Straight Questions: Jamie Salm of MioCulture

February 27, 2006 in Being My Boss, Environment

A new wave of thinking has gained more tangibility in  recent years and everyone is jumping in to find a way to contribute to this Viridian culture. Whether it is  Steven Speilberg’ and Tom Hanks driving Toyota Prius’s, magazines like Elle and Vanity Fair producing green issues or designers like Jamie Salm adapting a sustainable, responsible approach to his products — for once, joining the trend and going where the river flows is not a bad idea.

I first met Jamie Salm at a Dan Pink speech in Philadelphia last year. A soft-spoken youth, with piercing intelligent eyes, Jamie’s face or name (pronounced as Hay-me)is hard to forget. Still a budding journalist with no outlet for *my desire to contribute*, I scribbled his number on a spare sheet and tucked it into the back-folds of my purse. I promised I would call him for an interview soon.

Jamie, a Columbian native and an industrial design graduate from Philadelphia’s University of the Arts, started MioCulture in 2001.Founded on strong principles of sustainability and eco-intelligence, his products demonstrate responsible thinking and environmental advantages. Like the reusable tiled wall-paper made of waste or the multi-use Bale chairs. The climb has been steep and rough– but today MioCulture boasts of an impressive portfolio having designed for Bloomberg and Anthropologie.

I pulled out the number today and gave Jamie a call — here’s what the brillaint designer had to say.

StyleStation: Were you always environmentally conscious?
Jamie Salm: No. Not in the sense I am now.

StyleStation: What changed you? What made you re-consider your options and decide on your current design philosophy? Was there a defining moment?
Jamie Salm: There were many defining moments. All economic acticity has ecological impact. There were several projects I did as a student in school that made me realize the very importance of sustainable design in our daily lives. (His college thesis was, "furnishings made of waste-paper)  And after that, it was just a matter of common sense. You know? When I was thinking what am I going to dedicate my design to… it was a obvious choice that it had to be eco-friendly. That it had to be responsible.

StyleStation: Has it been difficult to sustain your business because of your philosophy? Were you ever forced to compromise?
Jamie Salm: At times it is difficult to explain to people my ideas and what I am doing. But I understand that people haven’t had the opportunity to look at the world the way I have. My education, my experiences…. So it becomes a matter of working within their frame. Its not as much about telling them what they are doing is wrong, but its more about encouraging them to do right.

StyleStation: There has been a major shift in the collective consciousness of the design and architectural community about sustainability and responsibility in the last couple of years. What caused it?
Jamie Salm: We opned shop in 2001 and our first collection of products featured in 2003. During tha time, there was not as much retail-based interest in sustainability. There are several reasons why this shift has occured. First off, it has to do with the perception of value of a thing. When designers are designing something, they think, how do I add value to this? It is possible to create anything today– the challenge lies in how we create it, in asking.. why should we make it? Ethical questions about the products have become more important than the product itself.
Ofcourse function plays an important role but now designers are thinking — if I can choose to make something, why not make it better? why not make it eco-friendly?
And it’s not about feeling guilty, it is about making your contribution.

….. whats your contribution?