Tag: creativity

You Can Now “Wear” Hup Seng and Gardenia Bags!

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Remember last year’s Indomie-inspired shoes by Indonesian designer Jonathan Gustana? If not, here’s a refresher:

Indomie is probably Indonesia’s most popular instant noodle, renowned across the world. The 20 pairs of customised Nike Air Jordans went for 3.3 million rupiah (RM 988) each, and they were sold out within two days.

Taking a leaf out of the food-into-fashion trend, Batu Pahat-based designer Wan’s Handmade has turned two beloved Malaysian staples – Hup Seng Cream Crackers and Gardenia Bread – into wearable fashion! The project, part of Wan’s Plastic Reborn Project utilises packaging from these brands to create adorable and nostalgic bags, giving them a new lease of life.

Of course, people are going crazy for the bags – who doesn’t love Hup Seng ? Founded in the 1950s in Batu Pahat by four brothers, the brand is an iconic part of every Malaysian’s childhood – there’s nothing more satisfying than dunking these crackers into Milo for breakfast, or as a tea time snack.

Gardenia, of course, is another staple of Malaysian life. It was so sought after during the quarantine, the company actually had to step up production to meet demands – so it’s only fitting that you can show your love for the brand by wearing it as a fanny pack or crossbody bag lol.

The Plastic Reborn Project bags are priced from RM79. Orders can be made via Wan’s Facebook page or Instagram.

 

*Photos courtesy of Wan’s Handmade’s Facebook page. 

Paper Castles and Cardboard Animals – Carton King Creativity Park, Taichung

Posted in Taiwan, TravelTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments

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Stepping into Carton King Creativity Park in Taichung City is like taking a trip to a make-believe Wonderland. There are colourful baubles hanging from wooden rafters at the entrance, with a host of bright yellow flowers to the left, and fat little bunnies and alpacas at the end of the narrow path. Catch is – they’re all made from corrugated paper and cardboard! 🙂

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The fun family-themed attraction has several branches around Taichung, each with its own unique displays. The one we went to was in Dakeng District, which is also their biggest.

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Paper bunnies; real leaves.

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The Carton King ‘Zoo’ area had different types of animals. Good likenesses! Like a lot of attractions in Taiwan, descriptions were in Chinese. Which I can’t read. Sigh.

When you buy your entry ticket (NTD 200$ – about RM29 or USD6.50), they give you a paper with empty stamp slots. You’re supposed to hunt around the place for stamp ‘stations’ and stamp your card. Once complete, you can then exchange it for a souvenir. The ticket is rather pricey imo, but it also includes a NTD100$ voucher for you to buy gifts, snacks or drinks.

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Beyond the Carton King Zoo area is a large open space, divided into several sections. I initially thought the white mesh-like canopy was only there for aesthetic purposes, but saw that there were people walking on it. Climbed up the stairs and voila !

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The canopy is made from criss crossing steel wires so they can bear the weight of visitors walking around, and it has been fashioned like waves so the surface is uneven. Trees poked up from beneath at intervals. It was quite difficult to walk around without tripping though lol.

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The canopy extended past several elevated attractions, forming bridges to the second floor of buildings nearby. The wooden platforms housed cutesy box-shaped characters – is that Dora the Explorer in a pink dress?

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View from the upper floors. There was a shop selling honey and honey-based products, with – guess what – bee figures made from paper and cardboard honeycombs. There were also real bees in glass tanks.

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Back downstairs.

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Stopping for a quick snack of fried oyster mushrooms, which I used up my coupon for.

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Cikgu Lim

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The main compound, which has large paper replicas of attractions from around the world, including the Coliseum in Rome and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Great for selfies, if you’re into that sort of thing 🙂

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Popping in to the souvenir shop.

20170213_140206-tileThe L’arc de Triomphe.

Managed to collect all the stamps and got a simple paper house set which I could assemble at home. All in all, a fun place to visit for people who like taking photos – although there’s not much in way of culture. Families, especially those with kids, will probably enjoy this place.

CARTON KING 

No. 1, Lane 281, Section 3, Xitun Road, Xitun District, Taichung City, Taiwan 407
Opening hours: 11AM–8PM
+886 4 2461 8553
PS: Been trying hard to schedule posts daily, but things have just been hectic. Hopefully I’ll be back to regular programming soon! 🙂