by Khira Jordan, all photos by Brayden Olson.

“Shop Talk” is a series of atelier tell-alls (or, you know, studio visits) where we sit and chat with some of today’s best designers–who also happen to be our neighbors! The latest adventure lands us practically next-door at United Bamboo with sweet souls Thuy Pham & Miho Aoki.

Two blocks from our New York store and a literal stone’s throw from OC HQ is the calm-yet-locomotive home of United Bamboo. And when Brayden and I stepped out of the Canal Street shuffle into Thuy and Miho’s studio, one thing was immediately clear: they knew (unlike most of their neighbors) just how to balance energy and equilibrium. A seamless constellation of showroom, drawingboard, office, and foyer, the pale blue studio catered, it seemed, as much to industriousness as to interiority.

Thuy’s tapping of keys, Miho’s methodic handling of muslin, another duo focused on hands-on tasks, and the hum of randomly arranged music provided the soundtrack to our visit. Visually, whether it was name tags on fabric baskets or the seered outline of an iron, the space radiated the kind of sincerity you sense, season after season, from their just-so clothes. (And even though Miho smiled and selected the word “slow” when I asked her how she’d characterize United Bamboo, it’s clear that the designers–who’ve actually already begun requesting samples for Resort 2012–know a thing or two about paced perfectionism.)

Step inside the Centre Street studio, and read my mini-interview with Thuy below!

What advice would you give to a young, aspiring designer?
I would advise them to run away while they can. Haha. Kidding aside, I advise them to work, work, work.

If you had to choose a new name for United Bamboo, what would it be?
Team Thunderbolt Awesome Force

What do you like most about Centre Street?
I like that it’s near the Canal Station. And also that there are lots of good lunch places nearby.

What do you like least about Centre Street?
Not a dislike, but I think it’s funny seeing tourists go into parked minivans to buy counterfeit handbags.

Where is your favorite park?
Not technically a park, but I like the Green-Wood Cemetery outside my apartment.

What is your astrological sign?
Libra

Where do you seek inspiration for your design?
I can’t explain it. It just comes from inside.

Source: Opening Ceremony New News