MILAN, [April] –Sài Gòn’s District Eight returns to Salone del Mobile to present a platform of international collaborators in a collective quest to interpret Vietnamese contemporary design. New collections from participating studios include award-winning French designer Jean-Marie Massaud and Milan’s own rising talents at studioutte alongside established names such as Michele de Lucchi, Toan Nguyen and Adam Goodrum.

Photo by Vito Salamone

District Eight’s created space is an open dialogue on Vietnam today, whose roots evolved through different historical periods and cultures, from neighboring countries to French Indochina and the West. In inspiration, each studio crafts an intrinsic design language based on their explorations.

Jean-Marie Massaud and studioutte join District Eight in introducing the latest interpretations of Vietnamese contemporary design. The booth design, conceived by studioutte, mediates the dialogue between collaborators. Dark with subtle green undertones, the space reflects Vietnam’s prolific use of dark wood.

The moody tropical spirit, reminiscent of the country’s monsoon and dry seasons, is balanced using natural materials, bamboo and wood, both backbones of traditional, rural Vietnamese architecture. A bamboo curtain shades and reveals the exterior front and display, while a modular partition of rice paper-lined wooden walls encloses and divides the space into rooms. Lighting is focused on featuring the collections amidst the dark and quiet negative spaces.

Photo by Vito Salamone

Jean-Marie Massaud presents his Lodge collection, a series of expertly crafted folding chairs, stools and bag holders. Inspired by the concept of travel and storied voyages to Vietnam, Lodge is an interconnection of two worlds: influences from the West traversing to the East underpinned with a sense of ease and sophistication with durability and timelessness.

Among the rooms, studioutte’s Limen collection features low-to-the-floor tables based on a portal shape reduced to its purest form. Each piece is crafted from red padouk wood with inlays in blackened steel and includes seamlessly concealed trays and drawers. Studioutte’s vision of Vietnamese contemporary design is distilled to stillness and serenity in simple frames. Massaud and studioutte’s collections serve as an open door to future and ongoing interpretations for District Eight.

COLLABORATORS

Italian maestro Michele de Lucchi presents the Inumbra modular shelving system. Inspired by Vietnam’s energetic spirit, Inumbrais an unconventionally sculptural piece of pared-back utility and grace.

Another key collaborator, French-Vietnamese designer Toan Nguyen, features the Joss sofa, an homage to his roots shared with District Eight: traditional Southeast Asian temple roof architecture and pieces from the Stilt collection, underlining District Eight’s vision of historic Vietnamese craftsmanship through contemporary, international lens. Australian designer Adam Goodrum presents the Collette chair and stool in homage to the country’s meticulous craftsmanship with timber. 

DISTRICT EIGHT COLLECTION

District Eight unveils a selection of pieces from its core collections, a part of the brand’s signature since its inception. Each piece carries a sense of intentional nuance and familiarity via a journey through several influences, one that is more felt than pronounced –from Vietnam, Asia and Europe. A feeling of Asia is inherent in District Eight.

The collections include a modern interpretation of ancient Asian gates and traditional Vietnamese altars into everyday functional objects, while in others, intricate knots and traditional weaving patterns meet solid wood from the West. A new shuffleboard edition is part of an expanding games collection and the brand’s sophisticated comprehension of recreation.