Nanda and Esther from Nijmegen found each other in their search for meaning in their life. Nine months ago they started this web shop together, which combines their love for all things pretty with their desire to do something good for society.
What did you do before you started the shop?
Nanda: “I graduated from HBO-V (Nursing college). As it turned out, it really wasn’t my thing, so other plans popped up; I traveled for longer periods of time with my boyfriend.”
Esther: “I trained in several different fields, including Occupational Therapy, Care Sciences and Real Estate Development. My last job was as a Policy Officer within a housing organization for the elderly.”
So now you are developing and selling products. How is it going?
“We obviously don’t have the skills to make the products completely by ourselves, but we do have the ideas. The first version we always put together ourselves. Structurally, it’s always a mess, but esthetically it’s usually pretty close to what we were aiming for. Which is usually the most fun part of the development. Then we go and find the right people to make the final product. Our biggest challenge is sourcing suitable used or residual materials. We started out collecting absolutely everything, as we didn’t have a clue what we might be using it for. By now we know you need to start with a good idea for a product before you start looking for materials!”
What are your dreams for the future when it comes to work?
“Dreams galore. As we both have a background in caring for people we pay special attention to people who cannot achieve what they’d like on their own. I am recycled tries to create work for them so they feel they are contributing to society while doing something they actually enjoy. In the future we’d like to find a way for our business to start more of those kinds of projects.”
