Bay Area Made is a community of values-driven makers from around the Bay dedicated to virtues such as craft, quality, good design, innovation, and sustainability. In addition to building community amongst local makers, we’re dedicated to educating and inspiring consumers to support local companies who create quality products that are better for the user, the community, and the planet. From the clothes we wear to the food we eat, to the products we use daily, WHAT WE MAKE locally and HOW WE MAKE IT really does matter.
One of the ways we showcase our community is through our annual exhibition during SF Design Week. This year our exhibition was hosted by Gantri lighting in their beautiful San Francisco SOMA studio. “Bay Area Made: Product Design Stories” featured products from 37 Bay Area Made members, and the stories behind them. The products represented standard, custom, and customized offerings from established and up-and-coming brands spanning home & garden, clothing & accessories, food & beverage, and body & bath, providing a behind the scenes glimpse into who creates the products, and how and why they are made.
In this series we’re featuring select exhibitors and their stories. Here is the eighth installment.
Check out Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 , Part 5, Part 6 & Part 7 of Product Design Stories.
Mama Moon Botanicals
Botanical Perfume Oils and Ayurvedic Body Care Products. 2022
Using ancient perfumery traditions, the MAMA MOON, perfume collection is formulated using the highest quality of naturally derived botanical extracts, resins, essences, and essential oils from plants and flowers.
My intention when formulating perfume is to create highly concentrated natural perfumes highlighting the rich and vibrant nature of the raw plant ingredients. Every ingredient comes from Mother Earth and never contains any synthetics or preservatives.
Handcrafted in small batches along the coast in Northern California.
– Susan Zaring, Founder/Aromatherapist
Habitat Horticulture
Preserved Moss Growmeo®. An assortment of reindeer, mood, and sheet moss. 2024
Growmeo preserved moss wall brings the beauty and benefits of green walls to homes and offices anywhere! Made with ethically harvested moss, it’s an easy way to instantly beautify your space. Its biophilic qualities reduce stress, and increase mood, productivity, and creativity. And its acoustic properties dampen noise. In addition, there’s no light required, and no maintenance needed—just dust it off every so often!
With this product, we envisioned bringing the forest indoors. An assortment of reindeer, mood, and sheet moss are arranged in eight unique designs, evocatively named after forests around the world.
Growmeo is made by hand at our Berkeley, CA headquarters.
Habitat Horticulture—the creators of Growmeo—is the leader in the living wall space. Founded in 2010 by horticultural artist David Brenner, our mission is to cultivate awe-inspiring plant-centric spaces that deepen our connection with nature. We are driven by the belief that plant life is integral to our well-being, especially in urban settings.
– David Brenner, Founder & Principal, Designer
Herderin
Riis Maxi Merino Wool Sweaterdress in Plant Dyed Logwood. Wrapping Sleeves Midi Sweaterdress in Plant Dyed US Merino Wool. Wabi Apron in Handwoven Organic Cotton. Handsack Tote Bag in Handwoven Organic Cotton. 2023-2024
Alexandria “Alix” Vasquez was born in San Francisco, California to an Iranian father and Puerto Rican mother in 1987. She began making clothing in her youth and was a student at the Napa-based art boarding school, The Oxbow School. She decided as a young adult that an education in emotions and the social world would be more valuable to her personal growth and life’s work over an education in design and completed a doctorate in Sociology in 2019. To Alix, our connection to clothing is a socio-emotional one imbued with sentiment, communication, sensuality, and lived experience. To understand this connection, Alix lived without mirrors for four years as she created her core designs to understand how clothing felt rather than looked on her. Simultaneously, she studied the sociology of fashion and was making clothing for others who were on a healing journey from illness to bereavement. Through her work, she realized that the most important responsibility she had was to allow natural fiber to speak for itself, and to remove her ego from the design process. Her garments focus on soft, easeful comfort with simple details that hug the frame of the body. She often hears from people that Herderin feels like wearing a hug, which speaks to both the sensual and emotional objective of her work.
She makes every piece with her small team of artisans in San Rafael, California. Her goal is to make every piece personal and empathically comfortable and seeks to challenge dominant frames heightened from the qualities of fashion: particularly in body shame, socio-economic signaling, and ornamentation. Allowing nature to speak for itself is the major driver of Alix’s work. Sourcing materials as regionally as possible, Herderin is a line dedicated to healing our Earth and our relationship to it. As a Fibershed member and producer, her goal is to upscale Herderin to be the first 100 percent Climate Beneficial™ clothing line in the US. By supporting farmers who use carbon sequestration methods, Herderin is a philosophy of not just the self, but of the undeniable responsibility to culturally and economically support our home, Earth.
– Alexandria Vasquez, Founder/Designer/Maker
Ian James
Mega sculpted vase, mini sculpted vase, and “Serenity” wall art. Leather. 2024
I decided to start an accessories line after making a few basic totes for family members Christmas of 2012 and I have been working with leather ever since. My self-named brand began in early 2013 as I cut patterns on my Bronx apartment living room floor. Since then, I have shipped products around the US and to many countries while I have bounced my home studio from New York, Miami, Sonoma, and now San Francisco. The official Ian James brick and mortar store opened in May 2021 where I proudly display and continue to handcraft every piece in the collection.
At the heart of the designs are strong angular lines and my classic Double X motif that has become my signature mark across many of the products. The core mission of the brand is to create products that can withstand all aspects of life, from leisure to business to travel, all while being effortlessly chic.
During the pandemic, when we were all at home, I decided to make a collection of home decor and art. These pieces are experimental and fun while having a much more organic silhouette than many of the bags and accessories. They allow me to explore leather sculpting and push the boundaries of how people can interact with the medium.
– Ian James, Owner
Anna Monet Design
Sculptures from “Dream Landscapes” series, assorted jewelry. Sterling silver, 18k gold plated bronze, horsehair, natural dyes, clay, LED lights. 2024
Anna Monet Design is renowned for her unique juxtaposition of materials: the strength of metal combined with the softness of ethically sourced horsehair, naturally dyed in rich hues. The studio’s capabilities now extend beyond contemporary jewelry, encompassing home objects and sculpture. Anna’s work celebrates the balance of opposites often found in nature, creating harmonious and captivating pieces. Her latest sculptural objects, featuring customizable light elements, are designed to instill moments of tranquility and introspection in interior spaces. Each piece carries an air of intrigue, sparking conversations.
The studio’s ethos is deeply rooted in sustainability. It intentionally incorporates biodegradable materials used since ancient times, including horsehair purchased from Native American traders and hand-mixed, all-natural dyes. This approach blends innovative design with traditional craft, symbolizing our enduring connection to the Earth and inspiring a sense of responsibility towards our environment. Anna Monet Design takes pride in its small-batch production model, which centers on crafting custom, bespoke, and made-to-order jewelry and objects. This model, rooted in respect and reverence for natural materials, allows the work to evolve with the times and seasons. Our collections are often limited editions, making each piece a collectible treasure. We prioritize sustainability, creating fewer, higher-quality items to be cherished throughout our lifetimes. Our modern heirlooms, if cared for, can be enjoyed for generations.
All Anna Monet jewelry is handmade by the artist herself. Anna creates each piece from scratch with intention and integrity in the heart of San Francisco’s historical Mission neighborhood. We aim to create contemporary jewelry and art, focusing on technique, mindful sourcing, and storytelling with each piece. Anna Monet’s dedication to craftsmanship and material sourcing ensures that every object is not only beautiful but also meaningful and enduring.
– Anna Danilova Monet, Owner/Designer
Photos by Medium Small
View the Mama Moon Botanicals profile
View the Habitat Horticulture profile
View the Herderin profile
View the Ian James profile
View the Anna Monet Design profile
