A touch of Vietnam in Lübeck
What do I really like about Lübeck? Our city is shaped by people who use their own cultural background to create something completely new within its centuries-old walls. Fortunately, this has always been the case. Fresh ideas and goods, new trends and techniques came to the city with traveling merchants and craftsmen from many parts of the world.
For the Lübeck ZWISCHENZEILEN I visit Mong Studio at Fleischhauerstraße 48 today and talk to the owners Doan Trang Nguyen and Linh An Tran. Mother and daughter with Vietnamese roots, creative partners, two women from Lübeck with a great flair for translating traditional Vietnamese and Asian designs into a modern design language. Two women who combine the best of two worlds and are thus in line with the many people who have shaped the face of Lübeck.
Free space and serenity
I became curious about the small store during a spring stroll through the old town, which is known to have quite a large number of jewelry stores. Some have been there for decades. This store seemed to be new. My gaze fell on the tastefully decorated shop window: a small ceramic bowl with a pearl necklace whispered to me: “Just look. I’m a beauty who doesn’t need a grand frame. You’ll find more of my kind inside.” And there I was in the store. I was immediately captivated by the understated design of the interior: a large brick wall provides the ideal backdrop for the handmade treasures displayed on wooden tables. Simple colors and an unagitated design, just the way I like it: a vase here, a few individually arranged flower branches there. The owners were working in the next room and I learned that Mong Studio had actually only opened in March 2024. I decided to come back with a little more time for an interview. And here we are!
Kaito and Mong
The store is home to two different jewelry designs. Kaito, the brand under which Doan Trang offers her pearl jewelry, and Mong, the gold and silver jewelry line developed by Linh An. The range is complemented by an exquisite selection of Vietnamese ceramic products that Duan Trang brings back from her travels. Timeless elegance characterizes these handmade products.
The story of the mother-daughter duo began several years ago. Originally from Ho Chi Minh City – formerly Saigon – Doan Trang, who studied fashion design, started out tailoring clothes and bags from fabrics she brought back from her trips to Vietnam. During the pandemic, she discovered her passion for creating jewelry from high-quality pearls. At the time, Linh An was still attending the Werkkunstschule in Lübeck, from which she graduated in 2021. It’s not really surprising that Linh An inherited her mother’s creative streak. She has always found working with her hands very satisfying. Knitting, crocheting, drawing, designing, photographing, macramé weaving. In 2022, Linh An’s heart began to beat for the creation of jewelry.
Less is more
Sitting in cozy wing chairs with a cup of tea, Linh An tells me that she taught herself most of the skills. She is a serious and thoughtful young person who can spend hours immersed in specialist literature. Her intensive self-study is far from over. Linh An is currently working with the so-called “lost wax casting” method. This lost wax casting is a thousand-year-old technique for producing delicate pieces of jewelry. She simply enjoys trying things out and has now developed her own individual style. The young designer recently completed a three-month training course in South Vietnam. She considers it a great privilege to be able to draw from both cultures. Linh An rummages through illustrated books and books on Asian art and thinks about how she can incorporate traditional motifs and centuries-old stories from her family’s homeland into her unique pieces. All traces of the creation process bear Linh An’s signature and form the basis for unique creations made of silver and high-carat gold. These delicate beauties are allowed to be imperfect and tell their own story.
Design in the Dornse
Right next to the salesroom is the studio of the two craftswomen. In a former Dornse, a typical Lübeck merchant’s house. This was the name given to a heated room that was used for meetings or as an office. The building was first mentioned in a document in 1295. The first known owner of this property is therefore the bonecutter Jacob van Kile. Since then, it has of course changed hands several times and provided a home for generations of people over the centuries. What ideas have been developed here? Today, two dedicated women are working on unique designs. Their gaze falls through the glass windows into the summery, leafy courtyard. And their thoughts always turn to Vietnam, where part of the family still lives. Incidentally, Mong is derived from the Hmong mountain people, who live mainly in the mountainous regions of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and China. They are famous for their elaborate embroidery, their colorful traditional costumes and their extraordinary ability to create true works of art from simple materials. A perfect fit!
The owners share their creative process with their followers on Instagram and elsewhere. What is the best way to care for your beads? How do you turn an idea into a finished piece of jewelry? Where do the materials come from and how sustainable are they? Get a first impression online and then visit the studio in Lübeck’s Old Town to talk to Doan Trang and Linh An.
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