Beautiful Sound: Hand-crafted Bamboo Speakers
These days speakers tend to be simply ways to project our music and make it louder. We’re happy to hide them behind a curtain, under a table or away from the action. Nothing to see here, folks. It’s no wonder we’re reluctant to display speakers when they are generic black or white plastic cases in unimaginative shapes. Blah. Hazang’s bamboo speakers are a different breed. They are handcrafted by artisans in North Vietnam, based on designs by entrepreneur Brandon Chandon and his small team.
Chandon found his inspiration for Hazang when he traveled around Vietnam last year. The breathtaking scenery and the enthusiastic hospitality of the local people really struck him, and he was particularly fascinated by the region’s traditional coiled bamboo crafts.
Bamboo is a perfect sustainable choice, as it grows up to a meter a day and fights erosion with its roots, all while sucking up carbon dioxide from our air. And of course its natural neutral tone provides a classic canvas for creating unique products. The Hazang will look just at home in a sleek, spare, minimalist apartment as a country cottage or cluttered, busy family home.
“With the help of a rural craftsman, Chung, who welcomed me into his home, and the expertise of Marie Hautecoeur, a French product designer who resides in Vietnam, I was able to design and develop an original, beautiful speaker that’s not quite like anything else on the market,” explains Chardon.
The Hazang’s traditional bamboo shell is made by hand and tested for the best acoustic qualities, and Chardon makes sure the electronic insides are top-of-the-line to guarantee excellent sound quality.
There are two sizes of speaker, the regular Hazang and Hazang Bé, which is a little smaller. And of course since each speaker is handmade using natural bamboo, there will be slight differences in size and also coloring. Your speaker will be unique, in other words.
You’ll want to show off your speaker, piece of artwork that it is, so there’s a choice of colors for the 100-percent hemp cloth cover, handwoven by local Hmong people in North Vietnam.
Respect for local workers and their craft is paramount for the company, which strives for transparency in its business model and is intent on modeling “global eco-design” and sustainability.
Beautiful, sustainable and sublimely listenable… Sounds like the full package.