Bao art, clothes swapping and plastic alternatives

Plus, some AI that could help creatives. Friday 28 April 2023 [View in browser]( / [Sign up]( We're talking coffee from Yunnan, upcycled clothing in Ghana and the surprising market for chipboard – not to mention, some AI applications that could actually help creatives. But the biggest news? We just released the latest issue of our magazine and it's better than ever. Read on for a peak inside… 1. Pigs, pumpkins, peaches, a six-pack torso, penises and boobs – Erchen Chang and Shing Tat Chung have made many weird and wonderful things out of bao, the puffy and pillowy Taiwanese dough. So much so, they've become known as one of the most creative couples working in food. For the latest issue of our magazine, we [chatted to them]( about how they got to where they are today – owners of London-based restaurant chain [BAO]( who've also released a memoir/cookbook and app. ‘We think of BAO as an entire universe now,’ says Erchen. ‘The BAOverse,’ says Shing. BUY IT. Go deep into the BAOverse in our totally redesigned and revamped Courier magazine, on sale *today* ⭐️ [Get it here](. 2. After making mastering sauces [his niche]( this French YouTube chef just dropped a [saucepan]( that sold out in six hours (roughly $258,000 in revenue) 💰. 3. A publisher and a brewery collaborated to put five-minute reads from local authors [on beer cans](. 4. Lil' America is a [food truck ‘pod’]( (a collection of food trucks, basically) that's entirely run by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people. 5. This [guest house]( and cafe just outside Bratislava 🇸🇰 was originally built in 1479 and offers natural wine and bread baked in a traditional oven. 6. And here's a lovely Croatian cafe and [vintage furniture]( reseller in Chicago. 7. China's Yunnan is famous for its tea but less known is its emerging coffee scene – that's what [A'wa Coffee]( a drip-bag coffee company, aims to highlight. But it's also an experience-based brand: recently, it held a five-day pop-up with music performances, live drawing, original handmade pottery and a poetry night ☕ ‘The goal is [for] all of the experiences [that] A'wa provides to embody our products – when someone has a box of A'wa in their house, the experiences are what they see, beyond the white cube,’ says founder [Sere Zhang](. TRY IT. Do you want your brand to go physical? With a pop-up, you can test out a retail concept without signing a long lease. Check out [our guide]( before diving in. 8. Clothes swapping – where you swap unwanted clothes with other people – is the latest evolution of the thrifting craze. Tamara Fox, founder of London-based [Swoop]( shares how she's making it work. Q. Why swapping? A. ‘I wanted to make it as affordable and accessible as possible for people to make preloved the first choice when refreshing their wardrobes. In my opinion, some people feel priced out of shopping “sustainably” as secondhand clothes can sometimes be expensive. I believe it's important to have an affordable price-point entry for those used to fast-fashion prices.’ Q. What's the business model and what's coming next? A. ‘Currently, we run ticketed events that occur only every couple of months or so. Our aim is to increase the number of events we host and collaborate with different companies. Our long-term aim is to develop an e-commerce platform that allows people to send and swap clothes on a monthly subscription basis.’ 9. Also, [Mildew]( – a secondhand fashion magazine from [an editor]( at Broccoli and Mushroom People – just launched. 10. This [slow-fashion brand]( in Accra 🇬🇭 upcycles and hand-dyes secondhand materials from Ghanaian markets. 11. Two Chinese-founded jewelry brands to watch from our Shanghai-based contributor [Yaling Jiang](. - ‘Post-modern [jewelry brand]( COPULA was founded in 2018 by four Rhode Island School of Design graduates from mainland China. I first met them during Shanghai Fashion Week and fell in love with the design. I loved that they all come from an arts background and decided to practice it in the form of jewelry.’ - ‘In a similar vein, you should also know about L'ELEMENTO, a [jewelry brand]( set up by a Chinese fashion graduate in Italy. I'm impressed by[the combination of jade and metal]( in some of its collections. Another example of the east meeting the west.’ 12. [Bismillah Babe]( is an Islam-inspired candle company based on its founder's wellness journey and reconnection with the rituals of religion. 13. Buzzy running brand Satisfy [just dropped]( a climbing apparel line. 14. 🔥 Here's one smart hardware company that looks legitimately important: [Torch]( an early wildfire-detection sensor. 15. Let's talk AI… - [Filmustage]( uses AI for the film industry – its software breaks down scripts into different scenes in just a few minutes, a formerly manual task that took forever. - Remember that song allegedly made by AI that [sounds a lot]( like Drake and The Weeknd? It might not all be bad news for musicians, [according to]( Trapital. ‘A user could tag the artist whose voice or likeness was used to create an AI song. Ideally, the record labels and streaming services would have agreements in place to count [a] song's plays as a “stream” or some other measurable unit that can compensate the underlying owners.’ Not yet a reality, but interesting. - 🍸 Meanwhile, behind the bar, food-and-drink brand Mob challenged AI to make a new cocktail recipe… and apparently [it's pretty good](. But someone's still gotta shake those martinis (and taste-test them). 16. [Cindy Allman]( a Jamaican living in Trinidad, built up a big reading community and book club on Instagram. Originally running it a side hustle until she was laid off from her marketing job during the pandemic, she turned to her community for help and it led to the freelance marketing career she has now (while hosting [reading retreats]( in the Caribbean) 📚 ‘I remember going on my Instagram stories to be like: hey, everyone, I got laid off, here are the services I offer, let me know if you're interested. The floodgates opened. One person said to me: “If you could get people excited about books, then you could get people excited about jerk sauce.”’ TRY IT. Building up community – whether for a brand or side hustle – can be a huge boost to your career. But it can be tricky. We've [got a list]( of dos and don'ts from those who've done it before. 17. Mood boards – sorry, ‘worlds’ – are everywhere. Brands are building them while mood board IG accounts are [turning into businesses]( (and [creative studios]( and [publishing companies](. But take caution before curating, [writes]( Rachel Karten in her newsletter Link in Bio: ‘It's important to think about the level of risk you're willing to accept in order to post photos and artwork that you as the brand do not have the rights to.’ 18. Creative director [Puno]( proves that ‘about us’ pages don't have [to be lame](. 19. 🪚 ‘I'm seeing chipboard and strand board all over the place – in stores and campaign shoots namely,’ says our Portland-based contributor [Sam Millen-Cramer](. ‘I suppose it has an aesthetic quality that touches on outdoor hardiness but also a universal plushness, given it's so neutral when untreated. As a material, it's multi-purpose and can be reworked with ease – like the way we see posters relaid over construction hoardings. That, paired with its ecological creds, is a real boon for stores and agencies creating activation spaces. The new blank canvas, if you will. [Some stats here]( on its growth.’ 20. Here's [a database]( of more than 100 plastic alternatives for designers. 21. And the German founder of BlaBlaCar (a long-distance car journey app) runs a marketplace platform where people can buy and sell recycled plastic. [It's called Cirplus](. 22. Argentina-based jewelry brand [Not Quite]( makes wearable art. 23. [Pingüino]( searches for folk art across Mexico and then sells it in its three stores. 24. Courier's managing editor Ben just got back from Penang 🇲🇾 ‘[P.66]( a dreamy stationery store and cafe in a renovated shophouse, caught my eye in George Town: its minimal, modern design stands out on an island full of historic architecture, colorful temples and crazy streets. It also runs an [Airbnb]( upstairs. And its coconut ice cream is incredible.’ 25. Renovations at Manchester 🇬🇧 cafe [Siop Shop]( (purveyor of some of the [strangest]( donut shapes we've seen 🍗) are taking a little longer and cost more than expected, so it's selling [limited-edition merch]( to raise funds and keep up momentum for the relaunch. TIP. In business, as in life, the only guarantee is change. But if the uncertainty is bringing you down, here are [some tips]( for keeping on top of things from a happiness expert. Elsewhere in Courier: 🤳 On TikTok: How alopecia inspired [this founder's business](. 💻 Online: From niche podcasts to newsletters, [men's fashion]( is finally shaking up. 📰 In print: Our biggest and best issue just dropped. [Get it here](. Drop us a line any time at [hello@couriermedia.com](mailto:hello@couriermedia.co). Update your preferences [here](. Unsubscribe [here](