Direct From Market: Giftionery Taipei

By Caroline Kennedy -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 5/2/2008 7:30:00 AM

A visit to Taiwan’s spring Giftionery Taipei trade show gives evidence that the image and definition of what we have long associated with the “Made in Taiwan” label, no longer applies. With so much of the “cheap goods” business — novelties souvenirs and low-end promotional items — now coming from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – or what was known as Mainland China – Taiwan’s gift and stationery product design and manufacturing is reinventing itself and retooling to focus on producing high-quality, more design-driven products. The energy and enthusiasm evoked by the exhibitors for what they do and for their products is infectious, and they often draw on traditional Chinese design, handicrafts and cultural elements for inspiration. Also, there are a growing number of smaller companies of young entrepreneurs that are driving forward product design and development with a more universal appeal for the next generation.

The spring Giftionery Taipei at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall (TWTC) is relatively small with some 320 exhibitors; and like its exhibitors, it is in transition. With so much competition from other trade shows in the region, especially in Hong Kong, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA)  is refocusing much of the show to more aggressively promote Taiwan businesses by emphasizing the high standard of quality that Taiwan offers to the global marketplace. It is also transitioning the spring show to have more of an emphasis on the stationery products category and smaller related giftwares, while the autumn show, to run October 23–26 will have more of a focus on home décor and lifestyle products. This fall show will be strengthened by the concurrent 2008 International Cultural & Creative Industries Exhibition ; which will present products for the modern lifestyle, along with handcrafted goods and merchandise reflecting cultural influences interpreted for the modern consumer.

Branding and Licensing
A large “Branding Taiwan” display showcased many of the Taiwanese brands exhibiting at the show. It also served to draw attention to business opportunities available through developing licensing partnerships. Many Taiwanese companies are official licensees of such companies as Disney and are authorized to produce products featuring their characters. The display also served to inspire and educate smaller companies as to the possibilities that producing licensed branded merchandise and/or the development of their own branded lines can provide for the growth of their businesses.

One high profile exhibitor showing how licensing and branding can work successfully together was Taiwan’s National Palace Museum (NPM). Its exhibit hosted seven authorized companies producing lines under license from the museum. The lines ranged from furniture, tabletop, home textiles and décor to collectible coins, toys, confectionary and figurines — all deriving design inspiration from pieces in the museum’s collections that are interpreted for the modern sensibility and lifestyle. This licensing initiative, an effort to elevate the profile of the museum as a global resource for design inspiration, began about three years ago and is growing. One of its first licensees was Franz Collection, a globally prominent Taiwanese company, known for its delicate porcelain tabletop, jewelry and decorative accents. Among the most interesting and appealing of the current slate of new product lines in the international marketplace are the furniture and home accessories from DR Design, the reproduction artworks from One Gallery, the luxury bedding and home textiles by Royal, like those pictured at left, and the Lohan figures from Bright Ideas, pictured above right.

DR Design’s line is produced in collaboration with the Danish design company Element 1. The pieces marry European simplicity and Chinese elements in a chic collection of furniture, lamps, pillows and glass for the modern lifestyle.

The home textiles from Royal bring silken richness to the bedroom and the home. On display were two patterns: one featured a traditional chrysanthemum design embroidered on the champagne gold silk background; the other presented a subtle calligraphy design of Chinese characters woven into the fabric.

The Taiwanese confectionary company I-Mei Foods uses artwork from the museum’s collection on its packaging (like the one pictured at left) and takes an interesting approach to presentation that gives its products added value beyond the treats. One package has a slip band around it featuring a reproduction of a large scale landscape scene with many tiny figures in the landscape. A small magnifying glass is provided with the package so that the recipient can appreciate the detail of the figures in the artwork. The attention to detail as well as the beauty of the artwork on the packaging makes these confections truly a treat.

The National Palace Museum will be participating as part of the Taiwan Pavilion at The Licensing Show  in June at the Javits Center in New York.

Licensing is adding to the growing success of several other companies we met. A licensee of Disney, Hello Kitty, Pixar’s new Wall-E, and other major character brands, Pop Three Dimensional Picture Co. produces calendars, stickers, magnets, posters and other items in three-dimensional “raised relief” designs created through a vacuum-forming process. Pop Three is moving in a new dimensional direction, producing 3-D lenticular images of licensed characters on plastic drinking cups, like those pictured at right). Adapting the usually flat lenticular product to a shaped surface provides its challenges for the manufacturer, but the result is compelling.

Polylight Electronics Co.’s licensed lines, some of which are pictured below, can bring a little whimsy to the desktop with its Aquatek calculators, clocks, memo holders and computer mice featuring characters (Disney, Miffy, Doraemon, etc.) in waterglobe-like scenes.

Peter Pan Art Co., another licensee of the National Palace Museum, also produces mugs, business card cases, coasters and other items featuring the licensed artwork of Rosanna Zhang. The artist’s paintings are fairy tale images of women that are romantic and fanciful.

LOHAS – Love the Earth
Eco products and concern for the environment is as much a focus in Taiwan as it is elsewhere around the globe. The Lohas Life Products display presented a look at the range of products available at the show that had environmentally friendly qualities, whether they were made of recycled or sustainable materials, or in some other way reduced the negative impact on the environment. These products ranged from home office products — including lightweight furniture pieces — made from recycled paper cardboard, to kitchen accessories made from bio-degradable plastics, and more. And all of the items on display were very design-forward in their look.

The Taiwan Eco-Materials Industry Development Association (TEMA) a group of eight exhibiting companies reflected one direction of the “Lohas” outlook by promoting the health benefits and beauty of bamboo charcoal. Their products showed how bamboo charcoal can to be used in a range of beneficial applications, from water purification to personal care; in textiles and to create decorative objects. In personal care items, like those pictured at right, bamboo charcoal is used in hair care, vinegar astringents, lotions, mud masks and soaps to help draw out impurities. Textiles, like those pictured above, impregnated with bamboo charcoal have a deodorizing function while its infra-red emissions act to alleviate muscle aches and improve circulation. Several of the companies had garments, especially active and intimate wear, made with bamboo charcoal impregnated nylon fibers. Carbonized bamboo also has its decorative as well as functional uses as reflected in the bamboo charcoal cups from She-Shoel Bamboo Charcoal Studio/Taiwan Classic (email: cup897243@pchome.com.tw). These cups not only look elegant but also draw out impurities from the liquids in the vessel. Jhu-Shan Image Promotion Assn. also showed the decorative side of bamboo charcoal; this company uses bamboo charcoal as the background for its delicate cotton paper paintings. The framed shadow boxes with these paintings on the bamboo are particularly striking.

Youthful Ideas
Part of the strength of the fair is showing the ideas of young designers who are in touch with current trends as well as what types of products and designs appeal to the younger consumer. Young designers are being tapped by established companies such as the Cheerful Group; which featured its newest designer brand name line, Poodehii.. The line showcases the talent of Agustin Chen, a Taiwanese designer who grew up in Argentina and received his design training in Italy. With his youthful outlook, his Italian trained eye and international life experience, he brings a fresh approach to interpreting Taiwan’s rich cultural elements to appeal to today’s global consumers. His multipurpose Rotary tote bag is a reinterpretation of the traditional wrapping cloth. The other pieces in the collection include stationery journals and desk accessories that blend the traditional and modern in a fresh and practical way. For example, colorful calculators with shapes based on Chinese jackets fit the hand like a mobile phone; the rearrangement of the keys on a vertical axis allow for easier one-hand use. The Cheerful Group, representing the new direction of Taiwanese manufacturing, is successfully transforming itself from a company producing premiums and promotional items to creating its own designer brand names. Its established brand, C La Vie, is a diverse line of elegant and fashion-forward writing instruments, desk accessories, and feminine fashion accessories.

Acerly International Co., a company that specializes in RTA plastic and cardboard storage units and organizational supplies conducts design competitions among Industrial Design students at a number of universities. The company’s challenge is for the design students to come up with viable ideas for RTA products using the company’s specially designed patented rivets. Many of the product concepts move the company’s line beyond storage and organization into home décor, but still with an RTA focus. A number of the top ideas, ranging from lighting to plant holders, were on display and available for ordering.

In the Creativity Market section of the show, the talents of young designers with ideas ripe for development on a larger scale were highlighted. Product designs ranged from three-dimensional paper-crafting kits to fanciful sculptures created from stainless steel soup spoons to enigmatic and appealing photographic images of stray cats.

Other youthful entrepreneurs are sprinkled throughout the show offering up their design concepts that speak more to a consumer who appreciates good design combined with a dollop of fun. Located in the Products of Design Excellence section, Do More Idea is one such company blending youth, contemporary design and humor. Its line of desk accessories, pictured at left, SBooBS offer a humorous approach to coping with office politics. The signature item in the SBooBS line is the “Stab Me in the Back” pencil sharpener from which the line takes its acronym for Stab BackooBack Stab. The sharpener part is located in the back of the balloon-headed figure. Other items include the “Kneel Down to Serve You” card holder, “Deform Me” elastic bands, “Bow My Head” keychain holder, “Cut My Paunch” letter opener and the “Dizzy Me” tape dispenser. The titles of the products involve some wordplay that may seem more meaningful in Chinese, but tend to get a little lost in translation. The products themselves, however, are charming.

Just for Fun
Products that had a novel element of fun drew the attention of buyers. Emotion Design’s winged heart toys, pictured at right, drew a crowd, mesmerized by their simplicity and novelty. Perfect for Valentine’s Day or any day that your heart takes flight, these small plastic hearts wave their wings in constant motion without batteries; they are solar powered.

And for a novel approach to the classic jigsaw puzzle, there was the 3D Cardboard Sphere Puzzle from Joytop Enterprise Co., pictured at left. These puzzle balls came in a variety of designs, even some that can be colored in. They are sturdy enough that when put together, they can be played with like a regular ball. They also can be used as a coin bank.

The Foluck Group brought an element of fun and play back to the ballpoint pen with its “jumping heart” and “pop-eyed” character tops. When the licensed characters topping the pens are squeezed in a certain way, the heart or the eyes “bug” out, just like in the cartoons. The Spunky Girls division of the Foluck Group took a more luxury fashion approach to stationery products, showcasing pens, notebooks and leathergoods with a bit of “bling” — they all feature a touch of Swarovski crystal decoration that is feminine and elegant.

Chin Tang Paper presented a number of cleverly engineered paper products that drew a lot of interest. Illuminated paper sculptures of world landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, pictured at right, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa stood out on bookshelf displays. Cleverly back-lit laser-cut dimensional landscapes drew attention through the interplay of light and shadow. These sculptural decoratives come packaged flat for DIY assembly. The company also offered cardboard furniture and paper clocks with a high design quotient.

A Visit to Franz Collection
While in Taiwan, we took time out from the fair to visit the offices and showroom of Franz Collection, which are a short taxi ride across Taipei from the TWTC. One of the premier Taiwanese manufacturers in the international marketplace, this producer of striking porcelain “functional art” does not exhibit at the show. The company has an established network of worldwide sales agents, and through them, has a strong presence at both U.S. and other foreign trade shows. We were very warmly received by company founder and president, Francis Chen, and his staff, and given a tour of the design studio.

It was fascinating to see the process and learn how Franz pieces are created — from design and sculpting through tooling and painting. The studio’s in-house designers and sculptors use a combination of traditional and modern methods —hand-sculpting in clay and electronic sculpting with CAD (computer aided design) — to bring a piece to life. Seeing the process in person, gave us a greater appreciation for all that goes into creating these beautiful pieces. And actually using a Franz piece adds to its experience!

When we sat down to talk, we were served tea in a Franz teacup; the hospitality of tea is a wonderful part of doing business in Taiwan. The cup seemed so fragile and looked hard to hold with its unusual sculpted handle, but holding it was no problem; the unusually shaped handle was actually easier to hold and well balanced. Noting that you can tell a lot about a civilization and its people from their handicrafts, Mr. Chen – who graciously took time out of his busy schedule to meet with us – remarked, “Our goal is to produce something that will last forever and tell future generations about us — that we love nature…we love the beauty of the earth.”

As far as what’s in the works for the company, Mr. Chen noted that they are poised to open several stores: one in Tokyo by yearend, and two in Europe — one in Paris and one in Munich. When asked if he was going to pursue opening any corporate stores in the U.S., he said “no” quite emphatically “We do not wish to jeopardize our relationships with our specialty shops in America,” he noted. He does plan to open a new showroom in July, however: in Building 3 of the Las Vegas World Market Center. At this time, the new Jean Boggio for Franz collection, a high end home décor line, will be shown to the American market. This collection debuted at Maison et Objet in Paris in January and received raves.

Looking Ahead to Autumn
Before we left Taipei, we were also given a peek at what visitors may expect to find at the autumn Giftionery and the concurrent 2008 International Cultural & Creative Industries Exhibition, in October. We visited the retail store/design offices/tea shop of  The One, a lifestyle brand. This ambitious team of young entrepreneurs creates contemporary tabletop accessories and home decor for the modern lifestyle that is as much as home in their trendy neighborhood of Taipei as in New York or London’s Soho or the Left Bank of Paris. Their items are upscale and chic with a touch of whimsy. The well appointed retail boutique on the ground floor showcases The One’s product lines. The tea shop on the second floor is a popular local gathering place and helps to draw in customers.

Venturing further out of the city via the metro, we visited the showroom of Golden Moon, a glass art studio. This company produces a range of glassware and crystal products, like the door knobs pictured above, using a variety of techniques, from lost wax casting to slab work and blowing. This is a company in transition and starting to focus more on interior décor, especially for the contract or interior designer. The battle to constantly come up with new art glass designs that are immediately copied by PRC factories is getting to be too much.

If these two exhibitors we met, are any indication of the others in the fall shows’ lineups, they should be quite interesting and worth a visit for anyone seeking high quality, high style lifestyle goods with a designer flare.