Bubbletea, aka 'Boba milk tea' or pearl milk tea, is to the Taiwanese what Flat White coffee is to the Kiwis. A strange brew (and acquired taste) of tea, fruit or milk and spheres of chewy tapioca, Bubbletea was invented sometime in the 1980s and is fast becoming the grown up, lactose slushy-shake beverage taking over the western world. If there isn’t a Bubbletea house near you now, there soon will be.
But Bubbletea is not the only Taiwan export that has piqued our interest recently. After decades of being the design world’s best kept secret – Taiwan’s big business is supplying mostly unseen components to the world’s computer, tech and smartphone industries - a young, talented and tenacious creative force is now emerging.
For our Taiwan Revealed supplement, the Wallpaper* team travelled to Taipei to meet the city’s new generation of fashion designers, product designers, architects and industrial designers all busily shaping their rapidly evolving country’s future and went out of town to make factory visits to Taiwan’s bicycle, boat and car manufacturing hubs. Luxgen, a brand new automobile marque particularly impressed us with its audacious confidence… mainly because of its name; Luxury+Genius. We like their style.
From unique tablewear to hi-tech gadgets, see our pick of the best new local designs
Clockwise from left, ‘Transformer’ side table, £1,000, by Paperself. ‘P-005’ light, £265, by Pega Casa. Vase, £640, by Franz Collection. ‘RU-ST007’ bench, £990, by Jonah Corp, for Ruskasa. ‘Transformer’ light, £200, by Paperself, as before. ‘Lipa’ side tables, £185 each, by Kenyon Yeh. ‘Nonsystem’ storage bench, £1,875 for set of three pieces, by Su Jung-Cheng. ‘Purple Clay’ espresso cup set, £23; cappucino cup set, £25; coffee pot, £90, all by Gearlab, for Jia Inc
Clockwise from left, vase, £640, by Franz Collection, franzcollection.com. ‘RU-ST007’ bench, £990, by Jonah Corp, for Ruskasa. ‘Transformer’ light, £200, by Paperself. ‘Lipa’ side tables, £185 each, by Kenyon Yeh
Clockwise from left, ‘Nonsystem’ storage bench, £1,875 for set of three pieces, by Su Jung-Cheng. ‘RU-ST007’ bench, £990, by Jonah Corp, for Ruskasa and ‘Lipa’ side tables, £185 each, by Kenyon Yeh
Clockwise from top, ‘Strida LT’ folding bike, £499, by Strida, ‘Escape RX0’ sports bike, £850, by Giant. ‘Krankcycle’ exercise bike, £1,699, by Johnson Health Tech. ‘Kuroshio’ paddle, £230, by Gearlab. ‘Reacto 904’ sports bike, £2,700, by Merida Bikes
Clockwise from top left, ‘Ripple’ teapot, £43; cup with lid, £17; tea cup, £8, all by 3Co. ‘Emptiness’ plates, £149 for set of three, by Kate Chung and Paola Navone; ‘Dou’ plates, £38 each, by Kate Chung; ‘Calligraphy’ seafood scissors, cracker and pick, £100 for set of three, by Wong Chi Fung; ‘Sino’ paring knife, £70; chef knife, £35, by Office for Product Design, all for Jia Inc. Vase, £98, by Liuli
Clockwise from top left, Green Bean Pâté Cake, Pineapple Cake, Matcha & Red Bean Cupcake with Condensed Milk, Mango Shaved Ice
Clockwise from top left, ‘Ripple’ teapot, £43; cup with lid, £17; tea cup, £8, all by 3Co
Clockwise from top left, ‘Calligraphy’ seafood scissors, cracker and pick, £100 for set of three, by Wong Chi Fung; ‘Sino’ paring knife, £70; chef knife, £35, by Office for Product Design, all for Jia Inc
Clockwise from top left, ‘Crystal’ desk lights, £650 for set of eight, by QisDesign. ‘Vivo’ mouse, price on request; ‘Memo Pad HD7’ android tablet, £148, both by ASUS. ‘HTC One’ phone, £530, by HTC. ‘BenQG1’ camera, £2,790, by BenQ. ‘Empty Memory’ USB keys,£48 each, by Poetic Lab. ‘Aspire R7’ computer, £899, by Acer
Four leading local creatives give their take on Taiwan's design scene
Arthur Huang, co-founder and managing director of game-changing eco-design outfit Miniwiz
W*: What is Taiwan’s design status in the world?
Arthur Huang: Taiwan’s design role has long been deeply embedded in the world’s leading brands – Apple, iPhone, Nike, Porsche, Boeing, Sony, Lexus, Toyota… so Taiwan’s is a very different design ecosystem from the individual designers and small independent design firms in the West. Speed and the ability to execute the highest quality designs are always Taiwan’s strongest competitive advantages. That said, high-level original design creativity is still very much in development.
Alain Lee, director of design studio Pega Casa
W*: How do you think Taiwanese design is perceived internationally?
Alain Lee: Innovation and technology in some Taiwanese electronic products is among the best in the world. However, those products’ lifespans are relatively short, unlike the creations of Le Corbusier or Frank Lloyd Wright, which are still classic 80 years later. I think it’s increasingly important to find a way to integrate our advanced technology with design resources
Henry Chang, former Asus computers designer and co-founder of Gearlab
W*: Are environmental concerns important in Taiwan, and in your designs?
Henry Chang: There is a rapidly growing awareness to sustainability here. Why? We are right next to all those huge factories! Most designers desperately want to make manufacturing more sustainable to make our living environment better. But the demand for low-cost, high-speed production, and a lack of sustainable design education, means there is still a lot of work to do
Chiayi, designer and co-founder of accessories label Library Brass
W*: What has been Taiwan’s best contribution in the design world and what is your favourite item of Taiwanese design?
Chiayi: For Taiwan, it’s really only in the past decade or so that the idea of giving products a ‘cool’ look as a statement has started to happen. As for my favourite, as a kid, I loved getting ‘raffle goody boxes’ – sweets or toys, usually all packed in a nice box – as rewards
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Travel editor Sofia de la Cruz’s gift guide for the discerning globetrotterWallpaper* travel editor Sofia de la Cruz curates her festive wish list, packed with stylish essentials for those constantly on the go
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Paul Smith’s Claridge’s Christmas tree is a playful slice of ‘countryside in the centre of London’Sir Paul Smith is the latest in a long line of fashion designers to curate the iconic Claridge’s Christmas tree. Here, he talks to Wallpaper* about the inspiration behind the tree, which features bird boxes and wooden animals
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Victoire de Castellane nods to Dior motifs in a new fine jewellery collectionFor the latest additions to the My Dior collection, Victoire de Castellane turns the house’s signature cannage motif into golden wonders
