When former graphic designers Darren Hsieh (謝政倫) and Phoebe Chang (張雯惠) decided they needed a change of pace three years ago, they quickly and decisively cobbled together a new career plan. Just two months after teaching themselves basic leatherworking techniques, the couple opened a studio in Taipei’s East District (東區), where they have crafted and sold handmade purses and accessories since 2006.
“Our designs are very freestyle because we are self-taught. The things we make don’t look the same as if we had used traditional leatherworking methods and that is what makes our work special,” says Hsieh.
In their former jobs, the two worked mainly on advertisements, but they decided to embark on a new career path that would give them more independence and a chance to let their own aesthetic take center stage.
They were attracted to leather because it is a dynamic material that becomes more beautiful with use, Hsieh said, as he hand-stitched a black messenger bag at their workstation while Chang deftly hammered grommets through a leather strap. Both taught themselves leatherworking basics from books and Web sites, refining the rest of their technique through experimentation.
“We don’t want to over-design our items because each piece of leather is special. Sometimes it’s hard to find a balance,” says Hsieh. “Leather continues to change, even though the animal it came from is dead. It develops a patina with use, for example. That’s what got us excited about working with it in the first place.”
Figure 21 bags and accessories are designed to showcase and preserve the original form of the leather each piece is crafted from. Wallets and purses have raw edges and are lightly stained in rich earth tones to allow the natural grain of the skin to show through; the colors are highlighted with contrasting stitching in thick, waxed-cotton thread. Smaller pieces of leather are left whole and folded into asymmetrical billfolds, eyeglass cases and pouches. Pieces with a more polished aesthetic include a simple red tote with a brown strap and silver hardware, and a wallet with painstakingly applied pleating on the side to make it resemble a sleek black seashell. Belts and key chains are made out of leather strips left over from larger items.
Chang and Hsieh use brand new skins, but visit flea markets to find inspiration for their creations. Their store’s interior, which wouldn’t look out of place in a Japanese zakka catalog or shabby-chic decorating magazine, also reflects their passion for seeking out diamonds in the rough. Much of the furniture was plucked from dumpsters or the side of the road, while a vintage hand-operated sewing machine came from Chang’s childhood home. Vintage cameras, matchbox cars, candy tins, wooden shoe forms, plastic toys and a typewriter are carefully arranged like precious treasure in shelves made of weathered wood. Chang and Hsieh work in a small alcove to the left of the entrance.
“We like to use recycled and found objects. We like things that are imperfect and marked, but that have a story,” says Hsieh.
Since the design of each item is based on the leather it is made from, every article in the store is limited edition. The store’s name is a play on the phrase “figure to one,” which points to the singular nature of each bag, wallet or key chain.
“We don’t go into the design process hoping that a certain item will become a bestseller,” says Hsieh. Custom orders take one week for small accessories, while bags can take up to three weeks to complete.
Most readymade bags in the store are priced in the range of NT$2,000 to NT$8,000 for larger items, including work satchels and tote bags. Wallets, billfolds and eyeglass cases sell for about NT$2,000 to NT$3,000. Stamped leather buttons and hair accessories are NT$100 each, while leather-covered notebooks are NT$980.
Beijing’s ironic, abusive tantrums aimed at Japan since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi publicly stated that a Taiwan contingency would be an existential crisis for Japan, have revealed for all the world to see that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) lusts after Okinawa. We all owe Takaichi a debt of thanks for getting the PRC to make that public. The PRC and its netizens, taking their cue from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), are presenting Okinawa by mirroring the claims about Taiwan. Official PRC propaganda organs began to wax lyrical about Okinawa’s “unsettled status” beginning last month. A Global
Taiwan’s democracy is at risk. Be very alarmed. This is not a drill. The current constitutional crisis progressed slowly, then suddenly. Political tensions, partisan hostility and emotions are all running high right when cool heads and calm negotiation are most needed. Oxford defines brinkmanship as: “The art or practice of pursuing a dangerous policy to the limits of safety before stopping, especially in politics.” It says the term comes from a quote from a 1956 Cold War interview with then-American Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, when he said: ‘The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is
Dec. 22 to Dec. 28 About 200 years ago, a Taoist statue drifted down the Guizikeng River (貴子坑) and was retrieved by a resident of the Indigenous settlement of Kipatauw. Decades later, in the late 1800s, it’s said that a descendant of the original caretaker suddenly entered into a trance and identified the statue as a Wangye (Royal Lord) deity surnamed Chi (池府王爺). Lord Chi is widely revered across Taiwan for his healing powers, and following this revelation, some members of the Pan (潘) family began worshipping the deity. The century that followed was marked by repeated forced displacement and marginalization of
Music played in a wedding hall in western Japan as Yurina Noguchi, wearing a white gown and tiara, dabbed away tears, taking in the words of her husband-to-be: an AI-generated persona gazing out from a smartphone screen. “At first, Klaus was just someone to talk with, but we gradually became closer,” said the 32-year-old call center operator, referring to the artificial intelligence persona. “I started to have feelings for Klaus. We started dating and after a while he proposed to me. I accepted, and now we’re a couple.” Many in Japan, the birthplace of anime, have shown extreme devotion to fictional characters and
RSS