TA-DAAN is a digital community devoted to creativity, craftsmanship and sustainability. Founded in 2018, in just over two years it has reached 200k crafts-lovers and currently has a network of over 5k crafters from across the globe. A few weeks ago they launched their marketplace, taking their community behind the scenes of creative and production processes.

Founded by Roberta Ligossi, Costanza Tomba, Sara Pianori, Valeria Zanirato and Tommaso Migliore, innovative start-up TA-DAAN redefines conventional handmade storytelling, giving it with a fresh, vivid, pop voice.

“In response to an increasingly automated and standardised world, TA-DAAN aims to create a digital space where craftsmanship is redefined, going from a production method to a powerful tool for sharing values that we need now more than ever before: creativity, uniqueness and sustainability”, explains Roberta Ligossi, CEO and founder who answered some of HOMI’s questions.

How did TA_DAAN come about?

The idea came from four young entrepreneurs between 24 and 30 years of age who are passionate about crafts and handmade products. “Because young people are rediscovering unique, handcrafted pieces, and they want to know who makes them and about the artisans’ journeys and choices. And we saw great market potential in that. The aim of the platform is to talk to young people about craftsmanship and to do this we chose the social media they are using”. After launching on Instagram, the company's social media portfolio has since expanded to Pinterest, YouTube, an online Journal and TikTok. “For a slow way of life as opposed to a frantic pace. All-round artisanship.”

How do you discover artisans?

“We started with our personal networks (friends, friends of friends). We would go to meet artisans in our own circles in person. Then, with social media as a driving force and after gaining some positioning, people have been applying to join in, to be advertised and interviewed since early 2019. It's a major promotional operation, a showcase for lots of small-scale artisans and brands. We screen the applications we get, looking for the ‘ta-daan factor’, meaning handmade, contemporary, cool and sustainable. Our products have to be handmade (mid-high end) and have to have that contemporary touch. It’s not nostalgic craftsmanship, it’s current and a bearer of current values, such as sustainability and uniqueness. Contemporary style in the name of sustainable choices and buying less but buying better.”

One of your products that’s a “success story”?

One by a half-Argentine, half-Italian artisan based in Spain. She presented herself via social media, targeted us and we interviewed her in Barcelona. She worked as a designer in the fashion industry (the most ruthless and fierce) until she created her own brand of belts, bags and leather earrings. Her pieces are timeless, they don’t follow fashion trends and they’re made out of leather using a technique similar to macramé. These are highly durable products, solid but very light, designed to stand the test of time, to be handed down. An age-old technique with a highly contemporary take. Well: we bet on her and a few weeks after launching the marketplace we’d already sold about ten of her pieces... It’s really satisfying!”

How did you get into e-commerce?

“A carefully considered choice. Our community consists of 200k people, our audience is international. For the first two years, we focused on our content with a keen eye on analytics. Then we were sustained with advertising, through content created by us and sponsored by the brands were promoted, such as weareknitters, arts and crafts schools, or by creating content with brands linked to sustainability, such as treedoom (an online e-commerce platform that enables anyone to plant trees in various countries around the world).” 

What furniture, home décor or tableware can a home not do without?

“Any earthenware! For instance, breakfast mugs: even three or four pieces rather than a full set. In our marketplace, for example, we have Marta Benet, a Spanish artisan whose cups are currently a best seller.”

“Spoon rests also sell well (to mention one area - cooking - that’s making a strong recovery!) in delightful shapes like fried eggs, pears, or squash.” 

Any unexpected orders?

“One of our biggest orders came from Berlin! About 15 spoon rests. What’s unexpected is how many visits we’ve had from Singapore and Asia.”

What colours are a must-have in the home?

Colour is extremely important: we started with a palette that acted as a guide for our magazine and now continues into our e-commerce. Our palette consists of dark red, coral, petrol blue and yellow, and is independent of the season. TA-DAAN has always been very colourful: nothing dusty or nostalgic, it has a very pop, colourful look.”

“We've found that blue things work great on social media! It pleases, relaxes, and evokes positive feelings. Basically, we try to make sure the TA-DAAN palette is a running theme for everything.”

What changes have really taken place in the home, and are now key, in terms of different conditions set out over months of isolation?

“Two aspects have changed a lot: firstly, so many people have rediscovered taking the time to do something. Lots of people have, for example, resumed or learned to knit or do crafts at home, because they have more time and a greater urge to do so. Secondly, everyday objects, like mugs or blankets, have taken on a different status; they now have more meaning than before. In general there’s almost even greater interest in decluttering, in making space: buying less but buying better! Things made with care and not mass-produced.”

Has the pandemic furthered your business at all and did it inspire your marketplace?

“It has primarily benefited us in terms of traffic - over 30% online and on social media - which has expanded our community by paving the way for a tendency to buy online.”

www.ta-daan-shop.com

Instagram: @real_ta_daan

Pinterest: ta_daan

YouTube: TA - DAAN