DEYI 德逸 COMMITMENT
DEYI 德逸 is more than a sustainable design studio, we are a regenerative project. Through the analysis and implementation of traditional knowledge and philosophies, we aspire firstly to revive a textile tradition in continuous decline. At the same time, by sharing those ancient practices at a large scale, we aim to regenerate mindful behaviors and habits in today’s society, regarding the eco-social challenges we are facing as a global community.
Nowadays, being sustainable is not enough, starting being regenerative is key.
Given our social and environmental commitment, we analyze everything we do in the most demanding way we know. Our approach is framed within the study of the fundamental human needs proposed by Max-Neef. We believe in the importance of working to satisfy the maximum of real human needs, instead of encouraging artificial ones by creating a constant desire to acquire new trendy products.
From the perspective of this model, we work on the following needs:
Need for Subsistence
We promote Care and Respect for the environment in order to design healthy spaces in which to live. Our products and services induce the reduction of material consumption as we favor immaterial consumption of knowledge and experiences. At the same time, what we produce in a tangible way is elaborated following diverse eco-design strategies that guarantee us to offer respectful and responsible products from several prisms.
Need for Affection
The whole project establishes connections between designers, artisans, artists, tea masters and all our collaborators who make this journey possible. These relationships are based on Care, Admiration and Respect for each other, generating an atmosphere of trust that elevates our spirit and nourishes our soul.
Need for Understanding
DEYI 德逸 is above all a project that aims to transmit ancient wisdom and knowledge through a journey to the essence of traditional Chinese culture. Education is key for us. Our educational approach is based on ethical values and respect for all forms of life that exist on the planet. Through our different projects and experiences, our ultimate ambition is to transform harmful behaviors and habits of our current society into mindful and responsible ones.
Need for Participation
We believe it is necessary to nurture this particular need on our planet. We are all immersed in the same reality, on the same Earth, with the same boundaries. We should realize that as a global society we are all together and united. We are much more than separate towns, cities or cultures; we are fragments of life in the same place, with the same essence. How about sharing higher values and goals, beyond our individuality and ego ?
Need for Creation
If there is something really unique we have as humans is our wonderful ability to create, build and dream. Therefore, through our studio we give different solutions and support to businesses or individuals who want to create a project related to textiles or interior design. We also encourage regenerative teaching approaches and integrated design perspectives for all those creative profiles who want to learn other narratives and perspectives to develop their professional practice.
The responsibility and coherence of the product involves a series of eco-design strategies that must be carried out.
In our studio, we work on the following ones :
Pre-production strategies
In the conceptualization stage, we establish a selection of actions in order to avoid product obsolescence and promote recycling. Whenever possible we create products that are designed to be modular.
Material selection strategies
We prioritize the use of mono-material in all products, as this facilitates the recycling process. We select durable raw materials that we then transform with artisanal processes.
We currently use cotton that comes from provinces around Guizhou, specifically Hunan. Since the decline of artisanal production, the families with whom we collaborate in Guizhou had stopped producing cotton in the last decades. However, we are working with them on the responsible plantation of new cotton fields in the village of Zhaitou, Rongjiang County, where our workshop is located. We have limited the amount of water used as much as possible, using only rainwater during cultivation and river water to prepare the seeds. We do not use chemical pesticides: Yang Yi, our collaborator and head of the cooperative we work with, uses a mixture of traditional medicinal plants to repel possible insect attacks.
Since all the dyes are natural, the remaining water after the dyeing process is spread around the fields without causing any damage, quite the contrary, as it nourishes the soil thanks to the dyeing substances.
Last Summer 2021, we harvested the first cotton crop. The plantations have a yield of two harvests per year thanks to the abundant rain, a number that does not interfere with the health of the soil.
Our materials are made with practically zero energy expenditure. We use traditional hand-loomed and the dyeing processes are carried out manually using natural dyes obtained from the medicinal plants of the region. For more details about our materials and the artisans involved in the project, you can visit our official website: www.deyi-living.com/artisans ; www.deyi-living.com/atelier
Production strategies
We do not generate waste during production as all textile leftovers are destined for various uses: decoration in general or as a filler for some of the products to enhance the use of monomaterial, even in the inside of the product.
Although the fabrics are made in rural China as we are working to preserve their textile heritage, all final products using the fabrics are made locally. For Europe, we work with a workshop in Madrid, since our headquarters in Spain is based in this city. This workshop is Sola Estudio Textil located in Embajadores.
We reduce to the maximum the use of unnecessary components that are superfluous or only for aesthetics purpose.
Strategies for use
Our products are easy to care for and repair. They can also be recycled at the end of their usable life, which is generally very long due to the quality of the raw materials and manufacturing.
In addition, all experiences we propose do not generate any type of waste or extra resource other than the time that is invested on it.
Strategies for the end of the lifecycle of the product
When a DEYI 德逸 textile product is no longer useful in the way it was intended, you can send it back to us or bring it to our Madrid boutique to find a new use.
We propose three options:
- You give us the product back and you get a discount voucher to buy another one.
- We co-create together a new product born from the old one you leave us. This new product would have a new shape but would keep all the stories and precious moments it has shared with you
- You get a free pass to participate in one of our activities or workshops.
Distribution strategies
We do not generate unnecessary stock. Our products are unique and made on demand since we have oriented our business to services. In addition, we limit and reduce packaging to the maximum by also promoting the use of traditional handmade paper from Guizhou, thus preserving craftsmanship in myriad ways.
CO2
This indicator is our weakest point since we still do not have controlled methods to reduce the negative impact of bringing our textiles from China to Europe. The first measure we have taken is to manufacture the products more locally. Therefore, each finished product is made in China if it is intended to the Asian market, and in Spain if it is for the European market.
