What do you think when you hear the word "cardboard"? Maybe you immediately remember its function as a storage container for goods or food. In fact, beyond that, cardboard has other functions if explored properly. One of them is as decoration and installation. This has at least been explored by two young graduates of the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Surabaya, Angger Diri Wiranata and Arief Susanto, who then named their business Dus Duk Duk since 2013.
Dus Duk Duk itself is an acronym for "cardboard for sitting" which refers to their first product, namely tables and chairs. After several other creative workers were involved, Dus Duk Duk explored turning cardboard into furniture, household items and furnishings, event decorations, installations, packaging, photo booths, and so on. All materials used are 100% made from natural cardboard through an industrial recycling process. Even though it is made from cardboard, the Dus Duk Duk product is still sturdy, and can even support loads of up to hundreds of kilograms. Apart from that, there is also a special liquid coated on the cardboard so that it is not easily damaged when exposed to water.
In the exploration process, Dus Duk Duk involves concepts and ideas by considering the value of function, efficiency, aesthetic effectiveness and happiness. They are committed to always bringing happiness to every work they produce through innovation, creativity and exploration of environmentally friendly cardboard materials. The hope is that they can become pioneers of Indonesian cardboard decorations that bring change both to the creative industry and to the environment.
Almost 9 years old, Dus Duk Duk has now developed in other areas in the country, including Jakarta, Bandung, Bogor, Yogyakarta, Makassar and Palembang. Apart from that, Dus Duk Duk products have also penetrated foreign markets, such as Malaysia, Korea, Italy (precisely in Milan), and the United States (precisely in Las Vegas). So, are you increasingly curious about their products? Read more in the following description.
Tables and chairs
At first glance you might think that a cardboard chair cannot be sat on because it is not strong enough to support the weight. However, don't be mistaken. Dus Duk Duk has guaranteed that the chairs and tables they produce are no less strong than products using other materials.
Eiffel Tower installation
One of Dus Duk Duk's superior products is various installations or miniatures of certain buildings. Some time ago, they designed the Eiffel Tower from cardboard whose main frame consisted of three parts. Even though it is made of cardboard, the Eiffel made by Dus Duk Duk can stand strong, similar to the original tower in Paris. Interesting right?
Fashion Design
Apart from decorations or installations, Dus Duk Duk is also able to transform cardboard into fashion designs. One of them recently attended the Muslim Fashion Festival with Muslim clothing designs made on cardboard.
Toy
Dus Duk Duk also presents various children's toys made from cardboard that use a puzzle system. This toy also functions as an educational medium for children to learn more about various forms of animals, transportation and others in an exciting way. You can see all of the Dus Duk Duk toy products on the Totoys Instagram account.
Installation that carries the message of protecting the environment
Dus Duk Duk is also involved in collaborations with well-known brands , such as wedding vendor, Bridestory . At the 2020 Tokopedia Fair, Dus Duk Duk created an installation for Bridestory in the form of floral decorations arranged in great detail.
To represent Indonesia's natural wealth, this installation at first glance resembles a forest. Additional lighting is also provided to make the atmosphere more lively. Dus Duk Duk wants visitors not only to be impressed with this work, but also to see the message " Save Trees, Save Environment." ”
That's a glimpse of the journey of Dus Duk Duk, which has succeeded in reaching the world market at less than a decade old. As pioneers of Indonesian cardboard decoration, they have succeeded in combining creativity with sustainable business processes. Items that we may often view as having only limited functional value, in fact can be explored properly to produce various other functions.