Bean and Gone

The sparkle’s back in silver for Alex Bernard whose pair of Ikebana Bean vases was snapped up by a City high flyer at last week’s Goldsmiths’ Fair.

Good news too for In Kind Direct, which benefited from the sale of the bean. One of The Prince’s charities, In Kind Direct distributes companies’ surplus to good causes and had been given hundreds of staff ‘Applause’ badges by Abbey when the bank changed its corporate identity in 2003. With the choice of selling them for scrap or finding a creative solution, the charity asked Alex Bernard to create something useful and beautiful instead.

“The buyer of the Ikebana Beans saw them and bought them on the spot. It was as quick as that!” says Alex. “The great thing about Goldsmiths’ Fair is that the location means it attracts a lot of City people who appreciate and can afford good design.”

“A corporate identity change can be good news for In Kind Direct,” says chief executive Robin Boles. “Sometimes it brings a straightforward donation of uniforms, tee shirts, stationery or tableware which we channel to our partner charities but occasionally we have to find another solution. The Abbey silver has been a great project for us – and a perfect reflection of our environmental values and creative approach to surplus.”

Now part of Grupo Santander, Abbey got another new corporate identity earlier this year. Good news for In Kind Direct – and Alex Bernard?