Via: Globe and Mail

From sleek, Brazilian-designed ottomans made out of old flip-flops to gorgeous bags and totes crafted from sailcloth, woven paper, tent fabric and seatbelts, the wares at Galerie CO in Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood may be among the most carefully selected in North America.

Among other criteria, they must benefit the environment, support the people who create them and – no small added task – reflect the latest design trends.

“I want to promote good design and create economic opportunities for the people who do it,” says founder Sarah Richardson, an Ottawa-born lawyer who spent 15 years as a policy expert advising governments and international organizations on sustainable trade. She opened Galerie CO less than a year ago, having come up with the idea after discovering dozens of talented designers, artists and craftspeople while travelling the world for her work.

“It’s a natural extension of my professional life. I’ve been working in trade policy for years and have seen some incredible stuff,” she says. “They inspired me. I wanted to do something practical and help these people market their products.”

CO takes its name from the three pillars of sustainable development: ecology, community and economy, three values that Richardson takes very seriously. She picks her wares with criteria she developed helping clients create sustainable economic projects. “I know where each item comes from and the story behind it,” she says.

Although many of her products come from style capitals such as London and Milan, a good number of their designers hail from Southern Africa, where Richardson spent much of 2007 crafting trade agreements to promote sustainable trade. more…