Hand To Mouth - Thomas Fuchs line of Recycled Drinking Glasses- Recycle Renew Reuse

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Founders Michou Mahtani & Thomas Fuchs Recycle - Renew - Reuse

Back in 2010, after serving as global creative director of Donghia—a brand best known for textiles—designer Thomas Fuchs met Michou Mahtani, then global brand director for Remy Martin Louis XIII.

The encounter marked the perfect opportunity to bring to life Fuchs’ love of Murano glass, which was originally sparked when he was asked to create a lighting division for Donghia. Combining that passion with the unique sensibility Fuchs had developed over years in the design industry, the pair joined forces to launch Thomas Fuchs Creative.

A Pile of Traditional Indian Glass Bangles

“I have traveled a lot and have visited glass factories all over the world and I have yet to find a factory that can meet the finesse I have found in Italy,” Fuchs says about his affinity for Murano glass. “Plus, Venice is not a bad place to have to go for work, so that may play a part too.”

Fuchs’ Murano glass chandeliers, which you can find hanging in places like Bergdorf Goodman and Ritz-Carlton hotels, command the highest profile in the designer’s body of work, though they’re far from his most accessible. For those of us who have neither the space nor the tens-of-thousands of dollars to invest in a custom chandelier, Thomas Fuchs Creative has comprehensive lines of barware and vases guided by the same design principles. 

It was their intention to create a line of drinking glasses made from recycled glass. This took them to India where they found a factory that specialized in the traditional Indian glass bangles. Upon Thomas seeing the broken glass from the bangles he suggested the colorful glass be melted down into rods and those same rods used to make our Foxware Drinking Glass line. 

Glass bangles have a rich cultural history in India, where they are worn by women as a symbol of marital status, good luck, and sanctity. They are also part of the traditional wedding outfit for Indian brides, who wear bangles made of glass, gold, or other metals to signify their husband's long life, prosperity, and good fortune. It is considered unlucky to break glass or lac bangles worn by brides.

Stacked Traditional Indian Glass Bangles made into TFC Drinking Glasses

The golden mean and natural patterns discovered during his extensive travels play a major role in Fuchs’s designs. Whether it’s the appearance of thinner, lighter sections shining out through the thicker, darker areas in the Skull Stamp Glasses or the perfectly chaotic looking facets on the Ombre glasses, Fuchs’ creations all have an organic look that belies their precision.

Thomas Hand Carving Each of Our Drinking Glasses

The glass is melted down and made into many different forms from drinking glasses to glass fiber. When the glass is taken to a manufacturing or recycling plant, it is broken up into smaller pieces called cullet.

The broken pieces are crushed, sorted, cleaned, and prepared to be mixed with other raw materials like soda ash and sand. The raw materials and glass pieces are melted in a furnace and then shaped into moulds to make new bottles of different colours and sizes.

Below: Custom Chandelier made for British Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver's Restaurant in New Delhi

Glass produced from recycled glass reduces related air pollution by 20% and related water pollution by 50%. Recycling glass reduces the space in landfills that would otherwise be taken up by used bottles and jars. Using glass for recycling means there are less glass objects lying around in he landfill or bin.

Each year, glass production releases at least 86 million tons of carbon dioxide globally. The process of melting the raw materials used to make glass accounts for 75% to 85% of the carbon dioxide emissions from glass production. Using recycled glass in glass production lowers heat requirements, thus effectively lowering carbon dioxide emissions. 

Custom Chandelier for Chef Jamie Oliver

The richly exquisite appearance of Murano glass comes from an extremely complex process of craftsmanship dating back to the 14th century that offers unparalleled clarity of color he applied those same techniques in India at the factory.

The Foxware Collection is compromised of individual collections The Roly Poly, Bottoms Up, Ombre, Skull Stamp , Cyclone and Surface.

Thomas Fuchs Bottoms Up Drinking Glasses Turquoise Melon

The Bottoms Up: based on a two tone glass it is created by dipping the glass into one color and then another and etching a rice cut design into the side. This collection is available in Turquoise / Watermelon and Blue / Sage

The Roly Poly: based on a design from the 18th century these glasses are sold in a set of 4 each one in a different color making it easier to differentiate which glass is yours. The glasses are made to use indoor and outdoor with a round bottom that fits as well in the palm of your hand as it does on a beach or grass field preventing it from tipping over.

The Skull Stamp Glasses: based on the 19th century wax seal Thomas intended for this collection to have a discreet happy skull. This is our number one selling collection and comes in a champagne flute, wine cup, water cup and double old fashioned (DOF). 

The Cyclone Glass: based on a opposite opposing twist shape the base of the glass is twisted in one direction while the moth of the glass is in an oval shape in the opposite direction.

The Surface Collection: come in a set of four of the same color glass in four different cuts.  

Thomas Fuchs Skull Stamp Drinking Glasses available on Amazon and here on our site

“I have been working with the maestros for many years and the process is still a little magic to me,” says Fuchs. “One day it is ash, pigment and sand, and the next day it is an object.”

Glasses are available from $30 and vases range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending on size and intricacy. You can find Thomas Fuchs Creative’s collections online at their website.  

The Infamous Thomas Fuchs Roly Poly Wine Cup thats sits well at the beach or in the garden

Bangles, over time, have become much in style to suit a more contemporary look, but they are still as important as they were millennia ago. Bangles with geometric designs give them a funky look, however, for traditional ceremonies only circular glass or metal bangles are preferred. People in different states of the country call them by different names. But, they have equally important in Indian wedding tradition, not confined to the geographical boundaries.

Every region has a separate set of rituals that are associated with bangles. Would-be-brides wear the smallest possible bangles with the help of oil. This signifies that her married life would be full of love and affection.

Is is so important for a country of billions of people manfacturing bangles on this scale that the broken parts are now made into Thomas Fuchs Glasses and a custom chandelier for renown British Chef Jermey Oliver for his New Delhi restaurant.

Log on to our site and pick up a set of your favourite glasses.

Michou