Inorog The Label

•emotions behind the process•

[inorogthelabel]

Basically, in the beginning, is all about investing and re-investing almost everything..

emotions behind the process • nine  

Basically, in the beginning, is all about investing and re-investing almost everything..

There are times when we are overwhelmed and things are tensioned and we’re wondering how we’re going to make it all happen. These last months were clearly an icon for this particular situation I’m writing you about. At the start of the year, we bought an embroidery machine - nothing too fancy, but not cheap at all - it was actually really expensive for us, but we wanted one for sooo long, so we saved all the money we made from the Autumn + Christmas orders and we purchased it after long debates. We chose a Singer Futura. It seemed like the perfect match for us at that time. YAAY! We were so excited, we just couldn’t wait until it gets here. The machine arrived and little by little that super exciting times seemed so far away. It turned out to be impossible to work with, we just couldn’t sort it out - to mention that none of us had any idea of what an embroidery design needs (as mentioned many times we’re completely self-taught into this). The design digitizing programs were space ships (and just think about that I tried a lot of designing programs during school years), we couldn’t sort out the thread tension, we broke dozens of needles.. To sum up - we lost our hope that we will ever recover our investment.

After months of practicing and testing and experimenting, little by little we rediscovered why we need this machine because right now the digitizing phase runs so smoothly (we discovered the best program that works for us), now we can embroider our original design as drawn in Photoshop (after pencil sketches) - we just cannot explain the fulfilling sentiment that embraces us right now, to see that we actually can do everything we propose and imagine!

We so love to experiment ♡ After nailing the embroidery programs we completed our practice with screen printing. I guess you will see this combination a lot in the near future - we absolutely adore this mixed media approach, it suits our vision.

So.. In the end, is all about hard work, commitment and devotion - and things will sort out eventually!

T. Xx

// if you need to know more of the above, just send a dove - we would gladly write back

[inorogthelabel]

A good design made by hands is not cheap at all.

emotions behind the process • eight The other day, I've read some interesting threads on our IG Feed about mass production and low quality/prices.. I was really glad to enter that discussion, as I was meaning myself to write this blog post for a while. As independent designers, we often face the issue of production costs, that could mean material price, hours spent on concept & design, and most important above all, the manufacturing process itself. Trying to develop and enter a market where your competition is made in.. 'Bolivia / India / Pakistan / China' etc (you get the idea), is almost near insanity. How to explain to a customer that your product is gently made by your own hands, and in this process you invested a lot, that is not a mass production item, that is almost one of a kind - when everything that counts nowadays is the price and how fast you update your collections? Collections that are changing so fast that they can't even sell out in time because the other one arrives.. What happens to the waste? >> It's called p o l l u t i o n. Is so frustrating to see that people don't ask themselves 'why is this object so cheap?!' - because the answer is very simple: someone was not paid enough or not paid at all.. Why do you think the labor work is so insanely cheap in the countries like the ones above? They're let to be that way! Try producing the same in.. Europe, let's say.. and you'll discover that would be impossible because you have laws over here that don't let you underpricing a man's work for your own production! It's simply wrong!

For a clearer image of the message above, here we are.. trying to work as faster as a factory, in the meantime, trying to sell enough to cover the hours spent on making products & developing new ones so we wouldn’t be left out and on top of everything, making it possible with a minimum charge.

So dear possible customers, a good design made by hands is not cheap at all, try not to be absorbed by this mass consumerism rush, try choosing quality objects next time, objects that can become heirloom.. But.. Does that even matter now, in this secular time? Does it matter to leave heirloom objects behind?

// Feel free to expose your opinion on this topic, send us a dove! We would really, really like to hear from you!

[inorogthelabel]

Taking the time to proper expressing our appreciation!

emotions behind the process • seven Thank for your orders, thank you for your kind words, thank you for supporting the small businesses, thank you for investing in indie artists and artisans, thank you for being an active component of our IG community, thank you for taking the time to check our work out, thank you for being so different, thank you for being so open minded, thank you for sharing your creativity, thank you for sharing your personal moments with us 💝 A big thank you to you all, all our worldwide clients, potential clients and collaborators!! . We can never say in enough words our appreciation for you, the ones that make our dreams come true!

T.&M. Xx

[inorogthelabel]

Today we nailed it.

emotions behind the process • six Vacation mode is over. While creating our original patterns from scratch, we often design them by impulse, by intuition. A long time ago, we discussed the possibility of introducing a new character and you know us, we're the kind that long for peculiarities, we simply just love the misfits. Today we tested our skills. There were moments when we were asking ourselves if we've stretched more than we could reach. As self-taught doll-makers, we get satisfaction from seeing those baby steps achieved. At the end of the day we were proud, we nailed it.. But who would have known that creating a new head design would take us almost 10 hours?! Drawing, cutting, sewing, re-drawing, cutting, sewing, re-re-drawing, cutting, sewing, re-re-re-drawing, cutting, sewing.. and everything for this grande FINALE, our, as imagined, new doll head!

[inorogthelabel]

new

emotions behind the process • five  

Happy new dreams, Happy new days, Happy new desires, Happy new ways, Happy new year, Happy new us!

[inorogthelabel]

For many as this one to come !!

emotions behind the process • four

Hello, soulmate, are you happy with what we’ve accomplished this year?

-Yes, my love, I feel really, really proud!

(Contemplating the year that passed)

[inorogthelabel]

Thank you ♥

emotions behind the process • three  

[inorogthelabel]

We love busy weeks, but this one it's like none before!

emotions behind the process • two

In a couple of months, we will have our 2nd studio anniversary and we've never been so happy, proud and accomplished before! We've started all on our own about two years ago, it was hard in the beginning, mainly because in Romania the artisanal craftsmanship area is a niche. Many things changed since then, there are more cultural activities in this area and much more interested in this movement, the movement bringing the hand creations to the art level.

This week we got the invitation to be part of an art album, that will bring together the contemporary artisans from our country. Our story will appear next to other modern tales. Oh, how excited we are! We will have to provide a special presentation, a deeper story about us and the process.. The narrative must be backed up with images of course, oh, such a nostalgic feeling we got going through the oldest photos. We love them so much, but now we realized we grew into a bigger self of us. A more sincere one. We can relate in a different way with this other self, it's like we're there.. on that shelf! Not a toy, but a textile self of us. Maybe it's just our way to grow up! We're nothing but proud, and incredibly thankful for all the support and kind words that push us further. Thank you for considering us an inspiration and we promise we will continue to grow!

We're excited about returning home in December, and about returning to this perfect Christmas gift. The printed album will be there, waiting for us.

To join the nostalgia with us, we let you with these postcards from Italy! 

[inorogthelabel]

making something in our 20′s

emotions behind the process • one  

I learned to use the sewing machine when it all started for us, two years ago. It's been an incredible journey, creating our patterns from scratch, learning about different kinds of fabric! I think that the most amazing part is when we imagine something and the process of translating it into reality is so different from one pattern to another, it's always present a challenging compound! We're self-taught into this process, we've never sewn a doll, although we can admit that our background helped us a lot, I grew up always being like a tinker faerie, obsessed with innovative approaches into creation, and Mihai is characterized by a never ending curiosity, oh, and such a talented, skilled soul he is 🖤

So, here we are, denuded of our stories, the architect and the photographer, standing in front of you as self-taught doll makers!

We're young and full of creativity, and we want to thank you for being a part of our process, for allowing us to express in such whimsical manners. We learn and grow, always, because of you! Thank you!

T.  Xx