Apolis Launches Global Citizen Exchange

“Over the years of building our brand, we have learned that one of our greatest strengths is scaling artisan groups. We have wonderful examples of past projects that have helped improve people’s lives. Now it’s time to scale this to a much larger level.”

That is CFDA Member and Apolis Creative Director Raan Parton, speaking about the impetus for the Global Citizen Exchange, the transparent design and artisan collaborative marketplace that is the result of a partnership between Apolis and Indiegogo. The goal? To build a Human Design Company with products made by Apolis that address human and environmental problems.

Transparency will be paramount at all levels from design to manufacturing and pricing “in an effort to change the way we buy and sell to better communities world-wide,” Apolis said in a statement. “If successful, this new model will benefit all parties involved rather than exploiting, and at the same time drive out waste from the process, and reduce the cost of goods for the end consumer.”

The first crowdfunded project kicked off at http://www.apolisglobal.com/exchange/ on Tuesday and runs through November 12. During that time, people can invest and share in the first Global Citizen Exchange: an industrial design project in Oaxaca, Mexico — Studio Xaquixe — to design and manufacture a 100 percent recycled glassware collection. The true costs of the production process at every step will be available at the Indiegogo platform.

“For the first Global Citizen Exchange, we picked an industry and country that Apolis hasn’t worked in before,” added Shea Parton, CEO of Apolis and also a CFDA Member. “After learning that 75 percent of all glass blowing studios have closed in the last 10 years in Mexico due to global competition, we felt it was a great opportunity to communicate the hand blown process and to teach people the value in keeping a company like Studio Xaquixe alive.”

Apolis plans to comb the globe for more artisans to work with for this new Exchange. Stay tuned!

– Marc Karimzadeh

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