Behind every bracelet and tote created by the young artists of SEQUENCE is a compelling story of creativity and lasting community change. At retail stores, this story and its meaning might not be conveyed to customers, so SEQUENCE’s founder, Ariela Suster, partnered with Microsoft Edge to create a web experience to do just that. The new SEQUENCE Collection website launched today brings visitors into the SEQUENCE world, giving each visitor the experience, feeling, and mission of what SEQUENCE is about.
Ariela Suster grew up in El Salvador during the civil war, and her family experienced violence firsthand. Ariela fled the violence, while being determined to one day change it. Ariela went on to forge a name for herself in New York’s fashion industry, holding senior editorial positions at InStyle, Lucky and Harpers Bazaar. Returning to El Salvador, she saw an opportunity to make a difference.
Ariela established SEQUENCE to disrupt the story of violence in her home country by employing – and empowering – a group of at-risk youths to create beautiful, handcrafted artisanal accessory products in their own community. Through employment, young people avoid the influence of gangs, and create a career path for themselves that enriches and supports their culture and community. SEQUENCE invests in the personal and professional development of each artist through educational opportunities in computer literacy and artisanal techniques to expand the business and promote long-term sustainable change.
One of the biggest goals for SEQUENCE is to reach more customers across the world in order to create more jobs for at-risk youth. The Microsoft Edge team came to Ariela with many ideas and solutions for this challenge. Working closely with SEQUENCE, Microsoft Edge is bringing 3D and Augmented Reality capabilities to showcase the craftsmanship, opportunity to create personal designs and virtually try on the jewelry on the website. “The partnership with SEQUENCE is an incredible opportunity for us to amplify Ariela’s vision with Microsoft Edge technology. We wanted to help her create a unique shopping experience for customers to design a custom piece of beautiful hand-crafted jewelry from anywhere in the world. We are extremely proud to contribute to the SEQUENCE project’s mission of disrupting the cycle of violence in El Salvador,” says Leslie Chen, Microsoft Edge Program Management.
Utilizing the native support for 3D and AR technology in Microsoft Edge, the website links the young artisans in El Salvador with people worldwide. Now anyone can customize a bracelet from a palette and view in 3D, plus virtually try on a bracelet using AR, as if they were in the studio. These innovations empower the young artists to give their customers holistic experiences through the web, which in turn will help grow their business and transform their community further. Discover these new features on the SEQUENCE Collection website:
- 3D Customizer. Create your own bracelet using the new 3D customizer. Choose your four threads and a tie from a palette of colors that reflect the passion and positivity of El Salvadoran culture, and make it unique for yourself or a gift. View your design from any angle in 3D, just as you would if you visited the workshop on a sunny afternoon.
- Augmented Reality. We believe the world is adopting AR more each day, to provide richer experiences and convey information that previously wasn’t possible. Now you don’t have to wait for your bracelet to arrive to try it on. Simply print a sticker, apply it to your wrist, and see how your design looks on you.
- Explore our studio. Get to know where the SEQUENCE Collection is created. Enjoy the 360 view of our studio with hotspots pointing out what we’d tell you on an in-person tour.
Partnering with SEQUENCE offered the Microsoft Edge team a unique opportunity to use web technology to showcase a more personalized and connected experience of the SEQUENCE story, the SEQUENCE Collection pieces, and the workshop where it all began and continues to flourish. We are immensely excited to support SEQUENCE’s work to establish a productive contribution to the lives of young people in El Salvador and their local economy.
Ariela is thrilled with the new website, saying, “Having this website will really help customers connect to the purpose behind our product, feel part of this experience and part of the journey to create change.”
Visit the SEQUENCE Collection website now to try out the new features, and learn more about the individual artists and the SEQUENCE mission.
About Microsoft Edge Web Showcase
Microsoft Edge Web Showcase is dedicated to partnering with organizations around the world to highlight extraordinary and exciting new ventures. This program explores opportunities to contribute to a diverse set of literacy programs and to develop partnerships to showcase web technology.
Source: Windows Blog
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