SIT DOWN WITH: TANCHEN STUDIO
Tanchen Studio is the textile design partnership of Amber Chen and Sanchia Tan, based between Shanghai and Singapore. Born from a shared vision at Central Saint Martins in 2019
How did Tanchen Studio come to life? Was there a moment between you two when you knew you wanted to build something together?
We actually met 12 years ago in London, while studying Textile Design at Central Saint Martins. We clicked right away and had always joked about starting something together because of our shared design language and sensibilities.
It was at the end of 2019, after we had met up in Shanghai to conduct weave workshops, that we decided to start TANCHEN Studio together.
You’re not just design partners, but best friends working between China and Singapore. How has that long-distance collaboration shaped the way you work—and the work itself?
The fact that Amber and I live in different countries remains a challenge, as much as it is an advantage in other ways. We’ve had to be flexible and adaptable. But it’s also been important for us to remain self-assured about who we are as a design studio, and to incorporate these qualities into what TANCHEN is and how we work.
What has it been like designing your very first boutique space? Has the process revealed anything new about your aesthetic or your values?
Definitely challenging! We have a new found respect for spatial and interior designers- it’s all in the small details, similar in the way we design, but done on a bigger scale. It has been really fun pairing textures, surfaces and furniture for the space and we cannot wait for everything to come together soon.
How would you describe your shared design language?
I think we’re both drawn to layering colours and textures, combinations that are slightly unexpected and design that is rooted in craftsmanship.
Craft and material seem central to your pieces. Are there traditional or local techniques that influence your practice?
I think both of us having a background in woven textiles has shaped the way we create. We experiment with all sorts of textile techniques to leverage a material’s best qualities. It ranges from traditional techniques like weaving and knotting to crocheting and beading, and I guess we try to give it a fresh, unique TANCHEN take.
Do your personal stories or cultural backgrounds find their way into your designs? How do you approach storytelling through objects?
Yeah, very much so. We definitely attribute our own existing sensibilities to the strong visual cultures of where we’re from; that is, Southeast Asia and China. Valuing handcrafted textile traditions is at the heart of what we do at TANCHEN.
We often design for ourselves as well,, and so you can really see our interests in food and culture permeate our collections.
Working between two countries must bring a unique rhythm to your studio life. What does "working locally" mean to each of you, and how do you stay connected across distance?
We’re on video call several times a day, constantly going through design iterations and logistical arrangements. But we’ve done a pretty good job splitting our workloads on both sides.
I travel to Shanghai to meet up with Amber and the team 3-4 times a year, she does the same as well. That is when we do most of our sourcing trips and the bulk of designing our new collections together.
What’s currently on the table in each city?
Lots of fabric samples in Shanghai, and a ton of beads in Singapore!
What’s your process like when developing a new piece together? Do ideas usually begin with material, form, memory—or something else entirely?
We tend to design with materials as a starting point. Rather than envisioning a design and then trying to figure out what materials to use, we like to explore the qualities of a material and really play around with it.
Then we brainstorm and see how an item can be worked on, from the thickness of a cord, to the placement of beads, to whether something should be more elastic or more stiff, or whether a layer of lining is needed for sturdiness. Often, we try out several different knotting techniques on one item, which is what we did with our 0/0 bag. For every object we put out, there are multiple weird variations and prototypes in different stages of evolution in our studios, or still being used by members of Team TANCHEN.
There’s a quiet poetry to your objects—do you intentionally weave emotion, nostalgia or lightness into the work?
I think at TANCHEN, there is an intentional layering of emotion, memory, and restraint in our work. While our objects often appear quiet or minimal at first glance, there's usually a deeper narrative underneath—rooted in cultural memory, material exploration, or the subtle rhythms of everyday life.
Do you consider your pieces design, art, craft—or something else entirely? How do you see those boundaries shifting?
I guess a mix of all! Ultimately, we try to move fluidly across those territories to create functional textiles. We’re guided more by the process, the story and how people interact with our pieces.
As you grow your studio and prepare to welcome people into your boutique, how do you want them to feel when they engage with your work?
We want our space to feel warm and inviting, we want people to pick up our items, see them and feel them in person.
And finally—what’s something you’re both currently obsessed with, creatively or otherwise?
Amber has been really into baking cakes and decorating them- the crazier the better! And I’ve been testing our several TCM dessert recipes.
Thrilled to share that TANCHEN Studio is now officially available at igotathingforchairs —head over to check out the collection and shop your favourites.