SYNOPSIS
This project was a collaborative course that was mixed with Industrial, Interior, and Visual Communication Design students that focused around the "slow food" movement. The Redefining Retail course was sponsored by VMSD Magazine. My group consisted of two other students, both interior designers, and our brand and design was selected as the winner in our studio. We also had a variety of guests from Gensler, Chute Gerdeman, WD Partners, and Big Red Rooster who were the speakers and critics throughout the project.
TIMELINE
16 weeks (Spring 2021)
TYPE & TECHNIQUES
School Project, Collaborative // Research, Ideation, Sketching
What is Native Nourishment?
“Native” could simply be a noun, referring to an original or indigenous inhabitant of a specific place. “Native” could simply be an adjective, characterizing something as being the place or environment in which a person was born or in which another thing - like a plant or an animal - first came into being. Both of these definitions are accurate and true, but to us, and to Native Nourishment, “native” is so much more; “native” evokes a sense of belonging and encourages us to remember that we only have one Earth for our whole lives, an Earth that we need to take care of and celebrate for all it has done for us. We have learned so much (and still have so much more to learn) from the indigenous peoples who first inhabited the lands we live on today, the ones whose cultures have always valued the deep, interdependent connection we humans have with nature and have respected, conserved, and defended their lands against encroachment and destruction. We aim to acknowledge these lifestyles and beliefs in everything we do as a brand by celebrating the cultures that are original to each area we find ourselves in, giving people accessible ways of fueling their bodies with native foods, and keeping in mind that without our Earth, we are nothing.
