The Bag Blog I The accidental entrepreneur who is revolutionizing plant care while keeping it chic.
Elin is based in Stockholm, but originally from the deep woods of Småland. She is an architect by trade, and a plant aficionado at heart.
Some years ago she found herself having two homes, and two sets of plants to care for. She soon realized that she needed an irrigation systems to keep her plant babies alive while she was away. The idea of Plantstraws was born then and there- to develop a stylish yet functional way of watering her plants.
Today thousands of Plantstraws are helping plants to stay hydrated while looking good all over the world. When we heard that she is an Bukvy affecionado, we wanted to learn more about Elin, and especially what she carries in her Bukvy.
The accidental entrepreneur
Elin is based in Stockholm, but her roots is in deep wood of Småland. Becoming a designer and entrepreneur was not something she planned. Instead, the idea of Planstraws was rather accidental, but we will get back to that a bit later.
Elin started out studying engineering at the University of Lund in the south of Sweden, and focused on architecture. In order to follow her passion, she crossed the Öresund pond as she was accepted at the prestigious Royal Academy in Copenhagen, Denmark, Det Konglige Akademi- KADK. With a fresh degree in Architecture, she went on to work at one of the leading Architects in Sweden, Wingårdhs.
During her studies, and after, she found herself having two homes. One in Copenhagen and one in Stockholm, as she had a long distance relationship with her boyfriend. Being a plant lover, she tried to find ways of keeping her plan babies perfectly hydrated while she was away. This was easier said than done, but could be solved. However, being an esthetician at heart, she was bothered by how messy the irrigation systems looked. She searched for more designed options, but to her surprise she couldn’t find any.
Being the resourceful person she is (and also quite handy!) she then thought to herself “well if there aren’t any options available, I’ll just have to do one myself.” Having a passion for functional design and plants, the concept came to her immediately. The idea of Planstraws, and the accidental entrepreneur, was born then and there.
"Combing function with style was the most important for me starting Plantstraws. I love how I can carry that thought into what I wear"
What is a Planstraw, you might ask?
The Planstraw is a bended metal tube that contains a cord. The idea behind it relies on the force of capillary action. Capillary action, named for its effects in narrow tubes or capillary tubes, is a force that occurs when liquids move through these restricted spaces. This force arises primarily from two key phenomena: surface tension and adhesion.
Capillary action is most pronounced in small-diameter tubes and tiny pores, where the effects become more evident compared to wider tubes. In nature, this is the reason why water can be drawn through the roots of plants. Similarly, the Plantstraws’ cord transports liquid from a container all the way into the plant’s soil.
The Planstraws comes in different sizes and colors. In her Stockholm studio, Elin plays around with shapes, forms and colors. With a Planstraw in your home, she makes sure your plant babies soil is perfectly moist even when you’re not home.
Today, you can buy your Plantstraw via the homepage, or at one of the many resellers all over the world
Fair and ethical production
Being true to her roots, the production of Plantstraws is located in Småland, while the design and product development is being carried out in her cosy studio in central Stockholm.
The production is small-scale, and Elin tries to use ethically sourced metal for the tubes. Having the production site in Sweden is not only convenient, but also gives Elin the possibility of having control over her supply chain. For her, it was important to not just drop ship a bunch of tubes from a country with lower environmental and working standards. She wanted to do something differently and do it well. The ethical mindset carries from forming an idea in her studio, all the way through production and assembly to what type of packaging she uses. This is an idea we at Bukvy can relate to, which is one of the many reasons we love Elin’s work!
"Making sure our straws are produced ethically has been a major focus for me. I want as little environmental impact and I want the people involved in making the straws being treated fairly."
True to her love of style and function, it is no surprise that she is an avid Bukvy bearer and loves her Midi curie for exactly that.
Curious as we are, we had to ask her what’s in her bag, and Elin was kind enough to invite us to her studio in Stockholm to show the content of her Bukvy. The content was a mirror of her personality: organized, functional and fun!
As Elin comes prepared, this is what she brings with her everyday:
A warm sweater
An umbrella
An “everything pouch": moisturizer, hand cream & handsantizier
Sunglasses
Wallet
Keys
An extra bag for groceries'
Two sets or EarPods (one with noise cancelling, one without)
Socks ( Elin does not like getting her feet cold!)
Sun cap
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Last but not least a small collection of, random, loose cancy (Elin went to the movies the other day)
A perfect Bukvy bag content for a typical Swedish late summer day- be prepared for anything- sun, rain, cold, warm and don't forget the snacks. We are curious to see how the Bukvy content evolves during seasons, and are looking forward to inviting ourselves back in winter to see what's new.
Thank you Elin for having us and for showing us the content of your Bukvy!
If you are curious to learn more about Elin and Plantstraws, here are some excellent options for you:
Elin Fyhr- Formex design talent 2023
