Market Report — Taiwan

By Caroline Kennedy -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 9/22/2006 6:22:00 AM

Giftionery, the Taipei International Gift & Stationery Show (October 24–26), is Taiwan’s premier gift and stationery industry trade show, produced by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA). Editor Caroline Kennedy is in Taiwan to meet some of the show’s exhibitors and learn firsthand about the range and quality of products the show and its exhibitors have to offer.

September 21, 2006 — Traveling around Taipei to our scheduled appointments is an adventure that allows me to see a variety of neighborhoods. Even for our TAITRA host, it’s not always easy to find our destination, as was the case with the factory showroom of Sum Plus Enterprise Co., which is tucked down an alley-like side street.

At Sum Plus, we met with Fan Wei-Chan, artist and founder, along with general manager Jason Fang and Miranda Lin. This small, family-owned business produces high-end wall art, room screens, and boxes using the Japanese lacquer art technique known as Makia. Makia is the highest level of lacquer art, distinguished by three-dimensional, sculptural quality in the artwork. Wei-Chan is a master of the artform, and his talent is evident in the finished pieces displayed around the room.

Each piece is handmade, hand-painted and embellished with real gold-leaf. The handwork of the Makia lacquer art process is labor intensive and very time-consuming. Smaller pieces such as decorative boxes take approximately one month to complete; large wall pieces can take up to six months. One of the key factors is the amount of time required for the lacquer to dry. Each layer of lacquer must dry completely before the next step of process can proceed. But once a piece is finished it has a lasting quality, with colors bright and details sharp for years to come.

Up until now, the main market for Sum Plus has been Japan, but the company is trying to branch out. “Realizing that we are part of a global village, we are trying to reach out to new markets, and take our beautiful art to new audiences all over the world,” said Wei-Chan.

Because of their labor-intensive handmade process and the large amount of gold leaf used to embellish these pieces, they come with a high price tag for a very specialized audience. But for the interior designer or gift importer looking for precious, unique pieces, Sum Plus artworks are certainly worth taking a look at.

Next up was Whale Marketing, in a bright, contemporary showroom that stands out from the neighboring storefronts. Its appearance is much like a boutique store, with displays of handbags, totes, umbrellas and other items. Manager Jenny Wu introduced us to the company’s main product line, iCute, which consists of stationery, and home and fashion accessories, including handbags and totes, luggage and umbrellas, curtains and cushions, notebooks and photo albums and even lampshades.

The company specializes in reproducing photo images on textile, which then gets made into different items. The strength of her company’s offering, Wu notes, is its ability to produce multiple or repeated images on different parts on the same item, a technique she claims that others do not, or perhaps cannot, utilize. The company also has its own unique, copyrighted image library that allows it to offer exclusive photos for reproduction. Around the showroom there was an appealing array of kittens, puppies and teddy bear images on the displayed items.

Though very different companies with vastly different product lines, Artilize, Sum Plus and Whale/iCute have these things in common: the desire and ability to produce custom work and work with customers to create specialized products.

ARTISAN TALENTS SHOW

Always interesting to those on the lookout for unique product is the area of artisan handicrafts — and Taiwan offers a rich selection. Under the program umbrella title, “One Town One Product,” native Taiwanese artisans and small manufacturing studios are being encouraged to express their culture and market their crafts. This is being accomplished with the assistance of the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration (MOEA) and the Corporate Synergy Development Center. 

Although the items on display had their roots in traditional and aboriginal cultures, the pieces anddesigns are contemporary in their appeal and interpretation. The sampling included delicate, hand-painted porcelain and ceramic tabletop and figurines from five distinct companies: Shin  Tay Yuan Art Studio, An Ta Pottery Art, Hsiung Hsiang Pottery Arts, Lima Life Workshop and Ten Sing Kiln. There was also hand-woven fabric pouches and natural-dye casual fashions from the Rai Sinay Dying & Weaving and Natural Fashion & Creative Casual. Carved sculptures and handmade, glass bead jewelry was presented by Mary Leu Fine Carving and Qingting Yazhu Colored Glass Bead Studio.

AN INVENTIVE GROUP

Meeting with representatives and members of the Taiwan Invention Products Prominent Inventors Association provided insight into practical, creative ideas being brought from concept to prototype to salable merchandise. Some of the products we were shown will be exhibited at the October Giftionery, but are not necessarily among the typical U.S. trade show gift product mix. (Giftionery is distinguished from U.S. shows by having a broader definition of product categories.) 

Among the more unusual items were the Breast Lump Detection Glove by Dr. Me Technology (which also presented an anti-snoring device!), an inkjet cartridge refill system by Eazeden Corp., and Angel Tsai’s Detachable Module Air Mattress. Some of the items — such as Baby Bait’s dog snacks and Cotes Technology’s Multi-Function charger for small electronics — seemed more suited to a large retail store offering a broader merchandise mix than the average American gift retailer. But the majority of the merchandise presented by this enthusiastic group should attract American, as well as a worldwide, interest.

Other highlights included:

• The practical: Anti-slip gel pads from Sun Good Glue Company keep things in place without adhesives. They are for perfect in-home and in-store use, and there’s even one for the car. They’re also suitable for keeping precious items safe from earthquake tremors.
• The novel: From Liu Mei-Hsiang, artificial flowers that light up. They are intended to bring a smile and a little extra glow to the bearer – whether it is a bouquet or a corsage, or worn in the hair. There’s even a light-up flower pen for younger customers.
• The memory-maker/souvenir: Lucky Wind’s recordable CDs with 3-D lenticular labels. They are available in small size for video cameras or full size and can be custom labeled. Some are available with mailable greetings to share recorded moments with family and friends.
• The earth-friendly: Recycled paper file folders, albums, memo and CD holders are designed by Eric Chen. Some of the CD holders are designed to be sent as greeting cards before finding a second life. The folders are cleverly designed to accommodate different needs. The hardware (i.e. binding rings, clip paper holders, etc.) can be arranged as needed through a variety of die-cut slots and punched holes.
• The convenient: Be*U’s scooter luggage cart comes with clip-on suitcase.
• The fun: A toy rubber band launched toy glider from Cotes Technology is aerodynamically designed to climb very high.

Having an exhibit area devoted to newly invented products looking for a way to get to market is something that sets Taiwan’s gift show apart, making it a good resource for distributors and importers looking for new lines to offer U.S. retailers.

GETTING BRANDED

Meeting with exhibitors from the Brand Licensing Area allowed me to learn the range and extent of the licensing here in Asia, as licensing agents and licensed product manufacturers discussed their products and lines. Some are familiar, such as Naughty Naughty Pets, Shrek, Sunkist, Pepsi, UCLA and Jeep — all growing their brand recognition throughout Asia. Others, such as Hoops & Yoyo, Sunny Hero, Mara, and Nobody Master Chan, are either new licenses or unfamiliar in the U.S., and looking to make inroads.

And then there’s Hallmark. Hallmark is a licensed lifestyle brand in Taiwan, with lines that include baby clothes and accessories, menswear, fashion eyewear and more. This is only an overseas license. Who knew? Such a discovery sheds new light on the licensing business.