Luxury cherishes craftsmanship, artistry, beauty, heritage, and uniqueness. It is timeless and classic, scarce and exclusive, art to be prized and appreciated from one generation to the next. The defining characteristics of luxury are changing.
The new essence of luxury cares about its environment and society. It prides itself on being socially conscious, ethically responsible, and unwaveringly committed to traditional values, authenticity, and transparency. It preserves and respects natural resources. It revitalises and reveres heritage and artistry. It improves the lives of impoverished individuals and communities. And it heralds the age-old adage of ‘less is more’: a powerful call to consume and dispose of less, and appreciate and cherish more.
While the combination of luxury and sustainable development may initially seem incompatible, it is one of the most exciting new chapters in the life of the luxury industry. It reaffirms the fundamental values of becoming exemplary once more. Sustainable luxury is spending without excess, without damaging the environment, and without exploiting individuals.
Taunina is sustainable luxury.
A business that cares
Taunina designs, creates, and sells exquisite one-of-a-kind hand-embroidered collection pieces. Taunina collections embody craftsmanship, superior quality, heritage and exquisite artistry – the hallmarks of luxury goods. Taunina is leading the way as a 100% authentic sustainable luxury business. This means that we operate with the utmost care for the environment and with an unwavering focus on improving the lives of those living in underprivileged communities.
Caring for the environment
You won’t find Taunina teddy bears or cushions filling up our landfills alongside the plethora of mass-produced gifts that lack originality and meaning.
Our ethos extends to our packaging: a beautiful and re-usable hatbox that serves as a practical storage container in any bedroom or nursery. It also shapes our choice of business partners: we source material only from suppliers with earth-friendly business practices. And we encourage our online customers to purchase collection pieces in their nearest region by indicating where each item is located (see Shipping for more information).
Improving the lives of the underprivileged
Our focus on improving the lives of disadvantaged people means that we operate in underprivileged communities where opportunities are limited but creativity and passion abound.
We provide our artists with the support and market access they need to make a living by using skills many of them learned at an early age. And we actively involve them, sharing in the success of the business. Artists receive a steady income (vs. piece rate pay) in the form of wages that are significantly higher than market-related salaries. In addition, they will receive 30% of the before-tax profits of the company: 20% through the Bear Essentials Fund (which contributes towards the housing, healthcare and education of their families) and 10% in the form of productivity-related cash bonus payments.
Taunina encapsulates the essence of sustainable luxury by nurturing the creativity, artistry, traditions and dreams of its gifted artists, who have managed to rise above the challenging circumstances of their home communities to create some of the most beautiful hand-embroidered collection pieces in the world.
Socially conscious consumption
Taunina customers are ambassadors for making a difference and protagonists for a better, more sustainable world. The lives of those who are gifted Taunina treasures are immeasurably enriched by the bond created between themselves and the Taunina artist. They are exposed, through online news updates on the World of Taunina, to global and social issues that are likely to change their perspectives forever.
In gifting someone a Taunina collection piece, the giver grows the recipient’s world, achieves measurable and visible social impact, and is recognised as a catalyst for change.