Bao 包 was carved into oracle bones thousands of years ago, and now is one of the first Chinese characters children learn to write. The strokes are simple, but the meanings are profound.  Bao means to wrap, to hold, to carry, to protect, to embrace. It is the root of many everyday words. Some examples: 包子 (steamed buns), 包裹 (packages), 红包 (red envelopes), 包管 (to guarantee), 包容 (to hold with compassion).

Across cultures, this instinct to wrap and protect what we love is universal. In China, we wrap food, gifts, and objects in cloth. In Indonesia, communities have been weaving anyaman (woven) baskets and bags for centuries to hold everything they need.

This collection ~ BAO 包 ~ is our way of honoring these shared traditions: the cultural practices of bundling something meaningful with care.

THE CLOTH: XIANG YUN SHA SILK

In Chinese culture, silk has always been a material of protection:

• light yet insulating
• soft yet strong
• a barrier against heat, humidity, and elements

Silk wraps the body, preserves warmth, holds stories, and is passed through generations. This collection features our exclusive silk in new shapes and prints, from scarves to pillowcases to pouches. These items represent bao both by literally wrapping and holding, and by providing a symbolic boundary around one's spirit: you are held and protected. 

So, this is the first part of BAO 包: wrapping and protecting through xiang yun sha silk. 

THE BAGS: ANYAMAN BAMBOO

BAO 包 also introduces 100% handwoven bamboo bags made in Indonesia using traditional anyaman weaving.

Anyaman is an ancient Indonesian craft found across Java, Bali, and many other regions across the archipelago. Artisans weave thin strips of bamboo into strong vessels with intricate and meaningful weaves and patterns. Anyaman symbolizes protection, interconnectedness, and the balance of community: each strip supporting the next to create something stronger. Together. These bags and baskets hold everything: rice, temple offerings, food, tools, daily essentials. 

They are practical, breathable, lightweight, and biodegradable ~  a natural, deeply symbolic, and ancestral form of “packaging.”

I am living in Indonesia, and often hear this widespread accusation that Indonesians' use "so much plastic." While it's true that modern consumerism and global supply chains have flooded the islands with plastic and synthetic materials, this criticism is usually delivered from a distance and often with a subtle, colonizer-like tone. One that blames Indonesians for a global problem they didn’t create. 

For thousands of years Indonesians have relied and continue to rely on woven carriers, natural fibers, and biodegradable materials to hold and protect their things. This is apart of their cultural heritage. It is not some quaint relic of the past, and it has not been replaced. 

So yes, plastic is present in Indonesia, as it is everywhere. But to frame Indonesians as uniquely responsible, like it's solely "their" problem, while ignoring their history and the global systems that introduced mass plastic consumption in the first place... is misleading. It also repeats a familiar pattern of shifting blame onto the very communities who have historically lived most sustainably.

This is the second part of BAO 包: handmade vessels that carry purpose. 

WEAVING CULTURES, FINDING THREADS

Chinese bao and Indonesian anyaman share the same spirit: to hold, to protect, to wrap with care.

When I first saw anyaman, I immediately thought of bao. Not visually, but culturally. Both crafts come from communities that honor slowness, intention, and handmade utility. Both represent the human instinct to bundle, carry, and safeguard. This is universal and deserves recognition as part of the larger history and tradition of Asian craft ~ we are not all just factories and exporters of Western goods. There is a deep lineage on this side of the world we must continue to preserve and protect. I don't think bao and anyaman have ever been forgotten... they are just overlooked. 

THE COLLECTION

Flow Scarves ~

Luxuriously long and versatile scarves for wrapping, gifting, wearing, and keeping close.

Lightweight, naturally water-resistant, anti-microbial, and sun-finished.

Pillowcases ~

For sleeping cooler, softer, and cleaner. Naturally anti-microbial. Fewer washings!

Protective for hair and skin. Built to last.

Bags and Pouches ~

Available in bamboo and silk. All bags are finished with Ziran detailing (silk ties or jade stone closures). 

For gifting, storage, holding keepsakes and mementos. 

Doggy Bandanas ~

For the ones who love you unconditionally. Dog bandanas that are naturally anti-microbial and gentle on fur and skin.

A FINAL NOTE

BAO 包 is deeply personal. As a Chinese-American designer living and working across Indonesia, China, and the U.S., I’m always looking for the cultural threads and physical objects that connect us ~ especially the things that are usually disregarded and overlooked for the sake of "modernity" and "progress." 

A scarf, a pillowcase, a bamboo bag… these are not just objects. They are containers of care. They hold your daily life and protect your spirit the way bao holds meaning. Simply, gracefully, and with intention.

This is BAO 包. May it hold something meaningful for you, too.

~ Kelly

Creative Direction: Kelly Wang Shanahan (@theziran)

Photography: Jhonson Phielipus (@jjnnxx250)

Model: Lara Utami (larautami.7)

Shot in Bali, Indonesia. November 2025.