THE CRAFTSMAN VOL. TWO

TED GALVEZ
FOUNDER / DESIGNER / RE-PURPOSEER
JYUMOKU, SIMPLE REBORN

There is a subtly to great design, similar to great people. A color scheme or a handshake, a font choice or choice in beer, it is the little things that draw us in. Ted is equal parts great designer and great person, and along with an amazing knack for subtly, there is patience in his work that most other designers only pray for (myself included).

Jymumoku is a prime example of all of its founder/designer’s best traits, quiet, understated, simple reborn.

TELL US ABOUT JYUMOKU…

I, Jyumoku started roughly two years ago. The name references a type of tree in Japan. The idea being that if you cut open a tree and study the rings around it’s core, you’d be able to see the different types of experiences the tree has had in its lifetime. The hard times its endured and how it’s lived.
In our own way, we study the fabrics we reclaim. Taking them apart, you can see how they were made and what they were used for. We study the fabric’s “experience”, and remake them into something new and useful. We give that old jacket, or old rug new life.

COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR DESIGN BACKGROUND?

No, It started with my girlfriend and I spending time together by going to the local flea markets every weekend. In that time, I began seeing the differences between how things were constructed traditionally, compared to how they are made now. So, as a hobby I challenged myself to re-make a few things using some items I began collecting on our trips. I wasn’t looking to start a brand; I was just hungry for inspiration and more of creative push for myself to work with my hands.

WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR WORK HAS BEEN SO WELL RECEIVED?

A lot of people are intrigue by the whole recycled aspect of it. They want to be green and hip. They pay more attention to it now since its popular to be environmentally friendly. But when they do get there hands on it, I think they can feel the difference in the construction, and how the materials all work together.

THERE ARE MORE THEN A FEW COMPANIES THAT ARE PUTTING OUT SIMILAR DESIGNED BAGS, BUT JYUMOKU STILL SEEMS TO STAND OUT IN THAT CROWN. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?

My eye, I feel like I find pieces that are a little more unique in color and pattern. I feel like I might have a knack for color. It almost doesn’t feel like designing really, for me it feels like the bags design themselves. I just pull the right materials together and give it a new purpose, that’s my part.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF THE PROCESS?

Going to the markets, finding what I need. The hunt is definitely the best part. You could go one week and find nothing, go the next week and find an entire line. I don’t look for anything in particular; I go with an open mind.

YOU SEEM TO KNOW A GOOD AMOUNT ABOUT THE STORIES BEHIND THESE MATERIALS AND FABRICS, HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN INTO HISTORY?

I think so, going to school I used to think about being a history major, but didn’t really think I could make much of a living from it. I also like the idea of being an archeologist, excavating ancient artifacts in some old town somewhere. Learning about different cultures and how they lived has always interested me.

DO YOU THINK THAT LOVE OF HISTORY HAS HELPED WHAT YOU DO NOW?

I think so; just knowing more about the materials you work with is always a positive thing for designer. How certain fabrics are woven, who constructed them, all that is key information when I’m trying to repurpose something.

WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A CRAFTSMAN?

Probably not, I feel like I’m still learning... I’ve learned a lot since started. Some sewing, and some riveting... a lot of the time is spent finding the material, figuring out what I have, washing, sorting things out. But I’m just getting started.
To me, a true craftsman is someone who could take an object and actually work it into something functional. More old school to me… like a blacksmith, a person that could take any object or material and create his vision from scratch. There aren’t many people out there that can do that anymore.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LESSONS THAT HAVE STUCK WITH YOU SINCE STARTING JYUMOKU?

When even the smallest detail is given equal importance to the overall style and function of the product, the end product is always greater than the sum of those details. Pay attention to the detail and the end result is always fresh, exciting and better than originally imagined. There is no substitution for the quality and look of something that is traditionally made by hand.