Alvin Tjitrowirjo exhibited his work at lifestyle trade fair Maison&Objet, held from Sept.7- 11 at the Paris-Nord Villepinte convention center, Paris. The designer featured modern furniture elements that embraced rattan as the main material. 

“This year we’re presenting rattan in colors,” said Alvin. “This year I’m working with a few German designers. We have invented a unique way of dyeing the rattan. This gives us the opportunity to explore and present the material in a different way — in a much more modern and more internationally appealing way,” he added.

Aside from working with several German designers, Alvin also collaborated with Dutch textile designer Nikkie Wester. “We share the same approach; we appreciate heritage and culture, but we want to reenvision it in a modern way,” Alvin said. He also noted that Nikkie and he complemented each other in creating a completely new and fresh look. 

Read also: Indonesian brand to showcase contemporary rattan furniture at Maison&Objet

As a designer who always tries to combine traditional crafting and contemporary design, Alvin still values the process of making things by hand. “I guess a lot of people try to approach crafts as either something very ethnic or something very modern. They call it crafting, but it’s actually machine-made,” said Alvin. As a designer, he embraces imperfections in his work, “Imperfections are part of the beauty, so we don’t see perfection or precision. Because I think imperfection is beauty in itself. It’s where the soul of the product is.”

His participation in Maison&Objet, according to Alvin, stresses the point of positioning of his brand and products. “Positioning is very important, especially if you look at Indonesian products, most of the companies that are exhibiting here in Europe are factories and they are always seen to be producing very low-priced commodities. We need to move away from that stigma and create a different position,” he said. Alvin also adds that the Maison&Objet platform helps him elevate his product in a position perfectly aimed for the right segment. (asw)