3 Natural Materials For Wicker Laundry Hampers Wholesale In Vietnam

Wicker laundry hampers (often called as laundry baskets) are not only practical for laundry storage, but also for decorating interiors. According to Export Data 2021 from Vietnam Customs, top 3 natural materials of exported homewares are water hyacinth, seagrass, rattan. They’re popularly used in producing laundry hampers, let’s see why they are good fits.

Water Hyacinth

Water hyacinth is among quality fibers for making homewares in general and wicker laundry hampers in particular. In 2021, water hyacinth exports had the largest volume amongst natural homewares exported from Vietnam. This is preferred by consumers in the U.S, Australia, Canada and many European markets.

Why is water hyacinth ideal for making wholesale hampers? Thanks to its physical property: Long, spongy stalks (stems). The dried stalks are super durable, with a unique honey brown. Water hyacinth hampers feature very strong structure for up to 60-liter storage and earthy tones to match any decor.

Here are several weaving styles of water hyacinth for durable, decorative wicker laundry hampers.

Rolled weave of Water-hyacinth

This weave is made by rolling water hyacinth around a core (it consists of multiple seagrass strands), in order to form a thick structure with a metal frame. Of all weaves of water hyacinth, it has the highest production cost because it requires producers to use a lot of materials. In addition, it takes weavers harder effort than other weaving styles, which means more labor cost. 

The combination of materials: water hyacinth, seagrass and a metal frame will create a thick, tight and strong weave — truly suitable for wicker laundry hampers to store a large amount of clothing.

Twisted weave of Water-hyacinth

Twisted ropes are created by twisting 2-3 stalks of water hyacinth together. These ropes are super solid, so wicker laundry hampers will be practical storage solutions for a long time. During production, this twisted weave is coupled with a metal frame so that the hampers are strong and well-shaped enough.

Rice nut weave of Water-hyacinth

Rice nut weave is a traditional weaving style of twining water hyacinth stalks. Since the stalks are spongy and have a quite large diameter (larger than seagrass), they make each weave look like a rice nut. 

Rice nut weave can be made without using a metal frame. Yet for wicker hampers, this weave is required to have a metal frame for added durability. It helps hampers become sturdier, and minimizes the chance of deformation due to the heavy load of clothing.

Arrow weave of Water-hyacinth 

Arrow weave is another traditional style that local artisans mainly apply for water hyacinth products, particularly wicker laundry hampers. Artisans create this weave with two water hyacinth stalks, and it looks like an arrow or fishbone. 

You may see the arrow weave in many homewares such as table placemats or storage baskets, that’s very popular. Similar to rice nut weave, arrow weaves are combined with metal frames to make hampers durable and not likely to deform over time.

Other Open weaves of Water-hyacinth

Besides above styles, there are open weaves with water hyacinth stalks that are suitable for making wicker laundry hampers. They all need to be combined with a metal frame for sturdiness; otherwise, the hampers will deform due to carrying heavy loads of laundry. These weaves’ production cost are often the lowest.

>> READ MORE 9 Weaving Styles For Water Hyacinth Baskets & Homewares

Seagrass

Seagrass is an eco-friendly material that has been popularly used for wicker hamper production in Vietnam. In 2021, seagrass product exports are the second Seagrass homewares are loved in international markets, especially European countries such as German, France, Spain and Sweden.

Thinner than water hyacinth, yet seagrass is highly durable and not easily worn out or broken. So rest assured, seagrass laundry hampers can function well for years and years. Its natural brown tone can easily fit in various styles such as Boho, Rustic, Farmhouse, Mid-century and Scandinavian.

Not all seagrass weaving styles are a good choice to wicker laundry hampers. Some are relevant, others are not. Below are some weaves of seagrass that can go with wholesale hampers.

Coiled weave of Seagrass

Coiling is the technique of making homewares using seagrass and plastic threads. This technique is suitable for producing wicker laundry hampers, as they will feature a thick, tight and strong structure without the use of metal frame. 

Most noticeably, plastic threads not only join seagrass, but also create a variety of patterns. The more complex patterns, the higher wicker laundry hampers will cost. It’s because local artisans will have to use more kinds of plastic threads, and also put more effort into each item. 

Braided weave of Seagrass

Multiple seagrass fibers are braided into a rope, then these ropes are woven into wicker laundry hampers. Not having a metal frame inside, the hampers still deliver high durability, though they can turn deformed over time.

Twisted weave of Seagrass

Twisted seagrass ropes have many different diameters. For making wicker laundry hampers, small-dia seagrass ropes are used for weaving over a metal frame. The plain weave with twisted seagrass helps to bring sturdiness for long-time storage and a rustic, earthy touch to the interiors of your customers.

>> READ MORE: 6 Weaving Styles for Seagrass Storage Baskets

Rattan

Rattan is a good option for producing wicker laundry hampers. The strong, relatively flexible nature of rattan is a big plus, as this gives hampers a high level of sturdiness, while adding natural aesthetics for decoration in the house. Rattan is getting popular in many markets such as European countries (Germany, UK), Australia, Korea, Japan.

Not pliable like seagrass and water hyacinth, rattan stem/cane is solid, and that’s why some rattan weaving styles requires more processing in production.

When regards to weaving laundry hampers, local producers can use either rattan core or rattan peel/bark. Below are popular weaving styles that have been commonly applied in Vietnam.

Coiled weave of Rattan core

Coiled weave of large-diameter rattan core — this is considered the most expensive weaving style among all rattan laundry hampers. That’s because this style requires a lot of weavers’ efforts and time. In addition, large strands of rattan core need some technical process before the weaving stage.

Large-dia Rattan Core weave

With rattan cane or large strands of rattan core (diameter: 4-5mm or 7-8mm), local artisans also curve and turn them into decorative wicker hampers. They can be made in either close or open weave. Like the above coiled weave of rattan, this style takes significant labor work for processing materials. Thus, the production time is normally longer.

Small-dia Rattan Core weave

For wicker hampers, local artisans in Vietnam also use small-diameter strands (2-3mm) that are split from rattan core. It is a traditional plain weaving style of twinning the strands — you might be familiar with many homeware items such as storage baskets, planters, and placemats.

These rattan strands are often coupled with a metal frame to make wicker laundry hampers get better shape, durability and long-lasting function. 

Rattan Peel weave

Rattan peel (skin) is peeled off from the stem, then processed into long, thin, flat strands. They are woven in a traditional plain weave. In small diameter, rattan peel strands are normally cheaper and more flexible than rattan core ones. The plain weave with rattan peel should be combined with a metal frame for sturdy shapes and structure.

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