About the Producer
zen zen GARDEN • HOME began as a small business on the beautiful island of Maui in 1990 and now practices their special form of eco-commerce on a global scale, with school chum partners Ian Reed and Andrea Phillips spanning the Pacific rim to keep it all fresh and efficient. Andrea lives in Bali, designing, supervising the in house workshop & working with artisan suppliers and Ian lives in LA running the US operations and retail store. They have over 1,000 national and international wholesale customers, as well as an intimate retail store that keeps them in touch with the tastes of the retail customer.

Both Ian and Andrea share certain sensibilities which are the heart and soul of zen zen - these are a love of nature, art and design, architecture, music and dance, and especially hand crafted textiles and home furnishings. These sensibilities began for both partners in childhood when they were lucky enough to begin traveling the world & developing a deep appreciation for different cultures. Both Ian and Andrea are creative & entrepreneurial and love to collaborate with their village artisans and customers as well. Working in many mediums, from ceramics and bamboo to textiles and plant fiber weaving, they create the distinct “zen zen” style. Their awareness of the environment influenced the use of sustainable materials and processes. They respect the lifestyle and traditions of their artisans and put their well being ahead of profits. Through this approach they have been able to continue mutually beneficial relationships with their artisans for over a decade now. They are also working with the village leaders, educating them in conservation, sustainable development and organic farming to insure safe drinking water and preservation of their neighboring rain forest. *

zen zen is a fair trade company and a member of the Fair Trade Federation (please go to fairtradefederation.org for more information). zen zen believes that fair trade means industry that is sustainable & fair not only for the workers but for the customer & environment as well. By empowering the local artisans to use their time, energy, creativity & surrounding resources effectively, efficiently and sustainably, fair trade product does not need to be exclusive and high priced but can be priced to compete in the world market. With this in mind, zen zen is dedicated to bringing their customers the best made natural handcrafted gifts and accessories to enrich both home and spirit while keeping vital the age old traditional crafts and lifestyles of the peoples of Bali, Indonesia and the world. The name “zen zen” comes from a Japanese expression which loosely translates to “but of course” - that natural serendipity which occurs when you’re doing something positive for the planet.