Industry Folk | Ico Traders

In our line of work we meet some pretty darn clever makers, and we're big fans of the ones who take care of their work, conscious of environmental impact whilst designing thoughtful, functional and timeless products.

Miranda Osborne, is founder, designer, van driver & wire furniture lover of Ico Traders who recently shared more of her story with us (on a side note, I’m their no:1 fan of the Orere Sofa).

1. The Christchurch earthquake was a pivotal point in your life. Can you tell us how this major event caused you to rethink your career path, and was Ico Traders a lightbulb moment or had it been an idea simmering for a while?

We had moved from Auckland to Christchurch a year and a half before the September earthquakes, I had planned to be a full time mumma, but was offered a senior buying role for a clothing company, took it & moved down to Canterbury into a full time job. Frequent overseas travel sounds glam, but mixing that with a young family creates a very lopsided work/life balance. When the earthquakes hit, we decided that family needed to be close, I had occasionally thought about setting up something on my own, but the earthquakes were the motivator!!

2. We like the name, Ico Traders, it feels solid and trusted. How did you land on this name? Were there others on the shortlist?

Oh - Ico Traders is a little bit of an inside standing joke between my husband and myself. He hates the overuse of the word Iconic so I was teasing him with Ico as the working name until I found something better. All of a sudden we are 8 years old and nothing has changed, its simple like our furniture :)

3. Can you tell us how you became inspired by wire and why you enjoy working with this material?

I had become pretty unenchanted with the clothing industry & the whole way fast fashion production worked. My goal was to get away from skus (sizing & colour ratios where you have to carry lots of stock), and find something that was made well & long lasting, for the home in which I would be working. I started by importing enamel glazed Lightshades and factory lighting, but when I found a small wire factory and met the owners, I knew that we could build a unique business together.

4. With product names like Piha, Coromandel, Benmore, Hokianga and so on, we sense a kiwi lifestyle / holiday vibe associated with your furniture. Is there a reason why a certain piece matches a place name, or are they simply favourite places?

I have travelled throughout most of New Zealand so a lot of my designs are named after a town or place that I think has the same feel (Devonport chair, Hokianga hanging chair, Piha Lounger etc). Others are named after places that have special meaning to me, Woodbury - where I grew up, Mahoe - the name of a farm owned by people dear to me.

5. You have about 56 stockists New Zealand wide, that’s quite a feat. Aside from hard work and courage, can you share how you’ve evolved the business?

Slowly! Im still a mum first (or try to be). I work from home and everyone that works with me has families, school & life juggle to contend with. Its kind of chaotic, but it works & we are very transparent about the working from home bit. I still pack boxes and unload containers, we work as a team and I think that resonates with my customers who also juggle their day to day lives/work/family. My designs are original but simple, I mix my own colours & while I’m aware of trends, I don’t make it my mission to follow them. I think the simplicity allows my furniture to be used anywhere.

6. B E R N I E ! We love the new whip and his tats. Where did the inspiration for the van come from and what role is he playing in the business?

I love Bernie - my family think Im strange (especially when I pick them up from school in him, they just don’t get how cool he is!!). We lug furniture around all the time & it was beating up my car. When in Covid lockdown I was using that time to set up retailers websites and help with their social media. I was also thinking what I could do to keep Ico Traders on its feet. My brainstorm was that mobile marketing in a van that was also handy for moving a heap of boxes, would be excellent. While trawling on Instagram I discovered a total gem in hugely talented Amy from @cheesebeforebedtime. At first I commissioned her to embroider a family portrait for me, but then it morphed and grew and with the amazing team at Signwise in Christchurch, Bernie got cool :)

7. Huge congrats on achieving Zero Emissions Certification. Exploring sustainability in your businesses important to you and we bet it’s an ongoing focus, can you expand on that?

Ongoing and always learning more!!!! There is so much work to be done in this area, so far we are carbon neutral from the moment our goods get on the ship until the purchase is delivered to its new home. Many businesses count that as soon as the transaction is made, then the responsibility for carbon emissions is over. I know that the work has only just begun for me, and the extra offsetting of national couriers is the least I can do! I have more work to do on packaging, it's a fine line to balance foam use with preventing our furniture from being damaged in transit. Damaged goods can be re stripped and re powdercoated but it can be harsher on the environment than the actual wrapping. So far we have replaced all plastic cable ties for paper tape, polyestyrene for cardboard and recycle EVERYTHING in our workplace, including all our bubble wrap etc. However, I know there is an issue with packing once it reaches the customer and the question of what do they do with it? We have been exploring options of collecting & recycling our bubble & noodle wrap into a design piece, but its a work in progress & there’s more research needed. My next step is an audit of the companies I work with (powdercoaters, metal workers, oak work, both here in NZ and offshore), to see what we can do to reduce our footprint further, I admit there is a long way to go, but at least we acknowledge it and have started!

8. You have introduced some very cool friends to your shop, including Tiptoe, Wilson & Dorset, Pressed Tin Panels etc. What do you consider when choosing other brands to work with Ico Traders?

Oooh - yes I love the brands I represent on my website. Wilson & Dorset are incredible, Amanda (the owner), is an inspiring businesswoman and has become a great friend, their products are second to none! I fell in love with Pressed Tin Panels years ago and am lucky to share the distribution rights to Pressed Tin Panels Australia here in New Zealand, there is so many cool ways to use this product. French brand TipToe is my newest addition & was pointed out to me by Katrina of @loveandgingerhome, she has an incredible eye and I owe her for this one, its super!!

9. The illustrations in your marketing are inspirational. Seriously, there needs to be a range of wall art off the back of these. We also hear they suit your resistance to the camera?! Black & white sketch lends itself to wire so perfectly. Overall, your marketing has a light-hearted reverie and a sense of fun. Have we got this right? Can you tell us more about your creative strategy?

Haha - all my marketing comes from a place of wanting to have a bit of fun with friends. My seasonal, Slim Arrons inspired photos started as a one off pool shot that morphed into tennis & an Ico style of its own. It quickly grew from 2 people as models, to a group of friends wanting to take part. The actors are ALWAY friends and have some sort of connection to the scene in behind. I always feature in them but have adopted ’The Wilson’ (hiding behind), - camera shy from a small child & its stuck! Discovering Amy and her talent for drawing beautiful lines fitted perfectly with the playful concept of our marketing.

Final Words

“My aim is to design timeless styles without compromising innovation or functionality, I hope you love your purchases as much as I love designing them.” - Miranda Osborne, Ico Traders