Department of Cultural Affairs

By Yali Chen
 
The Design Tokyo 2019 opened on June 26 at the Tokyo Big Sight, running until June 28. Four brands from “TAIPEI corners” stood out from 80 design brands in this year’s event to win the Design Tokyo Products Awards.
 
Over the years, Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs (DOCA) has commissioned the Taipei Culture Foundation (TCF) to set up the Taipei booth “TAIPEI corners” at Japan’s leading “B-to-B” trade show for “marketable” design products.
 

Photo from TCF
A brand designer at the Taipei booth introduces his works to Tsai Tsung-hsiung (right), Commissioner of Taipei City’s Department of Cultural Affairs.

 
The DOCA Commissioner Tsai Tsung-hsiung led a delegation of 15 cultural and creative companies from Taipei to participate in this year’s fair. On the first day, the organizers announced the 5 award winners that included the 4 award-winning products from TAIPEI corners. Such achievements prove that Taipei’s young designers have amazing creative ideas and capabilities.
 
They are the bottle opener “Ganbei” (乾杯), a set of portable calligraphy tools “Hsiao Mo Chi” (小墨器), the DIY leather backpack “Nerdy Mini,” and the trendy bag “Give You a Hand.”
 

Photo from TCF
On June 26, the Taipei booth “TAIPEI corners” attracted many viewers.

 
The bottle opener Ganbei literally means “Cheers!” in Chinese and Japanese. It looks like a flat pebble. Its innovative 360-degree design allows users to open bottles from any angle or direction.
 
Hsiao Mo Chi combines traditional calligraphy and modern craftsmanship. The set of portable calligraphy tools include three calligraphy brushes, an ink stick and inkstone, plus Xuan paper. In 2018, it also won the Red Dot Design Award.
 
Nerdy Mini is a vegetable tanned leather backpack. There is no need to sew, bond, or hammer. Consumers can just use their hands to put the bag together easily.
 

Photo from TCF
“TAIPEI corners” brings together Taiwan’s 15 premium brands at
the Design Tokyo 2019. 

On June 26, the Taipei booth attracted representatives of Japanese major retail channels, such as Tsutaya Bookstore, Tokyu Hands and MoMA Design Store.
 
In his opening speech, Tsai said that Tokyo is an important base for Taiwan’s design industry to go global. The DOCA will continue to encourage Taipei’s design brands and young designers to take part in Design Tokyo, bringing them onto the world stage.