Hidden away in one of the many winding streets of Dala, south of Yangon River, is an oasis of upcycling design. ChuChu, a community-based artisan workshop, has built its home in this quiet part of the city with the initial support and funding from Cesvi, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Myanmar.
The showroom and workshop where the ChuChu artisans work is a marvel of upcycling architecture and design: the ceilings are insulated with repurposed tires; the walls are lined with reused plastic bottles; the floors are inlaid with a colorful pattern of old tiles, and the lamps on the ceilings function with solar power. Even the trash bin at the entrance is made out of recycled plastic bottles!
The crafts that ChuChu artisans create are all handmade from discarded materials, through a brilliant blend of traditional skills and creative design. They work with materials such as old rubber tires, different kinds of plastics, wrappers, and all sorts of ‘waste’ from the massive heaps of trash that litter the city's alleys and gutters (waste management is a big issue in Yangon).
ChuChu collects these materials with the help of community members and neighbors, and then carefully selects in order to turn them into all sorts of accessories and household items. ChuChu also provides training in craftsmanship using discarded materials.
Hla Day continuously collaborates with ChuChu in the design and development of their products, and actively supports the re-design and creative reuse of discarded materials into beautiful and useful crafts.
Learn more about ChuChu here, and find their fabulous Earth-friendly products at Hla Day!
