In this 'Meet Your Makers' post, we bring to you a slightly different twist on the origin of the items we make here at bambu. [Check out our other Meet Your Makers posts here and here for an insider's look at what goes into making our products].
A lot of our idea inspiration comes from the culture around us. For bambu founders, Rachel and Jeff, Shanghai has been home for over a decade. There is a community of friendships and colleagues in the neighboring provinces and villages in China where the craftspeople reside, and where the native resources such as bamboo, hemp, cork are grown.
It is in the objects for everyday use, we find inspiration. Through everyday objects, you get glimpse into lives of common everyday people, the artisanal working ways, the simple functionality of daily use items, and often, of time-lost traditions.
Household items and daily necessities are the result of the hand work from countless craftsmen who have learned their skills often passed along from family member to family member. And used by everyday people.
That is why it was a joy to discover a wonderful book, called Shanghai Housewares by Zhou Qi which showcases 120 selected items made from bamboo, wood, straw, iron and cloth.
It is part of the past, and also the fabric of what China is today. China is a culture of makers.
(pages from the book, top left, and top right, daily use items made bamboo, wood, metal, enamel.)
(pages from the book, middle, daily use items made of bamboo and straw, and the steps to make a wood foot basin.)
(pages from the book, along the bottom, sewers and stitchers, the faces of craftspeople in Shanghai, and a bamboo basket 'shop' that is less seen these days in Shanghai, but still a common site in smaller towns in China.)
