21 September 2014

As someone who spends a lot of time working - in solitude - with their hands I naturally listen to a lot of podcasts. I mean, sometimes you're in the mood for some sweet jams, but when knocking out menial tasks (ah hem, ironing linen napkins) you need something with a little more content to focus on.

One of my longtime favorite NPR podcasts is Freakonomics. Often, the Steves (Dubner and Levitt) explore a little something called sunk cost. Essentially, a sunk cost is a past cost that has already been incurred and cannot be recovered. These "costs" include both time and money. What's especially tricky about this is the effect sunk costs have on our ability to admit a miss-step, to walk away from something that we've already invested copious amounts of time and money. Your decisions are tainted by the emotional investment you accumulate, and the more you invest in something the harder it becomes to abandon it.

Really where I'm going with this is, admitting that after a year of production - picking materials, formulating an overall aesthetic, and developing products - I've made a few of those miss-steps. Looking at the overall product line, I am, yes, happy with the quality of the items I've produced, but the overall look and feel is bordering on whimsical and pastel-based. And that, just isn't me.

So ignoring the sunk cost (siiigh) Folk & Faro is starting anew. With a lot of planning and a little restructuring the upcoming fall line is something I'm really proud of. After testing dozens of linens, I've found a lightweight, softened fabric that I think is perfect for tablescapes year round; and moving forward away from the gold and pastel (although there will still be gold, always gold) you'll see a much more natural, neutral pallet and block-printed patterns taken from my original illustrations. I'm pretty excited about this new direction, and I hope you are too.



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