Handcrafting artisans are some of the most creative minds in the design industry. In this current world and age, heavy emphasis is provided for efficiency and speed, and much effort is needed to be applied in order to cool down and concentrate on quality. There are four 100% homegrown brands that are worth checking out. Their crafts are one of a kind which reflects the designer's creative output and reflecting every inch of their creative mind juice. The products are not only aesthetics to the viewers, but packs with full functionalities that are useful to the lay person. The founders of the respective brands had come out to share their insights on the appeal of artisan crafts in this modern age.
The first would be Bynd Artisan. It was located in Holland Village. It has a wonderful smell of paper as well as leather, due to the myriad crafts made from the 2 main materials. Its vision for the stationery marketplace is reigniting the spark and passion for pen as well as paper, since we have glued to our smartphones and PCs all the time. Their in-house designed stationery are stylish yet functional. Their main field of expertise is bookbinding as well as leather crafting. You can engrave your name on the shop itself instantly when you purchase any stationery and is popular among buyers. Brand Manager for Bynd Artisan, Mr Lin Dan Hong has a strong held belief that handcrafted goods are timeless, and reflects maker's sweat and blood. There are much collaboration done with personnel on the creative industry namely Larry Peh, Erwin Lian, John Clang and Priscilla Ong. Its next collaboration is with local talent Gentle Bones.
The 2nd mention is Leather Mallet. Brian Ho is one of a kind creative in this current digital age. His daily routine consists of photographing timeless shots on his trusty analog camera. At the same time, he develops his own black white film, with handcrafting process at night. Leather Mallet's main objective when starting out was to transform discarded goods into a brand new item. Film canisters are aplenty, and he changes them into adorable nostalgic looking flash drives. These can be tailored by inserting photo of your choice, where the printing will be on high grade long lasting Monet art canvas produced by German manufacturer for fine art papers, Hanemuhle. Handmade products are lively and very “human”. Each handmade crafts are different, even though the items are similar. The individuality of every products made by hand is the charming aspect for these products.
The 3rd local brand worth noting is Obbi Good. Obbi Good may sound cheeky for a handcraft product label, but the leather goods company takes their product designs seriously. Their leather crafts are produced from specialized tools such as awl, stitching pony and prong, with the occasional use of vintage sewing tool. It is a combination of exquisite skills, materials and fine workmanship. James Dung, Obbi Good anchorman commented that the handcrafting sector have been able to return the fundamental of everlasting products in this high technology era. Its flagship Avaitor Bags are especially captivating, which features natural tan leather and solid hardware coupled in sturdy canvas.
The final local brand that warrants special mention is Palinoia (image by palinoia). A quick glance on the outer designs for Palinoi's accessories may pass by as any other common labels. However, detailed look will reveal stunning well-crafted designs, with colourful scales latering over each gradient. The founders' vision for the brand was to attain perfection in design, by repeating unique patterns. Tracy Mah, the founder remarked that handmade crafts can connect makers as well as buyers, with buyer having his appreciation for fine art perfection within an imperfection. Many would marvel at the complex and intricate designs. Each clay puzzle piece is remolded by steady hands, hence creating a vibrant collection of earrings and necklaces.