Fatto a Mano

Hong Kong design studio Fabrick Lab is helping to connect Guizhou villagers – and their heritage crafts – with the modern consumer market

When consumers pick up a handmade scarf created by villagers in Guizhou Province, they will likely note the quality of the hand-woven material, the rich colors of the indigo dyes, and intricate batik patterns. What they may not realize, however, is that it takes a highly skilled artisan around 60 hours and generations of know-how to make. Telling this story – and raising awareness about the core value of making – is part of the mission behind Un/fold, a project launched by Hong Kong studio The Fabrick Lab that is bringing handmade artisan goods to the luxury market. Reality Bites

When designer and Fabrick Lab founder Ms. Elaine Ng first visited the remote village of Jiao Xi Liang in a remote part of Guizhou, she did not find the artisan dreamland shown in tourist brochures. “A lot of people have this very idealized vision of the village as beautiful and tranquil where people sit and sew.” In reality, she says, most of the villagers have left to work in factories. More than a third of Guizhou’s 35 million residents are from ethnic groups including the Shui, Miao, Dong and other tribes known for their skills with batik, embroidery, woodwork and paper cutting. But in recent years, as villagers have increasingly left for better paying jobs in cities, local populations have shrunk, and folk art traditions are no longer being passed on to the next generation. A dwindling number of inhabitants also means the market for artisan goods is small and local. “Most villagers just sell to their neighbors,” says Ms. Ng. “The ecosystem is not complete.” After her initial visit to the village, Ms. Ng was inspired to help the local artisan economy become more sustainable. And over the past five years Ms. Ng and her Hong Kong studio The Fabrick Lab have sought to create a sustainable economic model of fabric production in Guizhou, supporting traditional hand weaving and batik work and helping connect the village artisans with the modern consumer market. Efficient Processes

Since her initial visit Ms. Ng has returned to help the villagers make some of their heritage processes more efficient – setting the loom now takes a matter of hours, for example, instead of a full day. She also co-designs new products, adjusting existing proportions to suit standards of contemporary fashion. The prints on Un/fold’s batik scarves are inspired by traditional Guizhou heritage motifs but they are now dyed three times in the indigo dye vats so that the color slowly develops with different oxidation processes. “I wanted to give them a competitive edge,” says Ms. Ng. Un/fold has also launched a limited collection of lifestyle products, including a new Bespoke Living Collection produced in collaboration with upscale furniture company Stellar Works who worked closely with Ng and the villagers to develop early prototypes. “Working with Stellar Works allowed us to make our products at a scale that fits interior furnishings,” Ms. Ng says. All of the fabrics and wood surfaces are hand woven and dyed by the Guizhou villagers and then the furniture pieces are assembled in Shanghai.

Creative Adaptation

Throughout the collection, traditional artisan techniques have been creatively adapted to the new context. The Orient Sofa is constructed from lengths of fabric made using traditional batik techniques but in a new pattern co-designed by Guizhou villagers; the Orient Night Stands feature a new approach to batik in which indigo dyes are transferred to walnut, and the Orient Screens feature weave and tapestry inspired by the motifs of traditional Guizhou headbands. Ms. Ng also found ways to fuse traditional techniques with modern technologies – cutting-edge materials are her specialty as a designer. Prior to founding The Fabrick Lab, Ms. Ng studied Textile Futures at Central Saint Martins in London and she often brings together textiles, electronics and biomimicry for the interiors and installations she creates for luxury brands like Swarovski and Studioart. While making the “Modern Marriage” Orient Screen’s intricate geometric lattice, she discovered that the village technique of treating hand woven cotton lends itself to modern laser cutting. “The villagers treat the cotton with red bean paste”, Ms. Ng explains. Then they beat it with a wooden hammer on stone and the coated material is left out in the sun where the sugar from the paste crystalizes and infuses the cotton. This process is repeated more than 100 times and eventually it creates a natural semi water repellent surface. “Normally natural fibers like cotton disintegrate if they are laser cut,” says Ms. Ng. “But this completely transformed the way the natural materials can be applied.” ModernTech

Accessing and experimenting with modern industrial technologies like laser cutters is not possible for many artisan communities. Access to wider consumer markets also remains a challenge. Many makers, like the Guizhou villagers, live in isolated environments and lack access to broader markets and supply chains – they can’t simply sign up for an Etsy account online or walk to a local FedEx store. Many also lack the financial tools needed to boost production and sales. But collaborations with established brands like Stellar Works is one way in which Un/fold has helped the Guizhou villagers access a new high-end market. Partnering with such brands also helps to convince vendors, says Ms. Ng, who are not always confident about working with ethnic communities. Ms. Ng says she has 30 seconds to convince a retailer before she can sense their attention drifting. Some vendors have been convinced by the luxurious touch and feel of the products, others by the story of the villagers. “Everything looks the same these days,” Ms. Ng says. “I think storytelling is really important.” Embracing the Handmade Aesthetics help too, and presenting Un/fold’s story through videos and bright visuals has been helpful. Overall, however, The Fabrick Lab still relies heavily on word of mouth and connections in the worlds of design, fashion and media who support their mission. “We are such a small company,” Ms. Ng says, “so we rely on stores and furniture makers to vouch for us that we are trustworthy partners.” (Currently Un/ fold products are available exclusively as Lane Crawford in Shanghai and Hong Kong and through the Fabrick Lab website).

Although luxury consumer trends are shifting toward personalization and an interest in heritage products, embracing the handmade aesthetic still requires some convincing. Consumers more readily accept the price of larger furniture pieces Ng says, (The Orient Screens, for example, retail for around RMB65,000-70,000), but they are hesitant about smaller items like batik scarves or stools. (A large silk batik scarf is priced at around HK$3,800). What has been helpful, Ms. Ng says, is taking part in events like London Craft Week, where Un/fold presented alongside big brands like Chanel and Mulberry to reveal how its products are made. “It’s really important for us to take part in parallel, so people see us on the same level and understand that heritage craft doesn’t mean your old-fashioned grandmother’s carpet.” Initially working with one villager, Ms. Ng has now expanded to a group of six and she says the project has helped to restore a sense of heritage pride among the villagers. As production increases, the project has the potential to grow the village population and prevent the heritage skills from vanishing. Ultimately, Ms. Ng hopes the program helps the artisans to become selfsustaining. “I gained a lot of knowledge from the villagers,” Ms. Ng says. “I want them to live sustainably after I leave.”