Our design and material choices are informed by our own desire to find quiet space around us. We want the objects we interact with daily to have the feeling of vital importance to our lives. We want to be surrounded by objects that are life-affirming, inspiring and beautiful. This in turn reminds us of our own human realness and connection to the natural world.

A well-designed object is only truly great if the production of it is as thoughtful as the design. At Joshuvela, we produce all products in our own workshop in San Francisco. It is a rare circumstance that the brand is also the maker. Most brands own their design and marketing functions but do not own the production of the physical object they are selling. An object is embedded with the energetic intention of the maker so if process is poor and the maker is unhappy and exploited, the original purpose of making that well-designed object is diminished. 

Growth is sustainable when the growth itself comes from a community of individuals that share a common philosophy. In the business of objects, sustainable growth does not come from taking advantage of people trapped in low wage countries to produce physical goods. Sustainable products cannot be made through inequality. True growth comes from excitement and not from dollars. We support the growth of community and the growth of inspiring ideas. 

We want to toss out that old story that growth is always the goal. We are welcoming the color and texture of staying small. Staying small if humbling, honest and comforting in its relationship with equality. Instead of long work days, pressure and performance goals, we focus on enjoying the process, the nature of materials and the relationships our products have with our customers. 

Our production team consists of two incredibly talented and hard-working craftswomen. These two women make all the goods by hand and their pride shines through every stitch. The job of the owner and designer is to support them both in production but also designing products that enable them to work with pride. They are a large part of what makes Joshuvela and why our customers continue to send their friends and family to us.

We are based in San Francisco and our workshop is in the Potrero neighborhood in a building that is a project of the SFMADE organization. We started in February 2010 in the SOMA neighborhood in San Francisco with a couple of sewing machines in a small loft. Joshu and Vela come from the given names of the original founders. Noah is the owner and designer of Joshuvela.