FIQUE + CLAY
“EVERYTHING IN OUR COLLECTION IS SOFT, AND EVERYTHING HAS A CURVE
Creative director Sandra RojasChinni, and chef and former catering company owner Vanessa Yusuf
Fique + Clay creations are designed in Toronto and handcrafted in Colombia
fiqueandclay.com, @fiqueandclay Fique, a natural fibre hailing from Colombia’s fique plant, was long used to make coffee bags and potato sacks. “It’s a forgotten product!” says Vanessa. “We turned it into something modern and useful,” adds Sandra. Fique placemats, baskets and rugs are all handmade by artisans in the Andean town of Curití. Makers in Medellín, meanwhile, craft local clay into big-tummied pitchers, mugs and tableware. Then, everything is shipped to Toronto and sold through Fique + Clay or retail partners. Sandra was born in Bucaramanga, and originally began importing artisanal ceramics to Toronto from her native country when she opened her own store. Vanessa was a frequent customer who soon became a close friend. A trip to Expoartesanias, a design show in Bogota, inspired their new venture. When they discovered fique there, Sandra says, “it was love at first sight.”
“People assume that everything in Latin America is about bright, saturated colours,” says Sandra, “but I like showing another side of the Latin American aesthetic that’s more like the white and terracotta stucco houses in Cartagena.” The tenderest shade of guava, which makes its way into placemats and pitchers, was inspired by the rocks, sand and minerals of Colombian topography. “I see everything with a washed filter,” says Sandra.
Fique + Clay launched at the NY Now trade show in August 2019, where Eataly’s buyer immediately bought the line for five of the chain’s North American locations. This June, Goop also snapped up a selection for its outpost in Sag Harbor, N.Y.
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