co/rizom — committed to craft

© Pauline Thurn und Taxis

“Our name co/rizom is related

to the rhizome* — the root that if
cut, still grows independently,
like the ginger root. In the same
way, we support the artisans we
work with to be independent”
Alina Șerban co-founder of co/rizom

co/rizom is a program funded by

*
Rhizome: noun: a continuously growing horizontal underground stem
capable of forming new plants by producing a network of roots and shoots. 1 / 25
 co/rizom — committed to craft

© Pauline Thurn und Taxis

After school the local kids stop by and learn how to carve the complex ancient patterns.
Borjgali, Tserovani Georgia

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

“We are not

factory workers —
we are creators”
Cattail weaver, Tápé Hungary

Introduction
We have arrived at a moment in time when the way we consume da-
mages both us and our environment, and has become unsustainable.
Objects that surround us have lost their eternal value and traditional
artisans, excluded from global markets, have little opportunity to
secure their livelihood and have lost their standing in society. At the
same time, the skills and knowledge of small-scale makers — the
very people who can help us end our over-reliance on mass-produced
goods — are vanishing at an alarming rate. We must stop this destruc-
tive pattern before we do irreversible damage to ourselves and to our
planet.

The craft sector, currently the second largest employer01 after agri-
culture in the global south, is struggling in the face of a chronic lack
of investment, innovation and access to business finance and mar-
kets. Heritage skills are disappearing on our watch: without the
capacity to make a living from their wares, the generational trans-
fer of skills and knowledge is being threatened, locking us further in
a vicious cycle of unsustainable production and consumption.

Co/rizom is committed to a responsible and sustainable model of pro-

duction, one that protects the essential craft skills and artisan knowled-
ge of small-scale makers around the world. We connect artisans with
the support they need to turn their heritage craft skills into viable live-
lihoods, integrating their unique products into the global supply chain.

01
The global market for handmade products is estimated to be approximately 1 trillion
USD in 2023 (“Handicrafts Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth,
Opportunity and Forecast 2018-2023,” Research and Markets, June 2018). Both the
retail industry and consumers are moving fast towards distinctive, ethical handmade
products with transparent information on production processes and materials used. 3 / 25
 co/rizom — committed to craft

The good news is that consumers are already starting to make chan-
ges to their buying behavior, seeking out more sustainable products
and driving companies towards greater corporate and social respon-
sibility.02 However, the majority of artisans are unable to take advan-
tage of this opportunity; craft skills alone are not enough to access
global markets.

Co/rizom is here to
change that.

We do this by:

• creating bespoke product development and business management

tools for the craft sector

• connecting artisans with local creatives and business

professionals, and global marketing and sales expertise

• ensuring unique artisanal products can access global markets

• driving sustainable supply through streamlined,

digital production processes

• promoting and distributing new products and collections.

By supporting a system of fair compensation for makers and re-

sponsible production, we can help create a world where sustainable
consumption of unique products is not just possible — it is once again
the norm.

02
The global market for handmade products is estimated to be approximately 1 trillion
USD in 2023 (“Handicrafts Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth,
Opportunity and Forecast 2018-2023,” Research and Markets, June 2018). Both the
retail industry and consumers are moving fast towards distinctive, ethical handmade
products with transparent information on production processes and materials used. 4 / 25
 co/rizom — committed to craft

Our Story
Three worlds colliding. Three people with their own skills and expe-
rience. One thing in common: the passion to create a fairer world.

We started in 2018 as a spin-off from an ERSTE Foundation social

development program that transformed the Romanian social enter-
prise Mesteshukar Butiq into a global player, supplying IKEA
with four handmade limited-edition collections.

On the outskirts of Bucharest, where

the paved road ends and the dust
track begins, lies Niculești. A village
that got lost along the way to moder-
nity. Horse-drawn carriages and di-
lapidated houses dominate the view.
It’s full of master woodworkers —
none of them generating steady
income through their craft. A project
for IKEA transformed that for some,
for a brief moment in time. Four col-
lections and 45,000 objects later, the
craftsmen are back in their makes-
hift studios and jobs as watchmen
and night guards. A success of sorts,
as we now understand what it takes
for traditional artisans to become
suppliers to a global brand. A lear-
ning, that one should never depend
on one client only. A challenge, of
how to keep a project sustainable.
This is why we started co/rizom.
© IKEA

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

We connect artisans with creatives and business professionals to

develop collections for a global audience. We call these teams PODs.
PODs follow the co/rizom roadmap to produce unique products. We
present them to the world. Every POD member has an equal share of
responsibility and ownership of the success. We empower each POD
with the financial resources to develop a first collection.

The co/rizom roadmap is a unique seven-step product development

process that gets artisans ready for the global market in 30 weeks.
It offers direct access to marketing, sales and the latest information
on developments in production requirements. These tools can be ap-
plied by anyone around the world and across craft skills, ranging
from woodwork to textiles and more.

In our first four years we engaged 47 artisans from 11 communi-

ties across eight countries, delivering a digital roadmap to develop
successful collections. We currently work with artisans in Albania,
Austria, Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Hungary, Nigeria, Romania
and Uzbekistan.

We have successfully built a team of experts and created a net-

work of advisors. The co/rizom roadmap ensures that artisans,
creatives and business developers are involved every step of the way
as co-designers of the process, reflecting our values of ownership
and equality.

© Nafez Rerhuf

Dona Dorina in front of her dowry bed, the pride of her house.
Zestrea, Beiuş Romania
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 co/rizom — committed to craft

Our Team
Alina Serban
“My 8-years experience in philanthropy and community develop-
ment supporting social enterprises in Roma communities connected
me to the world of crafts and was the motivation behind setting up
co/rizom.
Working with artisans and supporting them to make a living inspires
me every day. With our commitment we bring craft to another level,
making tools accessible for artisans who want to develop their skills.
My focus within co/rizom lies on contributing to structuring our pro-
cess, engaging with partners on the implementation of the
co/rizom roadmap as well as managing the incubation programme
and institutional funding.”

Nadja Zerunian
“I’m mostly a hustler, convincing people to work with us, I’m also
developing the co/rizom roadmap and the collections for three Pods.
I have a passion for craft, and collaborated with many artisans early
in my career. When I returned to the craft world I realized the stress
of survival that so many artisans face. I recognized I could make a
difference with my learnings from the corporate world.
Interaction with makers and seeing an object ‘materialize’ galvanizes
my commitment to our work. And the fact I can have an impact and
enable artisans to get recognition for their craft @ the most import-
ant design events, from Homo Faber to Design Miami/Basel or 5vie
in Milan. They will finally be where they belong. Even a couple of
years ago, this seemed an impossible mission. I love when what we
do suddenly makes sense.”

Andrei Georgescu
”I focus on business development for Pods working with wood, textiles
and silver, as well as developing the co/rizom process and translating it
into an easy-to-use digital platform. I also lead on distributing collecti-
ons to market.
I’ve been in the shoes of our Pod members, trying to develop products
with artisans, and I know how little support there is and how frustrating
it can be for artisans to work with no structure. Co/rizom was created
to cover the gap between artisans and modern retail. I’ve seen first-hand
how this can change a community, and I’m determined to recreate that
on a global scale.”

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

© Mark Glassner

Three generations of traditional Roma coppersmiths.

VCR, Mediaş Romania

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

Our amazing artisans:

co-creators of the co/rizom
roadmap

© Andrei Georgescu

Strugurel, before the workshop burned down.

Niculești, Romania

One spoon at a time

A talented wood turner from a community of traditional Romanian
woodworkers, Strugurel is exceptionally skilled, reliable, patient and
determined. However, precarious conditions in his workshop led to
a fire in the winter of 2021 which destroyed not only his house, but
also his opportunity to generate an income.

Co/rizom is pre-financed both the renovation and update of Strugu-

rel’s workshop, and the raw materials required to fulfil his first new
orders. We connected him to a client purchasing several hundred
wooden honey spoons. An additional collection of small wooden
objects is being developed for distribution through the co/rizom dis-
tribution network.

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

© Mark Glassner

Collection THREE.
AMC, Tápé, Hungary

The magical transformation of table mats

Tápé was the centre of Hungarian cattail production. Every house
was built to accommodate the one-year drying period of the stalks
used for cattail weaving and the enormous looms. Time, however,
brought massive change: the river was diverted, the surrounding
wetlands disappeared, and the raw material is now imported from
Transylvania. But a group of women wants to keep this traditional
craft alive. They see it as part of their identity, and one they never
want to lose.

Setting the foundations to not only keep a tradition alive but also bu-
ild an income stream, one of co/rizom’s creative experts transformed
generic merchandise (table mats and trivets) into a small collection
of iconic lamps that are full of humor and wit. But most importantly,
a radically different product range has been created: one that does
not compete with inexpensive mass products in similar materials.

The collection ‘little monsters / scary beasts’ was the local

women’s group’s first international collection. It was launched
at 5vie / Salone del Mobile in June 2022 and distributed through
co/rizom’s own distribution network.

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

How we work
There are two main cornerstones of our work: the co/rizom road-
map, which sets out a streamlined, effective and speedy production
process, and our ‘Pod’ approach to building teams.

1 — The co/rizom roadmap

Co/rizom has developed a unique methodology that simplifies and
digitizes complex core production processes and business manage-
ment tools for the craft sector. Our streamlined process, called the
co/rizom roadmap, involves seven simple steps that clearly define
the elements needed for the development of an artisan collection.
It can be accessed via the co/rizom digital platform launched in
November 2021. The co/rizom platform was designed as a one-stop-
shop product and business development tool to be used by 11 initial
teams (Pods), with the goal of successfully developing collections.
app.corizom.org.

2 — The co/rizom incubator (Pods)

Based on the team’s deep understanding of the relationships and pro-
cesses required to build successful craft businesses, we launched an
incubator model of business development in summer 2022. This is a
unique co-creation model based on bringing together a small teams
of artisans, designers and business developers with equal shares of
responsibility, local knowledge and ownership of the development
process.

These teams, or Pods as we like to call them, can access funding

and a structured process with regular input from co/rizom’s global
marketing and sales experts, to develop a new collection that will
be ready for market within 30 weeks. Collections are promoted and
sold through established co/rizom sales and distribution channels.

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

Pod. noun: a detachable or

self-contained unit, having a
particular function.

Why Pods?
A Pod brings together, like peas in a pod, the three essential indivi-
duals needed for a successful business: the artisan, a creative designer
and a business developer — one of whom will be local to the artisan.
Working like this closes the loop between three distinct and often
disjointed areas of expertise, and empowers all three.

Co/rizom also:
• Ensures global visibility through PR, curated shows and
exhibitions to establish new context and appreciation.

• Presents new collections and products inspired by the artistic

treasures found and developed through co/rizom’s network.

• Established a pioneering network across a spectrum of

galleries, fairs, retailers and magazines around the world.

• Digitized our roadmap so that everyone who wants to can develop

and successfully launch a collection, no matter where they live.

• Assists teams with external marketing, design and retail expertise.

• Opens new international sales channels offering consumers a

choice in line with their values.

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

0.2
external 0.7
design review (virtual) external collection
rewiew (virtual)

0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6

0.1 design proto proto product
trials briefing review review II review launch

tech. expert

week 5 week 6 week 12 week 18 week 24 week 30

co/rizom expert team

technical expert/on demand

In focus: the 30-week roadmap

We have distilled the product development process into seven steps,
enabling new products to be ready for market in just 30 weeks
(illustrated above).

1. trial phase
2. external design review
3. design briefing
4. proto review I
5. proto review II
6. product review
7. external collection review

The digital platform gives teams access to tools including an

assessment tool, business model canvas, budget calculation sheets,
financial planning tools and basic communications templates. There
are two rounds of external feedback given by co/rizom’s global
marketing and sales experts: the first focusing on design (step 2), the
second on the finalized collection (step 7). Teams are supported on
demand throughout their process. This regular input focuses on get-
ting the collections fit for market. We also identify technical needs
and offer access to additional financial tools through our coopera-
tion partners in each region.

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

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© Pauline Thurn und Taxis
 co/rizom — committed to craft

Key facts and figures

This section provides an overview of co/rizom’s impact indicators
and the inspiration for co/rizom‘s incubator program.
It offers an insight into the power of co/rizom’s work and the poten-
tial for a formal monitoring and evaluation framework.

Since launching in 2018, we have:

• Developed and tested the co/rizom roadmap: co/rizom set out
to formalize processes and apply know-how that has long been
standard in industrial product development to craft production.
This resulted in the co/rizom roadmap and digital tools that
successfully integrate artisanal collections into the global supply
chain — currently ready to be scaled.

• Taken our roadmap online and launched an open-for-all digi-

tal platform: this reflects a major step towards bringing artisans
into the modern age and improving access to up-to-date tools
and expertise. This has increased the efficiency of collaboration
and reflects a much-needed investment into digitizing the craft
sector.03

• Worked with 47 artisans in eight countries (Albania, Austria,

Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Hungary, Nigeria, Romania,
Uzbekistan) and connected them with nine designers and eight
business developers.

• Safeguarded the continuation of heritage crafts and

artisanal skills, including 11 different craft types based on wor-
king with diverse materials and techniques: wood turning, copper
smithing, textile weaving and embroidery, wood carving, metal
working, natural fiber weaving, ceramics and carpet weaving.

• Developed over 200 products.

03
CHM, PbP, Mastercard Foundation, 2021 15 / 25
 co/rizom — committed to craft

“Meet the designers

giving traditional European
craft an unexpected
contemporary edge.”
Wallpaper Magazine

• Raised awareness of makers and their crafts and brought them

to a receptive global audience via major international design
fairs, exhibitions and shows – and PR through journalists and
publications including journalists Alexei Korolyov (Monocle
Magazine), Kimberley Bradley (New York Times), Anne-France
Berthelon (Le Monde / Damn), Karin Pollack (Der Standard),
Jasmin Jouhar (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Susanna
Koeberle (Neue Zuercher Zeitung / Atrium), Marta Galli (Vogue
Italia / Surface / Muse) and Giovanna Dunmall (Wallpaper) who
have partnered with us, visited our projects and written about
crafts and the artisans we work with. Our work has featured in 13
newspaper outlets including Wallpaper, Vogue and Monocle.

• We showed collections at:

Vienna Design Week (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Romanian Design Week (2020, 2021)
Adorno (2021) London Design Festival (2021)
Collectibles, Homo Faber (2022)
5vie, Salone De Mobile Milan, Design Miami Basel (2022)
www.corizom.org/collections/

• Co/rizom has featured as an inspiration and trend-setter in

WGSN, the most important trend forecasting company

• We have led intellectually stimulating and audience-engaging

talks and podcasts (e.g. Dezeen, Not Loud Enough, a b c works
and Monocle).

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

© Matei Plesa

Vasilica Isăcescu takes measure.

Talpe, Bihor Romania

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

We invest in traditional crafts to empower the com-

munities who make them and bring them visibility.

We use public relations, curated shows and exhibitions to boost global

visibility and international sales. Our worldwide network of galleries,
fairs, retailers and publications propel PODs and their collections to a
global audience.
Our work has featured in 13 newspaper outlets such as Deezen,
Adorno, Atrium, HOME, Icon, Vogue, Falter, Konfekt and Monocle.

Sometimes it‘s the smallest changes that trigger a second glance. A

splash of color, disorder of a pattern, a re-working of a local treasure,
or tiny adjustments to highlight the essence of craft.

A collection of objects crea-

ted with traditional artisans
in Albania, Hungary and
Romania. Presented at Vien-
na Design Week, Romanian
Design Week and London
Design Festival.

© Mark Glassner
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© Mark Glassner
 co/rizom — committed to craft

Scaling our reach

With our roadmap tested and verified and the foundation for the co/
rizom sales and distribution network in place, we are now:

• Building the co/rizom sales and distribution network and

securing artisan income streams. Following our experience of
working directly with artisan makers over the past few years, we
recognized the need to become the link between the market and
artisan communities.
Our current Pods and their 14 collections are ready for distribution
in the coming months via co/rizom distribution. 04

• We have also hired a sales agent who will sell Pod collections
wholesale. Francois Leblanc will be responsible for promoting
and selling co/rizom collections at international trade and design
events and connecting to major retail partners. His extensive
experience ranges from Maison et Objet to Galeries Lafayette
Group.

• Continue to develop the co/rizom digital platform and turn it

into an app to make it even more accessible.

04
We are currently working on the assumption that each Pod will be able to generate mon-
thly sales of €1,500. According to our royalty recommendations, each team member will
receive 6% of those sales. The expected lifecycle of a collection will be three years, with a
success rate of 70% in the first year, decreasing to 50% in the second year and 40% in the
third year. Co/rizom will have a return from the sales of the collections of approx. 20% of
the wholesale amount, covering distribution costs and partly investment into new teams.

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

Partnerships and
Endorsements
We have incredible friends
We have received endorsements and established pioneering collabo-
rations with a spectrum of non-profit organizations and foundations,
design and tradeshows, curators, online retailers and magazines around
the world.

• ERSTE Foundation
• Powered by People
• Vienna Design Week
• 5vie
• Industree Foundation
• Ground Truth Solutions
• Romanian Design Week
• Romanian Cultural Institute
• Xtant
• Passa ao Futuro
• Michelangelo Foundation

© Mark Glassner
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 co/rizom — committed to craft

Join our
movement —
we need your
support.
The generous support of the ERSTE Foundation has allowed us to
get this far. We now need more support to scale our work to reach
many more artisans. As the result of setting up a sales and distribu-
tion network and building a digital infrastructure during the pan-
demic, co/rizom is now ready to easily scale-up and reach many
more artisan communities. In order to reach a significant number
of artisans, we have launched the first call for collections with a
total number of 44 applications and selected 15 new teams to use
our roadmap, start implementation early 2023 and become part of
the co/rizom portfolio. We envision scaling this to 50 teams in 2023
and 100 teams in 2024 (substantially reducing operational costs and
realizing economies of scale that would enable us to reach many
more artisan communities at lower costs). We need your support to
do this.

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

Governance
Co/rizom legal structure
The CORIZOM Association is a registered non-profit “Verein zur
Förderung der soziokulturellen und gesellschaftspolitischen
Entwicklung” (i.e. association) headquartered in Vienna, Austria.

Finances
To ensure accountability and transparency, co/rizom complies with
all legal requirements. The association in Vienna (CORIZOM Verein)
produces an annual accounting report, audited by Ladstätter accoun-
ting and tax advisors (https://www.wt-ladstaetter.at).

Co/rizom distribution legal structure

The team has introduced a clear structural and legal distinction
between the co/rizom incubator/advisory and the future revenue
generation aspect of co/rizom’s work. Alina, Andrei and Nadja have
co-founded a social enterprise/ for-profit company in Romania,
CORIZOM Social Enterprise, based in Bucharest. This second
association will transition into a purely for-profit company through
which the team will build a sales and distribution channel.
All profits will go towards securing extra funding for co/rizom
Social Enterprise’s work with artisan communities and help cover
project implementation costs.

Advisory Board
Co/rizom has an Advisory Board that has a consulting role, meeting once
a year for strategic reasons. It is made up of the following members:
Lady Trish Malloch Brown, independent international affairs professional
Marianne Schlögl, strategic partner, ERSTE Foundation
André Wilkens, Director European Cultural Foundation
Franz Prueller, Senior Advisor to the Board, ERSTE Foundation

Jury Incubator
Alice Stori Liechtenstein, curator, Schloss Hollenegg for Design
Gilles Massé, curator FRANKBROS & WallpaperSTORE*
François Leblanc Di Cicilia, commercial manager, co/rizom
Gabriel Roland, director, VIENNA DESIGN WEEK

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

© Pauline Thurn und Taxis

Large carpets require four women weave simultaneously on a wide loom.

Nesa, Zogaj Albania

Nebije’s story
It takes courage and determination to rise as a woman in a tradi-
tional Albanian fishing village. After fish stocks diminished and
many villagers lost their livelihoods, Nebije Qotaj decided to set up
a workshop dedicated to a traditional regional skill: kilim weaving.
As no material was available, she started processing and dyeing local
wool. After her first successes, she began training and hiring more
women, a commitment that has altered the dynamics in this traditio-
nal Muslim village. She now employs 11 local women, all of whom
are the sole breadwinner in their families.

Co/rizom is supporting Nebije tap into new markets by developing a

contemporary collection of flat woven carpets based on traditional
patterns in vibrant colours. The carpet-weaving process has been
documented for a Netflix pilot, and the carpets have been shown at
Vienna Design Week, and an extension was launched at 5vie / Salone
del Mobile in June 2022, ready for distribution through the co/rizom
network.

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 co/rizom — committed to craft

“In my head,
I already live in
the future”
Zaza Gatenashvili,
Georgia, Wood Carver

co/rizom is a program funded by

Contact Information

25 / 25
office@corizom.org
www.corizom.org