Panda Carioca Craft

Impact

Panda Carioca Craft contributes to the planet by reusing fabrics, a significant environmental problem. Participates in the Rede Asta + Oficina Muda patchwork project, which receives donated fabrics from major brands, such as Farm and Fábula. This project generates circularity and income generation for artisans, transforming what would otherwise be waste into new resources. This reduces the consumption of natural resources, such as water and energy, and also reduces the amount of textile waste in the environment. Every sale is converted into direct income for those who produce.

History

Panda Carioca Craft began in 2010 in the Parada de Lucas neighborhood, north of Rio de Janeiro. Jaqueline was the one who got the ball rolling, but her shyness hindered the transformation of her skill as an artisan into a business. A few years later, Beatriz, his daughter, began to take the risk of doing some pieces. That was when Maximo, Jaqueline's husband and Beatriz's father, saw that there was great potential to set up a family business. The father's entrepreneurial spirit combined with the mother and daughter's talents were the strength needed to make a living from paper crafts.

In addition to her talent as an artisan, Beatriz knew that the business needed good communication. Until one day, she asked a crucial question: if our brand were an animal, what would it be?” As if the answer wanted to reach them, Jaqueline was watching TV when a documentary about pandas came on. She saw that they were persistent and had a charming, vibrant energy. Everything fit into the essence of the brand and, with this inspiration, Panda Carioca Craft was born.

Maximo brought great strength to the enterprise. He firmly believed that everyone should work together to achieve success, he was immensely proud of his family and dreamed of seeing the brand shine in the market. However, life is unpredictable and, a year after the birth of Panda Carioca Craft, Maximo unexpectedly passed away. His sudden departure deeply shook the Panda family, as they came to be known. The dream seemed to fall apart and its absence was felt in every step taken by the family. For a while, they no longer had the desire to continue. However, the seed was planted and, after a period of mourning, it germinated again.

Despite the pain, the family decided to honor Maximo's legacy and make the business prosper. In the midst of the return, a new supporter appears: Thiago, Beatriz's husband. In addition to motivation, he also brought his workforce. Like them, he is an active hand in the studio’s productions.

Determined to make the Panda Carioca Craft brand grow and become a symbol of love, unity and persistence, they found the Rede Asta Business School for Artisans halfway. They worked hard, got a place, studied hard, made important connections, graduated and what was good got even better.

Producers

Jaqueline Pereira, Beatriz Pereira and Thiago Nogueira. With dedication, they work tirelessly to improve their skills, develop quality products and delight each customer.

Each piece is carefully crafted, made with love and meticulous detail. Everything is handmade in a sustainable way, always with the good of the environment in mind. Repurposed and environmentally friendly materials are used in their creations, preserving the nature they love so much.

Together, they reduce, rethink, reuse and recycle. Maximo's big dream came true and today he is the support of the Panda family.

Products

Panda Carioca Craft products are made using the upcycling technique, which involves reusing fabrics, reducing the consumption of natural resources, such as water and energy, and reducing the amount of textile waste in the environment.
We also use ecological yarns that use the “dye clean” technique, which dyes the yarns using natural and organic dyes, in a sustainable process, free from toxic chemicals, safe for people and the environment. These threads are used to make crochet products using the amigurumi technique (crochet dolls).