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Posted by: Matthew

105degrees is a cool project all around, but one of the things that excites me the most about the project is our shop- or the “glass box”. The shop is not something that you would necessarily know that we have unless you take a visit to the restaurant- if you walk in, you can’t miss it. Rest assured the shop is not an afterthought. It is a very central part of our business.

The shop features our unique brand of retail food items, kale chips, granola, chocolate, ice cream, kombucha, etc. all of the essential raw food faves and of course, all of these things are great and absolutely necessary! However, what is most exciting about the shop is the opportunity it gives us to give back, and reach out to support like- minded business. Over the past year- researching and sourcing different products to sell has been a welcomed, exciting challenge. I have been utterly overwhelmed by all of the cool, conscious products that are out there and I am thrilled to have to chance to feature some of them here on Lifestyle.

As my first feature I would like to introduce Ariane Dutzi.

Ariane Dutzi, designer and founder of dutzi design, inc., is a former fashion editor who lived in Paris and New York, before she moved to the Yucatan. She now divides her time between New York and Valladolid, where she shares her home with two Jack Russell terriers, Luna and Cinza. Fashion was always her passion. In 2008 she started designing bags made out of Vintage burlap and recycled raffia- she wanted to use fashion as a means of contribution to our environment. Her goal was not to create just another “it” bag. She wanted to create something fashionable that could give back, by respecting nature, our resources, and the people who live on this planet. In this same year, she started her own company “dutzi design, inc.” and in 2009 the dutzi workshop followed. The dutzi workshop was created to help women, mainly Mayan, to have the opportunity to make some money on their own. Each bag is individually hand crafted inside and out by one woman. No assembly line involved. Ariane selects the materials and provides each woman with the resources needed to craft the bags. They are allowed to craft the bags on their own time, which gives them the opportunity to continue to fulfill household duties while still doing something for them. They are paid by the project, so that they are all committed on a personal level- no salaries- the attitude must be commitment. On top of giving these women the opportunity to make a little money on their own, she also takes the time to educated them on managing their finances- understanding that giving them money without the tools to handle it is somewhat futile- you must have a “backbone to stand” or so to speak. At this point, the workshop counts 23 women and is constantly growing. She is an idealist who believes in beauty, making the world a better place and that business is about more than just making money. You can see, and feel this through her products.

My conversation with Ariane was truly inspiring. I found her approach to business so unique and refreshing. Her bags are beautiful, sophisticated, and useful- the longer you carry one the more it becomes a unique part of you, your personality and style. To know that you are buying a product that has a life behind it, a soul, and a personality is such a gift in this era of commerce where almost everything you buy is a lifeless, mass produced good. It makes me happy to be a piece of the puzzle in bringing like-minded people, and companies together under one roof.

Visit dutzidesign.com