KARITON by 1372 Designs

by SEB P. DE JESUS

Kariton by 1372 Designs
Maker: Seb P. De Jesus
Foundation Year: 2011
Product(s): Notebooks, other stationary products
karitonko@yahoo.com

Profile
Kariton is a family business focused on recycling and upcycling paper. They collect used paper -- newspapers, telephone directories, cereal boxes -- and use them to create notebooks and other stationary products with original artwork covers. 

The bulk of their raw material are collected and bought from companies who sell scrap paper for recycling. All products made by Kariton are handmade, so no two pieces are alike. 

Aside from their spot at the HUB, they also sell their products on-line. Most of Kariton's customers belong to the young and hip who are interested in his business process. 

Story
Visual artist Seb de Jesus first came up with the business idea when he was living in Singapore with his wife. Deeply affected by the wastefulness of Singapore's first world society, the de Jesus couple starting collecting trash from neighbors and repurposing them into new items. 

He continued the practice with his wife and children upon returning to the Philippines, setting up Kariton. 

On-line presence
Kariton on Instagram
Kariton on Facebook
Kariton website/blog

Articles, interviews, etc.
Visual artist saves environment via recycled paper, The Manila Bulletin (2018)