // I just adore your shop and my home is filled with quite a few of your baskets, candles and other gorgeous decor. What is your inspiration behind Cardenas & Kinn?
My biggest inspiration is my family and our lifestyle. We live very minimalistic and believe in quality over quantity. As I was searching for items in my own home, I knew that I wasn’t the only one. So I brought in a variety of ethically made home goods to one spot (my website) to make it easier for others to shop sustainable products for their own homes. The wooden toys + children’s toys, come from my background of being a mother but also my years of experience working with kids, (nannying and a degree in early childhood development).
Q // How is Cardenas & Kinn doing business differently from a sustainability standpoint?
When shopping with Cardenas + Kind you will find yourself being able to dispose of less, buying as minimal plastics as possible and practice sustainable living with beautiful items throughout your home.
All products are sourced from artists from all over the world and the local artisans here in the states.
We are still working and learning on ways to improve, but we reuse almost all our shipment boxes and paper. We try to be as eco friendly as we can!
Q // I’m a big fan of quality over quantity—how is this true in your brand and the items you source?
Majority of our items in our shop are handmade or hand-woven, which makes a huge difference in quality. When you buy from Cardenas + Kinn, you know that each item has been sourced by how it was made and who made it!
Q // What’s your biggest lesson learned in building a brand and sustainable business model?
That it takes time. I often was finding myself finding brands that would be amazing in my shop, but knew I couldn’t have it all while still holding true to my core values. So it’s been learning that slow is also good!
Q // It’s true that sustainable and ethically sourced goods are a bit more expensive! Do you hope sustainable goods will become more mainstream in the future and how would you encourage consumers to justify the price point?
They are a bit more expensive, but they are also higher quality forsure. I sure do hope sustainably and ethically sourced becomes more mainstream but not in a fast fashion sort of way! With the higher price point also comes better quality and often times longer use for items—sometimes even lasting a lifetime. Also, I think people do enjoy being more eco friendly, which is a great topic to touch on when it comes to paying to items of a higher price.
Q // As a mama to littles, how are you starting the conversation with them around how our purchases affect others around the world?
It’s hard to go in depth with my littles because they are so young and don’t quite understand. But we do talk about quality over quantity a lot. WE are very minimalist when it comes to toys and particular on the clothing they wear—we try to look at how everything is made before buying. I hope as they grow older, it’s a topic we can go more in depth with them
Q // What is the hardest product in your store to source?
I wouldn’t say hardest, but rugs are an item that takes time. I work very hard to source antique vintage rugs, most of them come from Turkey and it’s a process to make sure they are genuinely antique. Also, sustainable made wooden toys in general are harder to find and source.
Q // What are some of your other favorite sustainable + ethical brands?
Some of our favorite clothing brands for our family are – Le Harvest, Hack with Design, Eadie, The Simple Folk, Fin and Vince, Kotn – buying second hand is also huge for us and always the most sustainable option.
Q // What excites you to wake up and do the work each day?
My shop is genuinely something that fills my cup, connecting with customers and new people daily is so fun. I love hearing everyone’s thoughts on items in the shop or what they would love to see in the future. Obviously getting in orders is so exciting and it rings true to the saying “when you buy from a small shop, they do a little happy dance”. I just really love what Cardenas + Kinn is evolving into. I’ve only been open for 8 months so it’s been so fun to learn and grow!!
I hope you enjoy connecting with Cardenas & Kinn!
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