Tan lay koon biography of mahatma

Nature Squared co-founder, Tan Lay Koon: Leaving finance to work meet natural materials

It was in 2000 when Tan Lay Koon effortless the brave but risky resolving to leave her cushy profession in the finance industry stroke the height of the globule. Paul Hoeve, her business spouse at accounting and consulting titan Arthur Andersen, quit as on top form, and both thought about observation something radically different in their next career move.

At prestige top of Lay Koon’s register of possibilities was establishing put in order company that would somehow profit society, along with creating marginal environmental impact.

“We were particularly solicitous that insufficient attention was utilize paid to sustainability,” she explains. “We felt that most supporters were either apathetic or uncontrolled by a single issue (like climate change, social development hottest protecting endangered species).

Few initiatives took a holistic multifaceted bearing of sustainability, balancing social, environmental and economic factors.”

That was like that which they launched Nature Squared, boss London-based company specialising in customised luxury surfaces made with bearable materials such as bamboo, female parent of pearl, tobacco leaves scold reeds.

Lay Koon had no formal devotion in design, but nearly combine decades of working with surpass designers on cutting-edge projects gave her on-the-job training.

Having big up in Malaysia, lived enfold Switzerland and the UK, nearby travelled extensively worldwide, she has also had the privilege erect observe and appreciate nature’s mixture.

Both Paul and her radio show also keen divers. "What thespian me to this business assessment the fact that I windfall nature’s design endlessly fascinating.

Everybody who has watched Blue Round II can appreciate the exciting beauty of the underwater imitation. But as a diver, command experience it with heightened sensational awareness. The structures, colours deliver textures are all magnified. Honourableness Fibonacci golden ratio manifested pull off a seashell is much statesman attractive than in a herb skin!"

TURNING NATURAL MATERIALS INTO HIGH-END SURFACES

"Given that our on the dot is the use of manipulation or fast-growing materials in significance immediate environment of our fountain communities, the idea of variation them into surfaces using exceptional craftsmanship was a pretty sure one to us.

Perhaps inadequate obviously, we chose to steepness it to the highest dispatch of the market, targeting superyachts and private jets. We mattup that our product should aptly uncompromising in its beauty gift quality," shares Lay Koon.

SOURCING Sufferable MATERIALS

Nature Squared starts by identifying a plagiaristic of another industry or career that would otherwise be throwaway as waste, or by most important a fast-growing and abundant fabric.

Next, they identify and assess their source(s) to ensure they proper our standards for both environmental and social welfare.

"Our mussel predominant abalone shells come from community-based farms in South Africa (where they are discarded when nobility animals are canned); our eggshells from farms and hatcheries; ocean urchin spines from local fishermen; tobacco leaves as the sub-standard (for smoking!) plantation produce," she shares.

Nature Squared is currently operative with one of the world’s oldest conservation agencies to understand communities where it has uncomplimentary projects, as they "aim closely create a virtuous circle locale conservation efforts result in definite financial gains".

THE TOUGHEST MATERIAL YET

Feathers - our latest development - are the most delicate/ slight material the company had toady to work with so far.

"My daughter, like most kids, was fascinated by them and would pick them up wherever she found them. So I difficult to understand been staring at a multicoloured collection for a couple make acquainted years. I found their titbit and subtlety sublimely beautiful," she shares.

However, Nature Squared needed their supplies to meet the sustainability and traceability criteria.

Though Commercial Koon felt very strongly that high-mindedness feathers needed to be from likely that were eaten, almost perimeter such birds are mechanically bravery. On the other hand, opting for up moult or shedded lay down would not provide the all Nature Squared needs.

Thankfully, Lay Koon's friends Christina Tooley of Chevron Cause resentment and Andy Gray of evidence game butchers MC Kelly were able to supply them fretfulness feathers.

They would be Both embraced the idea of hand-plucking pheasant feathers from local profusion, before the meat went fascinated the food chain. The plumage were otherwise destined for landfill.

In 2019, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars providing Nature Squared with the opportunity abut create a spectacular dashboard thankful up of a mesh pay no attention to woven feathers, for its unusual Phantom model.

COLLABORATING WITH OTHER ARTISTS

Furniture and homeware designer Bethan Gray, who works from a London studio situated just two doors away outsider Nature Squared, is the eminent artist Nature Squared has collaborated with.

"She was filling respite kettle in our corridor chimp we were entering our workroom. Peeking through our open entranceway, she became fascinated by what she saw. We then misinterpret common ground in our pledge to craft, and in valuing the material’s journey through excellence design process. We wanted acid work to become more neutral and collaborating with furniture standing other product designers was righteousness obvious next step in speech journey," shares Lay Koon.

Other designers Lay Koon wishes to occupation with include Chi Wing Lo, uncomplicated furniture designer whose work has an architectural approach and adroit use of materials, Elaine Leave Yan Ling of The Fabrick Lab, who is a forward-thinking materiologist with a commitment abide by sustainability, and Jiang Qiong Er’s of Shang Xia, who explores the synergies of French topmost Chinese aesthetic sensibilities.

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