Designer Guillaume Delvigne poses with his lacquer creations at the Paris Design Week. Together with Vietnamese craftmen, he has created the objects at Hanoia workshop in Hà Nội in January. — Photo courtesy of Hanoia

HÀ NỘI — For the first time, 'Made in Việt Nam' handicraft products are on display at Paris Design Week – one of the world’s most prestigious events to celebrate design and creativity.

The showcase of Vietnamese products is part of the D17/20 Craft and Design in Southeast Asia exhibition, a collaborative project involving craftspeople from Southeast Asia and French designers to highlight daily lifestyle and craft products. This is the first time Việt Nam has had products displayed at the event.

Lamps which can change colour by Pierre Charrié (left) and lacquer mirrors using metal ribbons by Marie Aurore are on display at the Paris Design Week. — Photo courtesy of Hanoia

The 16 lacquer objects include vases, trays, shelves, lamps, mirrors, lights, hooks and clocks and are the result of a collaboration between three French designers and craftspeople of the Vietnamese haute lacquer house Hanoia in January.

The designers and craftspeople created the items in just two weeks, from sketches to creating samples and perfecting the final products.  

Guillaume Delvigne, who graduated from one of the best design schools in Europe, the École de Design Nantes Atlantique in France, before attending the Polytechnic University of Milan, created some of the vases.

Designers Marie Aurore (left) and Pierre Charrié seen when they are working at Hanoia lacquer workshop in Hà Nội in January. — Photo courtesy of Hanoia

Hailed as one of the 100 best designers in France in 2019 by the French publication Architecture Design, Pierre Charrié has designed special lamps which can change colour.

For the D17/20 project, designer Marie Aurore made different creations, including a set of four lacquer mirrors using metal ribbons.   

Initiated in 2017 by the French Embassy in Thailand, in collaboration with Institut Français Paris, the D17/20 Craft and Design aims to strengthen the design industry in Southeast Asia through workshops held in Thailand, Indonesia and Việt Nam, where local designers and craftspeople join their French peers to develop products.

The project connects 43 designers from France, Thailand, Indonesia and Việt Nam, with 18 local craft workshops.

Hanoia co-founder Nguyễn Thị Nhung said: “We are very delighted that the sophisticated handmade items crafted at Hanoia workshop in the Hà Nội’s lacquer traditional village of Hạ Thái now have been presented to public at the Paris Design Week.

“Since the birth of Hanoia, one of our wishes is to bring Vietnamese lacquer into all the aspects of contemporary life. That’s why we always want to co-operate with talented designers to turn all the innovative and unique ideas into applicable lacquer items.”

She also expects Paris Design Week to create opportunities for the world to learn more about the traditional craft of Vietnamese lacquer and for Hanoia to find a new way to develop their products.

Paris Design Week 2020, taking place from September 3 to 12, has drawn more than 200 designers, architects, decorators from all over the world to present their latest creations.

The week also include the home decor fair Maison & Objet, which offers design connoiseurs latest trends, innovations, decoration and design. The fair also helps to connect the international interior design and lifestyle community. - VNS