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Kitchenware News & Housewares Review Show Daily 5 1 Saturday, March 2, 2019 Las Vegas Market Names 2019 Global Goodness Winners Greenington, Finatur, Solmate Socks and ME to WE are the winners of Las Vegas Market's eighth annual Global Goodness Awards. The awards recognize home fur- nishings and gift companies who create sustainable and socially responsible prod- ucts. The 2019 Global Goodness Awards were presented at the end of January dur- ing Winter 2019 Las Vegas Market. "Las Vegas Market is delighted to recognize these four exhibitors for mak- ing the world a better place to live by making environmentally-friendly manu- facturing choices," said Dorothy Belshaw, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, International Market Centers. "As the nation's leading home furnishings and gift market in the western U.S., Las Vegas Market is proud to support compa- nies that are greatly impacting people and communities around the globe." Learn more about the Global Goodness Award at www.lasvegasmarket.com/exhibit/col- lab/global-goodness. A panel of three industry sustainabil- ity and social responsibility experts – Colvin English of ByHand Consulting, Maud Obe of Aid to Artisans and Susan Inglis of Sustainable Furnishings Council – selected two home furnishings suppli- ers in Finatur (maker of home décor products crafted in Colombia) and Greenington (maker of sustainable furni- ture crafted in Seattle) and gift exhibitor Solmate Socks (handwoven, mismatched socks and other personal accessories). People's Choice winner ME to WE (maker of artisanal and fair trade prod- ucts) was selected through popular vote on the Las Vegas Market Facebook page. Finatur Design is a Colombian- based company dedicated to the design- ing and manufacturing of decorative products, as well as accessories and jew- elry. Finatur pairs pre-Colombian Zenú weaving traditions with a contemporary minimalist design. This company uses sustainable practices and a wide variety of environmentally-friendly resources, including bamboo wood, Tagua seeds and reusable plastic in its products. Finatur's goal is to provide a means for creating sustainable income for local arti- sans and their communities. Learn more at www.finaturdesign.com. Seattle-based Greenington is a sus- tainable furniture company that creates high-quality furniture from bamboo. The company follows strict international standard guidelines and has a zero waste manufacturing process. Greenington has been a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council since 2010. Learn more at www.greenington.com. Solmate Socks designs and creates mismatched socks, hats, scarves and blankets. Founded in 2000, Solmate Socks is a made-in-America company that has a zero waste manufacturing goal by knitting all products with a Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and Global Recycle Standard certified pre-consumer recycled cotton yarn. Solmate Socks also has a dedicated giving program in which the company donates a pair of socks to some- one in need for every pair sold. Learn more at www.solmatesocks.com. People's Choice Award winner ME to WE is a social enterprise that creates prod- ucts and experiences that allow people to do good through their everyday choices. Half of ME to WE's profits are donated to support WE Charity, while the other half goes toward growing the mission of the social enterprise. Its products are hand- made by ME to WE artisans. Learn more at www.metowe.com/about-us. The Global Goodness Awards pro- gram complements an ongoing partner- ship Las Vegas Market has with the Sustainable Furnishings Council (SFC) to create One Good World, a guide to sustainable furniture and home décor products to help connect legitimate sup- pliers and retailers in this new era of sus- tainability and accountability. The effort includes a sustainable products locator program showcasing relevant at-Market resources and expanded educational offerings addressing issues and opportu- nities connected with sustainability. Las Vegas Market is the leading home furnishings and gift market in the western U.S., presenting 4,000-plus gift, home décor and furniture resources in an unrivaled market destination. Las Vegas Market features thousands of gift, furni- ture and home décor lines, allowing for cross-category commerce among these industries. For more information, visit www.las vegasmarket.com. Robinson Home Products Debuts New Brand of Casual Flatware Robinson Home Products launched a new casual flatware brand, Living by Robinson ® . Designed with the modern consumer in mind, Living by Robinson places an emphasis on both style and functionality. The new brand, targeted at department and specialty stores, is a nat- ural fit for Robinson, a company with a rich, 100-year history of quality metal products for the kitchen. Since the com- pany's founding in 1921, Robinson Home Products has followed the guiding principles of founders George Robinson, an English cutlery maker, and W.R. Case, a knife manufacturer, to establish a com- pany committed to high-quality products and exceptional service. Robinson had become known for its superior blades found in items such as kitchen knives and small appliances, and it evolved into an industry leader in key metal categories, such as flatware, cut- lery, tools and gadgets, and eventually, cookware. Robinson is relying on that rich history as well as its existing rela- tionships with retailers to support the launch of its own flatware brand. Robinson is known as a leader in cre- ating products that evoke the styles of today and for anticipating consumer demand for new designs, trending materi- als and unique finishes. "We have our roots and expertise in the kitchen and tabletop categories and are excited to share this new brand, with our Robinson name on it, with a whole new generation of American consumers," said Robinson's President Ross Patterson. "We tapped into our strong team of designers, manufactur- ing innovators, and sales and marketing experts to craft a brand designed for style, function and value which reflects the story of Robinson's unique and com- pelling heritage." Living by Robinson will debut with a collection of 18 unique flatware designs. The patterns which encompass modern to transitional styling feature mirror polished, sleek brushed, and ham- mered techniques. Each piece is crafted from 18/0 stainless steel and several styles are available in both polished and satin finishes. A sampling of the new line designs includes the Beacon Falls and Mission Hill styles. Beacon Falls has a rounded contemporary shape with a subtle design element sweeping down the length of the handle and is available in a 50-piece, service for eight set with extra teaspoons, in 18/0 stainless steel. Its traditional styling with flared handles tastefully rep- resents the grand simplicity of casual and formal table settings. Beacon Falls retail: $79.99 for the 50-piece set. The Mission Hill design with its stately hammered technique applied to the sleek, curved handle, is also available in a 50-piece, service for eight set with additional teaspoons included, in 18/0 stainless steel. This trendy, transitional style will become a statement piece on any every day or special occasion setting. Mission Hill retail: $89.99 for the 50- piece set. With its extensive experience in omni-channel distribution, Robinson has made a commitment to servicing today's consumer and the varied ways they shop. In launching Living by Robinson, Robinson will showcase this brand designed for the unique needs of the department and specialty store channels, whether the consumer shops in store, via the bridal registry or online. Catering to those needs of the department store shop- per, Living by Robinson will launch the collection merchandised in both com- plete sets and with 6-piece carded sets. The 50-piece sets will retail between $79.99 and $99.99 and include service for eight with extra teaspoons. Two more styles are also available in six-piece card- ed sets. These will retail for $8.99. Rainy Day Illustrations By Amanda Helt Rainy Day Illustrations is a line of 100 percent cotton towels from a mother- daughter duo. The towels are carefully crafted with handpainted images on the front and are made for everyday use. Rainy Day Illustrations are the brainchild of Suzanne Simmons and her daughter Annie Niemann. The two began their small business in 2015 when Simmons, a longtime fashion illustrator, gave her daughter a watercolor painting. Taken aback by her mother's talent, Niemann encouraged her mother to share her gift with the world. "The watercolor painting was so detailed and beautiful that I asked her to do another painting and another. Finally, I told her she needed to get her artwork out there," Niemann said. "She was hesi- tant, but I persisted. We came up with the idea of putting her art work on something people could actually use, and that's how Rainy Day Illustrations started..." Simmons began her career as an artist in the late 60s as an illustrator for fashion industry labels and retailers. In the late 80s when fashion turned from illustrations to photography, she rein- vented herself as an illustrator, and start- ed drawing storyboards for advertising agencies to help sell commercial con- cepts for major brands. Simmons says her new found joy keeps her extremely busy, but she loves crafting each piece and is always looking for inspiration to create new ideas. "I head straight for my studio every day," said Simmons. "We just keep com- ing up with ideas for new illustrations. With the process of trial and error, we've figured out what prints well and what doesn't print well. The best (illustrations) are the fast ones. Sometimes I work on it for an hour and sometimes a whole day, and I'm having a wonderful time in the process." Meanwhile, as Simmons provides the artwork, her daughter manages the day-to-day business affairs. "Our artwork now serves a purpose in people's homes across the country and in our own lives," Niemann said. "I use our towels every day to dry my hands, to clean and dry plates, wash counters, as napkins and as oversized bibs for my 2- year-old..." Rainy Day Illustrations offers differ- ent lines of towels including a Wood Prints line, a Water-Color line, Nursery line and a seasonal Holiday line. There are dozens of different illustrations to choose from in prints like a small baby giraffe, a rooster, and a small fawn. Niemann says most of the illustrations represent their time traveling through the backroads of America. "The style of my mother's artwork is so very different than other artists I've seen," Niemann says. "She is able to cap- ture the beauty and adds elegance to any subject, which I think is thanks to her fashion background. We like to say that Rainy Day Illustrations is capturing the beauty of our every day and adding ele- gance to nature's natural beauty." Prices range from $15 to $55. You can find out more by visiting www.rainydayillustrations.com or by calling 832.215.7748.