Indigenous materials form an important part of our collections. Vietnam has a longstanding tradition of basketry, both historically and to the current day, using baskets for fishing, storage and even for crafting fishing boats. The neat and nimble weaving techniques are impressive to watch, with unique patterns and textures. Many of the techniques have been passed down through generations, making use of indigenous crops, and these have remained relatively unchanged.
The artisans we work with use several types of marine plants, climbing plants and other traditional natural materials to make our collections.
Seagrass is an attractive natural material that has a soft but durable quality. It plays an important part in the natural ecosystem in the tropical climate of Vietnam and its use needs to be carefully managed. Our collection of baskets is made from sustainably grown seagrass. We are careful to limit our product development with this material.
Water hyacinth is an aquatic plant that grows in abundance in the water ways of Vietnam. This is an invasive plant that needs cultivating to curb its growth which makes it a great raw material to create products from. It is a tactile material that works well woven into baskets.
Corn husk is the outer layer of corn. Using this to create baskets makes use of a natural material that would otherwise be discarded. Traditionally, the husk was used as an outer layer on baskets, to make them as airtight as possible, with the purpose of keeping the contents of the basket fresh and insect free. Nowadays, it is used more for decoration. Its flat surface can be plaited and intertwined with other materials such as water hyacinth to create an attractive finish.
