Vermillion, the ground-breaking new online design portal embracing Asian artistry and heritage, officially announces the launch of its retail offering today.
Taking their mission of showcasing the most exquisite artworks, design-led homeware and luxury decor products from award-winning to hidden gem Asian designers to a whole new level, the platform is now accessible to all discerning buyers around the globe, celebrating, conserving and conveying Asian craftsmanship and culture.
As the first portal dedicated to presenting Asia’s most exceptional, curated collectibles and design products with a fast growing portfolio of over 160 captivating Asian creators, Vermillion portrays the breadth of Asian culture and history – past, present and future – by showcasing each artwork and brand with their inspiring stories, authentic design philosophies and values rooted in their cultural heritage, to create a New Asian Lifestyle Movement that elevates the perception of Asian design across the oceans.
The meticulously curated, new B2C catalogue presents customers a bespoke selection of design brands from Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Greater China, with new brands added weekly.
Born in Liguria, Italy, and now living in Hong Kong, Barabara Raimondo left a career in finance in 2017 to pursue her ceramics practice by founding Barbara Ceramic. At the end of 2020, Barbara launched her first collection — the Liguria collection, which is deeply influenced by key cultural elements of Liguria, Italy — the terraces, the red soil, the olive trees, and the white waves crashing the coast. To amplify her designs and to connect those with her land, Barbara creates naked clay sculptures reminding of her roots.
Fasce, which means terraces in Italian, represents the landscape of the Liguria region in Italy, famous for its terraces built on hills to cultivate olive trees and vineyards, which is the inspiration for the Fasce n.1 Sculptural Vase (retail price US$449).
Barbara Ceramic, Fasce n.1 (US$449)
SUGO, Metropolis Lamp (US$645-700)
With the mission to create one-of-a-kind biophilia furniture designs, the Hong Kong-based brand, SUGO, celebrates nature and contemporary design in their SUGO ARTNITURE (art-furniture) pieces, using sustainable technologies and materials with nature-inspired elements. All lighting products by SUGO use a cutting-edge NASA tested photocatalytic technology that purifies the air of bacteria and pollutants.
Highlight artworks include the Fly Lamps (retail price US$600 for small, US$730 for large), featuring acrylic with LED illumination to depict the epitome of airborne objects, or the Metropolis Lamp (retail price US$645-700), reflecting the energy and glow of Hong Kong with its abstract shapes that mimic a three-dimensional perspective of buildings and movement.
The Art People Gallery (TAPG) is a celebrated art space established in 2015 in Malaysia. With the mission to celebrate creativity, openness, talent and generosity, the art institution highlights a diverse range of modern and contemporary art and represents both prominent living and promising budding artists from Malaysia and Southeast Asian spheres. As one of the leading art institutions in the nation, the TAPG also functions as a bridge that affixes local and international artists with art collectors and enthusiasts. Through their lineup of art exhibitions, fairs and talks, the gallery engages both local and global audiences. Together with TAPG’s international arm in Hong
Kong, the platform strives to inculcate understanding about the art realm and its sensibilities for artists and culture.
The Art People Gallery, Ripples/Staus Quo by Lisa Wong Sook Kuan (US$3,330)
gellyvieve, Yama Vase (Cumulus) (US$480)
Singaporean clay artist Genevieve Ang brought gellyvieve to life with the mission to build infinite worlds by experimenting and pushing the limits of clay and creating the most unique spatial installations.
gellyvieve’s aesthetic product line, Yama, is inspired by the majestic landforms of the region and is a recurring character in gellyvieve’s works. Highlight artworks include the Yama Vase (Cumulus) (retail price US$480) — a distinctive, handmade sculpture that duals as a vase and depicts a mountain covered in raindrops.
Established in Thailand, Panisa Objects’ design pieces experiment with natural material, processes and perceptions, by transforming everyday objects to artworks. The Terrene Stacking Candle Holder (US$95) represents a playful stack of stones and pebbles made with rubber wood that can be assembled to create varying candle designs of different heights and combinations, whilst the Loop decor series is made of twelve movable parts that can be sculpted into different postures, expressing a new form of movement and tension through wooden elements (Loop No. 12, retail price US$75).
Panisa Objects, Terrene Stacking Candle Holder
(US$95)
h220430, The Birth Stand (US$4,110)
Hailing from Japan, h220430 was established by Satoshi Itasaka, the prominent Japanese product designer and founder of the architectural firm The Design Labo. h220430 seeks to provoke a dialogue between its minimalistic furniture and lighting pieces, designed to stimulate thought about worldly issues, such as environmental deterioration. One of his latest masterpieces is The Birth Stand (retail price US$4,110) – Itasaka’s interpretation of the enigmatic nature of life, which sends out a flickering light mimicking the beating of a heart.
One of Hong Kong’s most esteemed, multi-award-winning design studios, Alan Chan Creations, showcases a bespoke collection of NOW Timepieces (retail price US$300) unveiling Chinese calligraphy- inspired design with time. An ode to Chinese poetry, the unique watches’ minute hand completes the Chinese numerals as it moves around the dial, whilst the delicate strap depicts calligraphy brushstrokes. Also available for retail, Alan Chan’s artisan Zen Garden Carpet (retail price US$3,650) is a representation of a Japanese Zen garden, capturing the rhythm of nature with raked gravels and sand.
Alan Chan Creations, NOW Time Pieces
The B2C portfolio includes further recognized brands as well as hidden gem creatives that are yet to be discovered, such as Louise Hill Design’s limited-edition prints, internationally acclaimed Singaporean Hans Tan Studio or Singaporean lifestyle brand Forbidden Hill .
Vermillion offers a discovery platform for businesses, design professionals and art enthusiasts alike. From styling to product customization, the portal provides personalised services with expert team members on the ground in all key regional markets, providing customers around the world with a first-class one-stop-shop experience.
“It is my passion and dedication to steer the design retail industry into the new digital era on a global scale, whilst elevating Asian contemporary design brands and creating a deeper understanding and appreciation for Asian cultural heritage across the regional borders. In a globalised world filled with particularly western influences, my goal with Vermillion is to bring out our own Asian culture, but in a sensitive and culturally integrated way which highlights its uniqueness, creativity and beauty while educating those as of yet unfamiliar with its subtler nuances. Our team at Vermillion aims to present Asian art and culture authentically, that is practical, easily understandable for others and can be used in their everyday lives in an elegant and beautiful way,” says Founder and CEO Krizia Li.
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