As you may have noticed from my art, I’m a big fan of bright colors and bold patterns. While Elephant Gym paints a vibrant image through their music, inBlooom (印花樂) does the same through their creative textile design.
inBlooom’s first store was founded in Taipei by three female high school friends following their graduation from university. From their humble beginnings in 2008, inBlooom has grown to a team of 30 members and is now a representative brand of Taiwan, having expanded to overseas markets in Japan, Thailand and Hong Kong.
The colorful design brand takes its inspiration from three simple sources: life in Taiwan, achieving an eco-conscious lifestyle, and finding what makes people happy. inBloom aims to “transform the ecology and memories of Taiwan into elements of innovation” and—from their logo design to their products—inBlooom continually shows their commitment to Taiwan and its environment.
Even inBlooom’s choice to use a Taiwanese starling as their logo is a perfection blend of these inspirations. The starling used in inBlooom’s designs is known as a Taiwanese Myna and it currently faces the danger of extinction due to competition from Myna that have been imported from abroad; in 2014, only 63 of 940 Myna in Taiwan were Taiwanese Myna. By using the Taiwanese Myna as their logo, inBlooom hopes to raise awareness of all ecological crises that continue to affect endangered species and emphasize the importance of protecting our environment.
In addition to their patterns, inBlooom’s product design also promotes sustainable living. For instance, one of inBlooom’s most distinctive and useful products is their series of Yummy! Taiwan utensil cases which can also be used as placemats. By printing Taiwanese foods on the inner side of the placemat, the Yummy! Taiwan series creates an eating experience brimming with Taiwanese memories.
Although I love the illustrations from the Yummy! Taiwan series, my personal favorite print from inBlooom is called Trekking. The cheerful print is meant to give you the happiness of being close to nature, and the simple usage of layered colors is very effective in creating a lively hiking landscape. I especially love that the pattern features species endemic to Taiwan such as the Formosan sika deer and the Formosan rock macaque.
All of inBlooom’s products are made locally by Taiwanese manufacturers. However, if customers would like to get more hands-on, inBlooom also offers options for customers to learn to DIY their own goods through printing workshops and DIY face mask kits! The workshops can be done at one of inBlooom’s locations in Taipei, or you can purchase the materials yourself and follow one of their online workshops. inBlooom explain that they want to make the experience more accessible to everyone because they know the joy of creating, and truly that joy can be felt in every aspect of their products!
Every time I go back to Taiwan I always stop by inBlooom to see what new designs they’ve created, and I hope now you can understand why! From conception to production, inBlooom is a brand that is embedded in Taiwanese values, culture, and lifestyle and it certainly deserves its place as a brand that represents Taiwan.
(Featured Image by inBlooom via inBlooom)
Taiwan Culture Corner 
Thank you for sharing the depth of thought that went into these designs! They’re aesthetically beautiful as is, but knowing the thought behind them really makes me appreciate them even more.
LikeLike
Thank you athu!! I found the stories behind their work very interesting and I’m glad you enjoyed them too!
LikeLike