About Us
OUR STORY
Another Country is the dream project of our founder, Todd Cooke, a child of 20th-century globalization.
Todd was born in Hong Kong, China to diplomatic parents. He spent the first thirteen years of his life living in one country, one culture, after another, specifically: Hong Kong (China), Shanghai (China), Tokyo (Japan), Berlin (Germany), and Taipei (Taiwan).
When Todd returned to his parents home in Philadelphia, at the age of thirteen, he was an American in name only, having never seen The Simpsons or watched American Football. Undeterred, he endeavored to understand his own culture the same way he approached learning about every other, namely through immersing himself in art, literature, music, film, craft, design, food, language, but most of all: people.
After high school, Todd studied Slavic Language & Literature at the University of Chicago. He chose to focus his studies on Russia and the Slavic states, because it is a region of the world that has long negotiated the cultural legacies of both Western Europe and East Asia. He spent nearly four months living in St. Petersburg, Russia on a study-abroad exchange program.
After graduating, Todd chose to pursue a career in design, a domain in which people participate, shape, and change the culture around them.
After accruing more than a decade of professional experience in the design industry, not to mention two Masters degrees from the Institute of Design, Todd founded Another Country with the aspiration of progressively turning it into a multi-channel, immersive retail experience.
OUR MISSION
Celebrate and promote cross-cultural understanding through a curated presentation of exemplary works of creativity across art, design, food, and culture, in service of fostering a global community founded on tolerance, respect, and understanding.
OUR PURPOSE
PROMOTE Cultural Equality: We believe every culture holds a unique wisdom, beauty, and philosophy of being.
FOSTER Respect Through Understanding: We believe true respect begins with curiosity and a desire to understand. We seek to learn before we interpret, and to listen before we speak.
EMBRACE Complexity, Resist Simplicity: We believe every culture contains multitudes: traditions, contradictions, and evolutions. We choose to honor this richness rather than make it palatable.
CREATE Connection Through Exchange: We believe that cross-cultural exchange builds empathy, awareness, and a sense of shared humanity.
HONOR History: We recognize the histories have shaped the world, specifically histories of harm and injustice. Whenever relevant and possible, we strive to name and do our part to redress harms of the past and present, contributing, however modestly, toward the ongoing process of healing and justice.
OUR VALUES
Respect – We respect all cultures and are committed to fostering an retail environment and experience that is welcoming to all.
Humility – We engage with all cultures with a spirit of openness and humility.
Relevancy – We only promote products that are culturally appropriate, relevant, and respectful.
Quality – We select products of integrity that celebrate and reflect the unique qualities of a given culture.
Interpretability – We strive to showcase products in a culturally sensitive context where they can understood and interpreted by those outside a culture.
Equity – We vet our products, partners, and processes to ensure equitable relationships and the shared distribution of value.
Sustainability – We are committed to making sure our products, processes, and practices contribute to global sustainability benchmarks, as set by the scientific community.
OUR GOALS
Though we are just starting out on our journey, we desire to provide assurances to our customers, partners, and employees that we are living in accordance with our values.
As we grow, we are setting our sights on achieving certain globally-respected benchmarks, including:
- Certified B-Corporation
- 1% For the Planet Certification
- Fair Trade Certification
- Cradle to Cradle Certification
- Social Enterprise Alliance Certification
- UN Global Compact Certification