The holiday whirlwind is rapidly approaching and it’s time to whip out those gift lists. Make your budget go the distance by buying items made locally and created by Taiwanese brands and designers. Prices are reasonable, so be sure to treat yourself, too.
GIFT SMORGASBORD
Does gift shopping make your head spin? Sort out your shopping in one stop with a trip to Lovely Taiwan (台灣好，店, www.lovelytaiwan.org.tw), which carries crafts from villages and Aboriginal tribes all over the country. Items with gifting potential include hand-carved animals from Sanyi Township (三義鄉), Miaoli County; plant-dyed scarves from Jhongliao Township (中寮鄉), Miaoli County; items woven in traditional Atayal tribe (泰雅族) motifs; and attractively packaged honey or chocolate from Taichung and Taitung. Many items are priced from NT$500 to NT$1,500; a portion of Lovely Taiwan’s proceeds go to the Lovely Taiwan Foundation (台灣好基金會), which supports native Taiwanese culture.
Photo courtesy of Islanders
Address: 18-2, Ln 25, Nanjing W Rd, Taipei City (台北市南京西路25巷18-2號)
Telephone: (02) 2558-2616
16 Workshops (16工房, www.redhouse.org.tw), a group of boutiques operated by independent designers in the back of Red House Theater, is another treasure trove of great gift ideas. Treat T-shirt lovers to saucy designs from Betelnut (檳榔) that riff on Taiwanese culture. Check out Dou Dou Hsiang (朵朵香), which shares a space with boutique Younga, for jewelry made from seeds collected around Taiwan and Steven’s Glass Wonderland (璃想國) for colorful, funky glassware and accessories. The latter shop also carries a wide selection of JOS Designs’ (簪簪自囍) hair sticks, which are carved from non-endangered woods native to Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of Lovely Taiwan
Red House Theater’s small gift shop in its main building offers stationery and gifts from Taiwanese brands. Monkey Design’s (猴子設計) postcards can be cut and folded into tiny paper models of landmarks and make a fun alternative to ordinary holiday cards.
Address: Red House Theater (西門紅樓), 10 Chengdu Rd, Taipei City (台北市成都路10號)
Telephone: (02) 2311-9380
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Gift-shopping on a budget? Visit the Red House Market for Artists & Designers (西門紅樓創意市集, redhousetaipei.blogspot.com). The fair, which takes place every week in front of Red House Theater, gives fledging brands and young designers a chance to sell their work, including handmade clothing, bags, soap and sterling silver jewelry, for very reasonable prices.
BREAK OUT THE BLING
Indie jewelry brands including Serena Chen, Haoshi and Moorigin can all be found on the Web site Books.com.tw (you can pay for and pick up goods at 7-Eleven stores) or at Leon’s Collection, which has a location at the Eslite bookstore on Dunhua South Road (誠品敦南店) in Taipei. Chen (陳禹潔, serenachen-design.blogspot.com) studied at Sweden’s Konstfack University College of Arts and her jewelry has a Scandinavian flair. Her pendants, earrings and rings are first outlined with brass, sterling silver or white gold and filled in with colorful pieces of suede, creating an unusual layered texture.
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
Hao Shi’s (www.haoshi.com.tw) all-white animal-shaped resin pendants and rings manage to look both eerie and whimsical. The company’s newest line is based on carousels, with delicately detailed horses on sterling silver chains. Moorigin’s (www.moorigin.com) etched stainless steel pendants are lacelike and strong at the same time. One pendant is shaped like a gingko leaf, while others look like a wisp of smoke wafting through the air or the facets of a gemstone.
Address: B1, 245, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路一段245號 B1)
Telephone: (02) 2775-5977
For handmade sterling silver jewelry, visit Primary Silver (tw.myblog.yahoo.com/allure-silver) near the Shida night market. The store was founded as a creative outlet by artisans who craft jewelry for some of Taiwan’s top designers. Primary Silver’s most popular items include pendants representing each of the Chinese zodiac animals (NT$1,680). Custom designs, including name necklaces, are also available.
Address: 11 Longquan St, Taipei City (台北市龍泉街11號)
Telephone: (02) 3365-2579
Bomb Metal and Fry Jewelry (爆炸毛頭與油炸朱利, www.bmfj.com) has honed a reputation for its unusual metalworking techniques. Jewelry styles range from modern and abstract to cute, but most feature an edgy sense of humor, offbeat inspirations and witty visual puns.
Address: 1-7, Alley 29, Ln 205, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段205巷29弄1-7號)
Telephone: (02) 8773-1843
Library Brass’ (www.librarybrass.com) pieces are woven from brass chains and chiffon for a look that is both tough and romantic. The line is available at Designburg (www.designburg.com) in Taipei’s East District (東區), a shop that specializes in emerging brands made by Taiwanese designers.
Address: 39-3, Ln 101, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段101巷39-3號)
Tel: (02) 2778-2150
LIFE BY DESIGN
Islanders Studio’s (島民工作室, www.islanders-studio.com) sleek, minimalist stationery and home accessories are inspired by Taiwan’s ecology, including recycled paper lampshades shaped like animals native to this country. The design team’s combination studio, gallery and cafe is located near Yongkang Street.
Address: 95 Chaozhou Rd, Taipei City (台北市潮州街95號)
Tel: (02) 2396-9208
A lifestyle brand with a devoted following, Booday’s (蘑菇, www.mogu.com.tw) T-shirts are sewn from soft organic cotton and printed with designs inspired by Taiwanese culture; others have an environmentalist bent, including one with the slogan “Meat Free Monday.” Booday’s signature canvas carry-alls range from NT$1,800 to NT$2,200. Notebooks are NT$220 to NT$300.
Address: 18-1, Ln 25, Nanjing W Rd, Taipei City (台北市南京西路25巷18-1號)
Telephone: (02) 2552-5552 X11
If one of your gift recipients loves the rich, heady smell of new leather, visit Figure 21 (www.wretch.cc/blog/figure21) in Taipei’s East District (東區). Former graphic designers Darren Hsieh (謝政倫) and Phoebe Chang (張雯惠) make bags and accessories that are designed to showcase the original form of the skin each piece is crafted from. Bags range from NT$2,000 to NT$8,000. Accessories, including wallets and eyeglass cases, are NT$2,000 to NT$3,000.
Address: 1-6, Alley 29, Ln 205, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段205巷29弄1-6號)
Telephone: (02) 8771-4498
Located in a tiny but adorable storefront near Shida Road, Sienna (blog.yam.com/sienna) also sells handmade leather items, including custom-made shoes.
Address: 27, Ln 68, Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路68巷27號)
Telephone: (02) 2369-8113
PLAY IT AGAIN
White Wabbit’s (小白兔, www.wwr.com.tw) two stores carry a wide selection of music by Taiwanese indie rock bands. If you are stumped on what to get the audiophiles in your life, ask the stores’ knowledgeable staff — White Wabbit was founded in 2002 by Aphasia (阿飛西雅) member Yeh Wan-ching (葉宛青), better known as KK. One store is located near Shida on Pucheng Street, the other inside The Wall (這牆) off Roosevelt Road.
Address: 1-1, Ln 21, Pucheng St, Taipei City (台北市浦城街21巷1-1號)
Telephone: (02) 2369-7915
Address: B1, 200 Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1)
Telephone: (02) 8935-1454
SMALL TOUCHES
Individual type from Ri Xing Typography (日星鑄字行, rixingtypography.blogspot.com) near Taipei Main Station makes a unique but inexpensive stocking stuffer. Its gifting potential is increased by the fact that the Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) pronunciations of lead type (鉛字) and the fate that draws people together (緣份) sound similar. A tiny factory located on a side street, Ri Xing houses the last complete set of traditional Chinese character molds for lead-type casting in the world and is open to visitors for a few hours each week (call ahead to confirm hours or check Ri Xing’s blog). Individual lead type costs NT$1 to NT$80 per piece.
Address: 13, Ln 97, Taiyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市太原路97巷13號)
Telephone: (02) 2556-4626
Yuan Soap’s (阿原肥皂, www.taiwansoap.com.tw) fragrant bath products are made with Taiwanese herbs. The company’s most popular product is soothing mugwort (艾草) soap, which also contains verbena, green tea and lemongrass, olive and grape seed oils. Soap costs NT$250 or NT$300 per bar; gift sets with shampoos or lotion are also available. The company has a store in the Eslite bookstore on Dunhua South Road in Taipei.
SWEETS FOR THE SWEET
Nothing makes a better last-minute gift than candy. Is Taiwan, Is Chocolate (www.istaiwan.com.tw) near Shida sells truffles by Taipei-based chocolate brand Henry & Cary (which also has a small storefront at 36, Ln 283, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段283巷36號), tel: 0910-583-139) in flavors like oolong tea, lavender and jasmine.
Address: 9-3, Ln 13, Pucheng St, Taipei City (台北市浦城街13巷9-3號)
Telephone: (02) 2366-1364
Another gourmet chocolatier, TruffeOne (www.truffeone.com.tw) on Yongkang Street is known for its offbeat but delicious flavorings, including olive (made with an entire fruit enrobed in milk chocolate) and honey and alfalfa.
Address: 45-1, Yongkang St, Taipei City (台北市永康街45-1號)
Telephone: (02) 2391-5012
Red on Tree’s (在欉紅, www.redontree.com) fruit jams and chocolate spreads come in mouthwatering flavors like Changhua honey and guava and Dahu Township (大湖鄉), Miaoli, strawberry. They are available at Fushan Grange (福山農莊) in Eslite’s Dunhua and Xinyi District (信義) locations.
Make the cookie monsters on your list happy with a gift box from I-Baked (www.ivybaked.com), a bakery in Shida night market that specializes in soft-baked American-style treats. Cookies are NT$280 a dozen.
Address: 65-1 Longquan St, Taipei City (台北市龍泉街65-1號)
Telephone: (02) 2364-4896
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