THE DESIGNER BEHIND VARDA
TURNING EVERYDAY OBJECTS INTO SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.
For more than three decades, Yen Lau has pursued a simple idea: Great design should elevate the way people work, create and live.
The Story
Long before VARDA existed, Yen was already challenging conventional thinking in product design. Trained as an industrial designer and driven by an obsession with innovation, he built a career transforming ordinary products into extraordinary experiences.
Over the course of his career, he has created more than 3,000 products, secured over 110 patents, and helped bring millions of products into the hands of consumers around the world. Yet for Yen, innovation has never been about numbers.
“It has always been about solving problems.”
Every product begins with the same question: “How can this be made better?”
That mindset has shaped a lifetime of design, engineering and manufacturing excellence. From his early years in industrial design through to building one of the industry's most respected product development and manufacturing businesses, Yen has spent more than 35 years understanding how products are conceived, engineered, refined and brought to life.
For decades, some of the world's leading brands have trusted his expertise to help create products for their customers.
VARDA REPRESENTS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
It represents the opportunity to create without compromise. To take everything learned from decades of design, engineering, barber tool development and manufacturing experience — and build a brand focused on one audience alone:
PROFESSIONAL BARBERS.Since developing his first professional clipper in 1989, Yen has dedicated thousands of hours to understanding the relationship between barber and tool.
The precision required.
The balance required.
The reliability required.
The feeling of confidence that comes from holding a tool that simply performs.
Over time, he saw an opportunity. While many brands focused on marketing, few were focused on reimagining what barber tools could become.
VARDA was created to change that. Combining industrial design, engineering expertise and a relentless pursuit of refinement, every VARDA product is designed with one goal: to create tools worthy of the professionals who use them.
The VARDA Philosophy
INNOVATION IS NOT A FEATURE.
IT IS A MINDSET.
Every line. Every material. Every motor. Every blade. Every detail is carefully considered to improve the barber's experience.
Because professional tools should do more than function.
They should inspire confidence.
They should feel exceptional.
They should be built to perform day after day, year after year.
“Turning everyday objects into something truly extraordinary. This is how I find fulfilment in my designs.”
A Life in Design
KEY MILESTONES
Designed and developed first professional clipper at Specialist Industries Ltd.
Founded Specialist Industries Ltd. in Hong Kong — establishing full turn-key product development and manufacturing capability.
Expanded factory operations to Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China — 9 factory blocks, ~100,000 sqm.
Over three decades of design, engineering and manufacturing excellence across 20+ countries.
Products created across industrial design, electronics, and professional tools.
Patents secured across product design and engineering innovation.
Founding VARDA — the opportunity to create without compromise, for professional barbers.