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A new site where you can learn about, and buy from, up-and-coming artists
The recently launched RAREculture offers limited-edition home products perfect for the one-of-a-kind obsessed. Susan Kroll, the founder and CEO of the site, which carries a selection of jewelry and fashion as well as home items, says that unlike other online shops, she’s determined to create an arena where clients can “meet” relatively unknown artists through videos that she is creating with each artist. “I want to offer a real understanding of what goes into making these products, so that consumers can really understand the stories behind them,” she says. The site’s offerings range from highly practical pieces, like serving platters and armchairs, to the purely whimsical, such as a crystal foosball table. “Some of traditions that go into making these pieces might start to die if people don’t support them,” Kroll says. She works with a team of advisors to scoure the globe for lesser-known design talents like Ambience Studios, a firm made up of a pair of female El Salvadoran architects who create origami-like wood tables and lighting. Kroll focuses on vendors that are under-represented in the marketplace and could very well evolve into the design stars of tomorrow. “There are some amazingly talented designers in this country who’d otherwise have to go to a million craft shows just to sell three pieces,” says Kroll. “RAREculture provides a forum for them; where their artistry can be valued and ultimately sold.” Prices range as widely as the items, with small ceramic boxes by artist Candone Wharton starting at under $50, to KGB Ltd.’s handmade storage, seating and tables, which can reach five-figure territory.
RAREculture.com Launches as First Online Marketplace Servicing Emerging Functional Artists New York, NY
(November 10, 2011) – Today, RAREculture.com debuts as the first-of-its-kind international marketplace of limited edition home and fashion merchandise from emerging artists. Catering to the needs of interior designers and demands of discerning buyers, the website showcases unique, rare and hard-to-find works scouted from design shows, studios and galleries around the world. “The art and design retail market has been in need of a technological renovation for a long time,” said RAREculture founder, Susan Kroll, a fashion designer and trend executive of more than 20 years. “Until now, there’s been an unfortunate disconnect between independent artists and designers, and the massive consumer demand for unique high-end pieces. RAREculture is perfectly positioned to bridge this gap.” By identifying and promoting functional artists from over 15 countries, RAREculture serves as a global marketplace to help independent artists access and profit from wider audiences while creating a credible platform for dialogue within the design community. In creating a new forum, RAREculture hopes to help highlight the importance of design, reaffirming its status as a critical underpinning of all cultures.
“These days, when it seems there’s an app for everything, continued Kroll, it’s necessary and vitally important to remember that hand-made, authentic art is a counter balance to the technological metamorphous we are all experiencing.” For more information on RAREculture and its advisory and merchandising teams, please visit RAREculture.com.
ABOUT RAREculture
Our name, RAREculture, simply defines what we offer: rare and extraordinary merchandise. No two products are identical. None of our merchandise is mass produced or widely distributed. As an online marketplace with a unique approach to marketing exceptional limited edition designs, we connect artists and designers with discerning buyers who have a deep appreciation for extraordinary talent and extraordinary products. Through imagery and short documentaries, we provide a stage and give a voice to artists, their craft and journeys of inspiration.
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www. RAREculture.com