New Nest

Since 2006, I was moonlighting as an assistant to my friend Mark of Somark Innovations to make some extra cash. He, already incredibly successful at the young age of 24, was awarded the coveted “30 under 30″ in St. Louis and met fellow brilliant minds. One such person was Rebecca Kousky, who started Nest, which had programs around the world dedicated to alleviating poverty, empowering women and promoting peace through the successful creation of artisan businesses.

Back in the day, everything was grass roots. The website sold beautiful items created by the artisans, as well as designers in the US that had partnered up with Nest. I helped design anything from event invites to the first Facebook page to thank you cards. It’s a cause I feel strongly about and was happy to help out in any way.

In 2011, Nest came into collaboration with Maiyet, a modern, luxury fashion brand that is dedicated to identifying and providing market access to responsible heritage craftsmen. Together, they provide training and development that will focus on artisans in the developing world who exhibit comprehensive economic and humanitarian benefits to their communities. With this new partnership, Nest needed a new website to reflect both the changed brand and mission.

Rebecca wanted stark and minimal as a break from the old more textured organic experience; large beautiful photography would be the main motif. After two months of design and development with the help of Yippa, we launched in November and am excited about the future!

View the project in the portfolio.

Chantal Donvide in Togo