ខ្មែរ
English
“If you look at a bullet case, it’s grimy. It’s dirty. It was used to harm someone.” Anna Mischke delicately begins describing the material she and her business partner, Jesse Morrow, use as the foundation to all of their designs for their jewelry line, TEMPER. “I kind of feel like our jewelry symbolizes, in a way, you can move forward—create growth and beauty and see things in a different light.” Admiring the dainty gold necklace adorning her neck, the strangely beautiful cutout of a tooth, I would never believe it started out so raw. And that is exactly what the TEMPER brand hopes to achieve.
More than one year ago, the two young entrepreneurs practically fell into their decision to start a jewelry line. “We were doing some freelance nonprofit photography for another jewelry line in the states. We found this jewelry workshop and we were like this is it.” The workshop Ms. Mischke refers to is led by the Cambodian-run organization Rajana, a self-sufficient, for-profit program with two locations, Phnom Penh and Siem Riep. “We saw something in Rajana because they take people who are in less than desirable situations and train them to work on their handicrafts. They do everything from jewelry making to tapestry to linens to postcards.” Rajana itself made such an impact on the two that, instead of outsourcing their labor and production, they began a long-term partnership with the artisans. “From the first time we went in and started speaking at the workshop until now, this beautiful relationship has developed. It’s very much a collaborative experience.”
Rajana, although introduced as an NGO in 1995, has succeeded as an independent, self-sustaining business for the past 14 years. Their mission is to provide jobs and skills to underprivileged citizens of Cambodia, as well as preserve and promote the artistic side of Cambodian culture. They work with widows, refugees, and those looking for a way to better their situations. The skilled artisans created such a reputation that they now get to work closely with Ten Thousand Villages and other local designers and retailers.
Through the hands of Rajana’s trained jewelry makers, the first TEMPER pieces were created. In the early stages, “We spent a lot of time in the workshop. Sitting with them and watching what they were doing, being part of the experience. [Jesse] couldn’t speak Khmer and I couldn’t either, but we got this kind of camaraderie because you both know you’re working on something [together] instead of just getting something in China shipped to you. It’s really a team we’re working with, that’s how it feels.”
This team effort, along with fair wages and benefits, places the TEMPER brand in the fair-trade category, assuring potential buyers that the jewelry is more than just a neck piece. In addition to their conscious efforts to support local Cambodians, they work hard to reduce waste in the production of their pieces by upcycling old bullet casings and bombshells. Even after nearly forty years, locals are still finding these remains. In an effort to clean up and move forward, they collect the remnants and drop them at Rajana locations to be repurposed.
Before even getting to the metal work, though, the TEMPER process begins with Ms. Mischke. “I design the pieces. Then Jesse renders them on the computer—so they’re actually usable—and then we deliver that to the workshop and place our orders. They’ll go through a test run of any new products. If any changes need to be made, they make them and then they get shipped.” Though creating a line of anything is hard work, there are some perks. “Holding your design in your hand for the first time is amazing, it’s like, we made this, we actually made this. Even though you’ve seen it a million times, it’s a great feeling to open up a new shipment.”
In the midst of that process is where the luxury factor appears. “The base material is recycled. But we wanted to add a little extra to it, so that’s why we get it plated in white platinum and gold. When we were [beginning] designing for TEMPER, I wanted it to look nice. I didn’t want it to look cheap.” Nothing about the gold TEMPER ring or necklace Ms. Mischke wears looks cheap. Yet it’s also not overtly expensive, either. It is strikingly simple luxury jewelry, perfectly fitting into their tagline of understated statement. Even the amount of designs that make it through the entire creation process are carefully selected to keep with their polished brand image. These designs include memorable pieces such as the gold Tear Drop Pendant Ring and the gold Snake Pendant Necklace. They’re not your typical heart design, but TEMPER isn’t your typical brand, either.
To create this pairing of socially and environmentally conscious business strategies with a youthful, yet elegant design concept, Ms. Mischke draws inspiration from other entrepreneurs. “Rachel Faller [Tonle label founder] has been a big inspiration to me; she was here for a long time really pushing hard to be an absolutely no waste organization. Robert Esposito is a huge inspiration [founder of Coco Khmer], and I just have massive respect for local designers like James Ou and Hung Chin. Anyone who has the passion to do something that may not have immediate returns and put their life on the line for that, I have immense respect for them.”
It looks like people have equal respect for TEMPER as well. With buyers all over the world and recognition from places like BBC and Seattle Magazine, their eco-friendly efforts are paying off. “It’s really exciting to see that people are noticing upcycling and using recycled materials. It’s a bit of a sexy thing to have something that was made by someone that was fair trade. I don’t want that to be another trend, though. I hope it’s something that sticks around. I want it to be something that’s a part of your life.”
That desire to make a simple piece of jewelry have such a statement is the core of the TEMPER brand. They understand that each piece is not just a decoration, but a direct reflection of a place and all the people who worked on it. Though the brand is only found locally at Paperdolls, anyone who purchases it across the globe will know, without a doubt, it comes from Cambodia—a fact, Ms. Mischke shares, that is of utmost importance to them. “To see everything [in Cambodia] growing so quickly is amazing. I think that we’re lucky to be a part of it. And of course with such rapid change there are a lot of problems, but it’s still exciting to see that growth. And it’s exciting to see this [young] generation being opinionated and pushing for those changes.”
She speaks fondly of this country she’s called home for two years and TEMPER reflects so much of that. It tells many stories in such a subtle way. It wouldn’t be too much to presume that Ms. Mischke hopes the brand will mirror the progress of the country she feels grateful to be witnessing. “Cambodia is really flourishing and becoming more and more beautiful as time goes on.”
