This latest chapter introduces a modular lacquer collection exploring ritual, utility, and sculptural form through traditional Vietnamese lacquer techniques.

Created in collaboration with Nick Tran, Head of Buying and Merchandising at Dover Street Market Paris - the influential global retail platform founded by Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe - the collection reflects a shared interest in craftsmanship, material culture, and contemporary design.

For In Their Hands, Nick and Thao developed a limited-edition lacquer box set exploring modularity, ritual, and function through form. Designed as a series of individual compartments, each element may be used independently or stacked together to create a single sculptural object. The work considers how meaningful objects can shift between utility, memory, and display.

Each component begins with hand-carved wood, carefully shaped and assembled before entering the lacquer process. More than twenty layers of lacquer are applied and polished entirely by hand, serving both as a protective finish and an artistic medium.

Featuring a high-gloss black interior paired with a carefully balanced matte and polished exterior, the lacquer box set moves between utility and sculpture, offering a contemporary interpretation of traditional Vietnamese lacquer craftsmanship.