專業: Bamboo Materials & Manufacturing

"I think people who like natural materials are those who appreciate how these materials change as they are used over a long period of time." Marcello was founded by Yang Hsin-yi, a music teacher who majored in the cello. Before creating her bamboo-woven leather bags, she had never imagined that vegetable-tanned leather would pair so harmoniously with bamboo. She also discovered that, just as leather gradually changes based on a person's skin temperature and oils during use, bamboo likewise reacts to every human touch, evolving over time to accumulate a unique aesthetic and character that belongs solely to the individual.

Actually, both are making products, one just has electricity and the other doesn't. The two partners of A.M IDEAS, formerly product designers in ASUS's design department, in pursuit of the lifestyle they desired, initially focused on providing design services when founded in 2010. Since 2014, they began developing products using natural materials as creative mediums through the Taiwan Rush Production Cooperative.

Have you ever wondered why Lukang, Changhua—a place that does not produce bamboo—had more than 50 bamboo fan factories between 1970 and 1990? In fact, the raw materials for these bamboo fans mostly came from Zhushan, Nantou. Tracing back along the supply chain to Zhushan, Nantou, the core of the bamboo industry, you might just get to know the predecessor of KYOU, a bamboo factory specializing in fan rib manufacturing.

I found that the residents of Zhushan Township have a very strong sense of identity, and it's through bamboo. Lin Shan, founder of "Shanjie Bamboo Craft," is a bamboo craftsman from Nantou who settled in Tainan. Whenever he simply mentioned he was from Nantou, Lin Shan was often mistaken as coming from Zhushan Township, where the bamboo industry has been thriving since the 1960s. In reality, his hometown was in neighboring Mingjian Township, where his family grew tea. In the past, he wasn't even aware that Zhushan Township once had a massive bamboo industry, until he went to the neighboring town to participate in a Zhushan spotlight meetup. There, he met Lin Chia-hung of Yuantai Bamboo Handicrafts, discovered how Zhushan was united through bamboo, and consequently grew to love bamboo as a natural fiber.

Among many natural materials, we found that the toughness and density of bamboo are best suited for prolonged wear, and it even conforms better to the shape of the face with daily use. Therefore, bamboo has become the soul of Feizhu Eyewear.

Rooted in an eco-friendly green craft mindset, Chiang Tsang Workshop collaborates and exchanges ideas with master artisans across Taiwan, passing down the torch of heritage to transform Taiwanese bamboo craftsmanship into a series of tactile, lifestyle aesthetic products that blend Eastern fashion and open up a new realm of bamboo art. The design style of returning to natural authenticity and vintage fashion not only showcases the emotional resonance of natural materials, but also brings bamboo craftsmanship back into people's daily lives, making it a precious collection for everyone. Taiwan's traditional craft industry faces the plight of impending extinction. At this critical and urgent moment, Chiang Tsang has traveled far and wide to seek out the few remaining top Taiwanese master artisans willing to support this cause, working together in unison. Combining traditional crafts with innovative design, we have picked up the mission of passing down heritage and driving industrial transformation, hoping that everyone can join hands to contribute to the preservation of Taiwan's precious cultural assets and bring new opportunities to traditional industries.

Island Lacquer strictly adheres to the rigorous procedures of lacquer craft, creating Taiwanese lacquerware that combines both aesthetics and practicality, bringing a greater sense of aesthetic taste to daily life. With exquisite and delicate traditional lacquer art, each vessel must go through more than 30 complex processes, making every piece a unique masterpiece of painstaking effort.

The flexibility of bamboo overlaps and twists in various ways, extending into unique appearances and expressions. Centuries ago, bamboo was an indispensable natural material in people's lives; it could be found everywhere in clothing, food, housing, and transportation. But somewhere along the way, after the popularization of industry, we all forgot how to treat the earth that nourishes us. Petrochemical plastics flooded our daily lives, utensils became increasingly disposable, replacements happened faster and faster, and bamboo products gradually disappeared from our lives.

Pao Chi Hsuan combines mediums and coatings to solve the flaws of the mediums themselves all at once, while using the original textures as an aesthetic to enhance the sense of value.

Conducting field surveys and disassembling bamboo artifacts by Tainan's three major bamboo masters—Mo Yung-chong, Weng Ming-hui, and Lu Ching-chih—as well as delving into the bamboo weaving craftsmanship of grandfathers and grandmothers in various households throughout Guanmiao and Longqi Districts, Bamboo Studio focuses on craft education with the hope that people can gain a deeper understanding of Tainan's bamboo art culture.