We started Dou so because we wanted to make beautiful things. But it's really about understanding why we make them and who we make them with. We work with artisans across the world to create objects for the home that carry meaning, that bring a little bit of magic into everyday life. But underneath all of that, it's really about people. The people who make. The people who care. The people who choose to do things the slow way when everything around them is saying go faster.

Martina is one of those people. And her world and ours speak the same language.

She founded CICILEU / chee · chee · lèu / to tell the stories of real people and real processes behind the craftsmanship starting Puglia, where her family is from.

We chose Martina as the first conversation for this journal because what she's building with CICILEU reflects something we believe at Dou so too. That the hands that made something matter as much as the thing itself. That imperfection is not a flaw. That slowing down is not falling behind. That the best things are almost always the ones that came out a little bit different than planned.

It’s the first of what we hope becomes a living archive of people, places, and perspectives that shape how we see and experience the world, through objects, through design, through the quiet details of everyday life.

Martina was born in London and raised between Jakarta, Brussels, Milan, and Rome. But Puglia is where she spent every summer growing up, hopping from one artisan to another, soaking in their way of life. She'd ask artisans if she could learn from them, sit with them and hang out with them. And they'd all wonder the same thing. Why? Even my children don't care. This is all going to disappear one day. 

Her mother had always been the person people called when visiting Puglia, which had turned into a boutique agency for retreats and events. When that stopped (because of covid) they felt it was such a shame to lose that connection to the region, that role of bringing something to it and helping it be seen. Martina's brother had an idea: instead of bringing people to the region, bring the region to people. They started showcasing a curation of artisanal products online, then opened a shop inside the hotel Palazzo Daniele, and then also realized that real impact could come from more personalized orders that give artisans reasons to keep evolving while nurturing their skills.

Today the collection is all designed from scratch in collaboration with artisans. The name CICILEU is used to offer something rare as to say “who wants it”. Something rare and precious being passed between hands. It’s also, lol, used when passing a joint. Same concept. Who wants it? Here. Take it.

My mom always put it into us. We may not always be living where we're from, but those are our roots. That's our strength. Whatever you absorb from outside, always bring it back. 

I never thought CICILEU had to go beyond Puglia. But then I kept traveling and being drawn to craft everywhere I went. And I realized this attraction to craftsmanship is just what moves me. It spans all my travels. It's not about one place. It's about how I see the world.

It's always a collaboration. I think of something and bring it to them and sometimes they're like, absolutely not, that's ridiculous. But then there's something that clicks and we together create something. They bring what they have and I bring what I have. I never thought I could design from scratch because the options are overwhelming. That's why I love the limits the artisans give me. Their techniques, their materials. That's my starting point. I'm always drawn to what's raw. Not polished, precious design. It's fun to twist things slightly but not too much. You don't want to remove the essence.

The idea that a brand doesn't have to be fixed. It can move, evolve, absorb. It can reflect a life, not just a concept.

At the beginning I was communicating it from this really sad place. Almost crying on my stories. What are we going to do? And then I realized that's not why I'm interested in this. It's not pity. I think these people are so cool. They're wild and interesting and I want to hang out with them. So I flipped it.

I also stopped putting all the emphasis on the fact that something is handmade. Like, it took this many hours, it's so precious. But the object is so much more than the object. It's the person. Their generosity. The time and feelings they poured into it. The artisans are the stars. I want people to fall in love with them. That's the shift I made. Not the product. The person.

It's no longer about just saving something. It's about recognizing its value as it is. The artisan is the story. Sometimes we forget there's an actual human behind all of it.

She loved pottery and every time we'd go to a ceramics atelier, she'd ask for the plates that came out wrong. The blob of glaze. The off-center decoration. She had the most unique collection because she always went for the mistakes. I didn't realize how much that shaped me until later. I actually tried to recreate one of those blobs on purpose once. You can't. Because it was just a mistake.

How often the best pieces come from something going wrong. A shape that wasn't planned. A color that shifted in the fire. I think people are craving that right now. Things that feel human. Objects with fingerprints. Not perfect, and better for it.

I was in Islamabad, which has nothing to do with craft compared to the rest of the country. They say Islamabad is five minutes from Pakistan because it's not really Pakistan. But every time I went to the bazaars in Rawalpindi or Lahore, I was like, oh my god. You need a shirt, you go to the fabric seller, then the buttons, then the tailor. People who make pens. People who make paper. Build your own everything. And they're so fast. You buy fabric in the morning and pick it up finished in the afternoon. Pakistan has very similar craftsmanship to India but it's not necessarily packaged for tourists. It's a treasure hunt.

Baskets. One day I looked on top of my cupboard and I realised, I have a collection. I was so happy because I remember as a kid wanting to be someone who collected something. My aunt's collection is turtle themed. And I collect baskets. But personally I'm so intrigued by embroidery. I put it as my manifestation for this year. My dream is to meet someone who'll let me hang out with them once a week and teach me. I'm putting it in the air.

If the artisans are the stars, they need their spotlight. I want to share what it's actually like to hang out with them. They’re puzzled as to why we’re even filming but before I post anything I always show them first. And I realize they love it. They’re so happy to see themselves and see their real selves being represented. They always say wow that’s so cool, that's really me. That's the whole point. I want people to fall in love with them and as a consequence fall in love with the objects.

Let's fantasise it's June...

- Wake up

- Have cherries, mulberries or loquats for breakfast

- Head out to hang out with an artisan to work on a new sample

- After 1pm, when everything and everyone shuts down for lunch and afternoon siesta, pack a picnic of tomatoes, "Frise" (a hard, crunchy toasted bread that you soak in water (sea water for exquisite results) and go to the sea either by boat or on a rocky bay with my loved ones. Eat, soak, sunbathe, read, relax.. 

- Towards sunset I go say hello to the fishermen by the port playing cards

- After that I visit Mario, my farmer friend, to hang out with him and listen to him laugh

- Back home to take an outdoor shower (peak moment), get dressed to head out for dinner with friends from all walks of life in an extra local no fuss food spot, play some sort of game and then leave to go on a night time village treasure hunt date with my love. 

We're still fantasising it's June...

Pasta alla Crudaiola (tons of chopped tomatoes, tons of ricotta marzotica/cacio ricotta cheese, tons of basil, extra virgin olive oil, clove of garlic, salt to taste and basta)

Aaa I don't really shop online, the only thing that comes to mind which has recently filled my physical basket would be handpicked wild asparagus. Actually come to think of it my vinted cart is increasingly intriguing these days... beads, belts, baskets... Austrian tracht kids shirts.

I feel like I witness magic when I watch an artisan transform a raw material into a purposeful object. I'm literally hypnotised and even though it happens right in front of my eyes, it blows my mind that as humans we have magic flowing through us to be able to make something from nothing. I believe in the pure magic of nature. I'm reading a book about the hidden emotions of plants, and the infinite yet so purposeful creativity of it all is beyond bewildering. This might be very Snow White coded but I've noticed that no matter where I am or what I'm doing, a glimpse of wild animal just living its life (like a bird breaking off a twig for its nest), makes me realise how special everything is.

We’re living in a moment where almost everything is accelerating. Production. Content. Communication. Even creativity.

And yet, there’s a growing pull in the opposite direction. 

Toward what is slower.
More tactile.
More human.

A desire to stay connected to something real. The unfinished things. The imperfect things.

Those are the ones worth keeping alive.

And maybe that's what this journal will become. A collection of those things. Of people who choose carefully. Who build slowly. Who see beauty where others might not.

A space to return to.

Martina Pinto Bonomo is the founder and creative director of CICILEU. Find her at cicileu.co and follow along at @martipintobonomo and @ci.ci.leu.

This is the first conversation in the Dou so Journal. Thank you for being here.