Chinese Designers Strive For Survival In The Cracks Between Chinese And Western Fashion Culture

During the fashion week of Shanghai, 10 Corso Como Shanghai concept space top gallery opened for the Chinese designer cooperation project as a chat room. It was hosted by Mr. Liang Jiajun, editor in chief of the metropolitan Num e RO, who hosted the two day talks, respectively with brand XIAO LI designer Li Xiao, SANKUANZ designer Shangguan Zhe, BOUNDLESS non edge designer Zhang Da, BAN XIAO XUE designer Ban Xiaoxue, Ban Xiaoxue design designer Sun Xiaofeng, and designer Guo Guo ran Tian, talking about the growth of Chinese designers in western fashion and the industry challenges facing them at the moment. Each designer comes from different design growth background and has different commercial concepts and sparks brilliant sparks.

Mr. Liang Jiajun once served as the deputy editor in chief of the modern version of "weekend pictorial" editor and editor in chief of the metropolis Num e ro. His attention to Chinese designers is not only reflected in the magazine's topic in recent years, but also invited by Carla Sozzani in 2014 to dig up the cutting-edge power of Chinese designers to guide the new graduates who want to join the fashion design industry just now.

[the growth of Chinese designers in western fashion]

The three designers of the 8 day talks have had in-depth exchanges in different aspects in the western system.

For BOUNDLESS, designer Zhang Da's unique attitude towards fashion philosophy has been very distinctive since its establishment, and has appeared many times at international art exhibitions.

In this talk, Liang Jiajun and Zhang Da made a combing from the original designer's anti traditional design of clothing profile to the excellent performance of interior fashion in recent quarters.

Li Xiao's dialogue will be more focused on the designers themselves after experiencing the ITS awards and LVMH Prize nominations and two excellent fashion brands, what challenges and surprises these western fashion experiences and mechanisms brought to her, and the experience of entering the outstanding buyer shops such as 10Corso Como to guide her future brand development.

After several international fashion week appearances and Shangguan Zhe, who has just won the LVMH Prize nomination, he has more mature insights into the needs of the market and customers after several seasons of international cooperation. He shared with Jia Jun and the guests how his brand began to change in the domestic market, and how he balanced the feedback between international buyers and international fashion week with the domestic design and production.

Imran Amed is talking to Mr. Liang Jiajun.

After discussions with several designers, Imran Amed, the founder of the BoF fashion business review, also discussed the development of Shanghai fashion week and China fashion industry in the perspective of senior commercial fashion media, giving suggestions to Chinese designers.

"This is not my first time to come to China, but it is the first time in Shanghai fashion week.

The fashion industry in China is growing at an alarming rate. This is different from what I did in the past several times, and even every three months, every six months.

When I enter the real Chinese showroom, hundreds of new brands of Chinese appear in front of me. China's market will become a sustainable fashion ecosystem, and we must rely on an effective mechanism to help Chinese designers. "Imran is not only a Chinese designer, but also faced with almost the same problems as designers in London, Paris and New York," he said. "How to pform design into a truly benign brand development requires reflection."

[Chinese designers are facing new opportunities and new challenges]

　　9日，梁家俊先生首先与设计师班晓雪探讨了品牌BAN XIAO XUE从成立之初到现阶段开店的成长与进步，在品牌成长的背景为他个人事业打下了良好的基础，探索设计上的自由是班晓雪现阶段的目标；与设计师孙小峰更多是从灵感来源来探索SEAN SUEN品牌的中性风格来源于设计师对平面的直觉与生活中对视觉的感悟，男装线路的成功以后继而推出女装，然后自己的副线正在筹备阶段，而面临的问题也有待用实践去解决；而郭一然天则代表了众多新锐设计师，他们年轻，有着国际的时装教育背景，并且品味混合了当代中国和广义的欧美经典主义，而郭一然天也确实是一个值得关注的特例，在一毕业就回到中国开始自己的品牌发展，并迅速在上海时装周上崭露头角，她与梁家俊共同探讨了新创设品牌的设计师们所面临的挑战与思考。

Finally, the author of Fashion China, Gemma A. Williams, shares with the representatives of BoF Zhang Tianyu and Mr. Liang Jiajun from the perspective of international industry.

"This book is just the beginning. I hope that through the Fashion China, these Chinese designers can first appear in the Western perspective with the brand image, and Chinese designers should set clearer concepts and goals for brands.

For example, when you first appear in the vision of the international media, a set of visual perfect websites and LOOKBOOK is necessary.

Gemma talked about the original intention of her book, hoping to become a media factor connecting fashion between East and West.

And Zhang Tianyu is more from the business point of view to the designers of a piece of advice: "you have to start running your business, if you do not roll in the first few quarters, it will make it difficult for you to follow the road, New York, London, Paris, Milan, Shanghai, every season is springing up with new designers and brands, you have a clear goal ahead."

The interview is a continuation of the 10 Corso Como special cooperation project for Chinese designers. As the founder of the 10 Corso Como, Carla Sozzani also continued to use 10 Corso Como as a conceptual space in this special cooperation, so as to make an attempt and exploration for China's design industry.

[Topic of conversation]

Liang Jiajun: when did you notice the ITS award?

And what inspired you to enter DIESEL and J.W.ANDERSON?

Li Xiao: when I first went to London to learn fanshion, I heard that such a fashion brand sponsorship award helped many talented European designers to stand out among many new people.

A few years later, I entered the ITS prize with the learning experience of these years. I did not intend to create such an opportunity for myself, but I still had a lot of luck.

To this day, they still ask my family about their problems, and they can communicate with them on any brand design.

Of course, entering DIESEL means that I have a concrete understanding of big brands. They will also have strict designs and selections for a button.

Later, J.W.ANDERSON was very interested in my design, and I was lucky enough to enter such a young brand work. Unlike DIESEL, their employees did not have many people, but they often excited people.

It also makes me more determined what I want to do and build my own brand.

London brings me a lot, where there are many new designers every year, but it is also a great challenge, but it keeps people excited.

Liang Jiajun: How did you pform from the domestic market to start building your SANKUANZ brand seriously?

And what impact did you have on your creation after you went to Europe for fashion week?

Shangguan zhe: after graduation, I began to make men's wear and put my experience on line sales. For a few years, I think it was a kind of accumulation for me. I understood the needs of the market and customers, and the most basic things of domestic fabrics and production.

When this thing is getting better and better, my heart is actually a person who wants to express his will. I feel that I can not stay on the basis of just making clothes. I want to convey more spiritual things and my attitude towards the world.

That's why I have the SANKUANZ now. He is my attitude. Maybe I will not wear my own brand clothes.

The London Fashion Week has been affirmed by the international market and the media, and I have seen more things, such as the system and operation of the international fashion industry. When I return to Xiamen, I will sink and think about what to do next season, which is a process of precipitation after study.

Liang Jiajun: I've been concerned about BOUNDLESS/ since early. You've done a series of clothes that are round. Do you have your own clothing philosophy or even express some protest?

Look at your latest clothes. There are many young expressions. Why is there such a change?

Zhang Da: I think designing a dress is my way of expressing my thinking. I hope to convey something through this way, for example, I do have anti traditional things. I like to break the inherent things to present a new concept.

I think printing and profile are not my main goals. I value the connotation of clothes injection more, and the reason why clothes look younger now. In fact, I want to express a lot of interesting things, such as mahjong prints in autumn and winter, and those elements in spring and summer, which just have a sense of youthful movement. In fact, I do not think it will be more interesting to be restrained by a label or a definition.

Liang Jiajun: do you think you have any good experience from your brand experience?

And what do you focus more on when you make your own brand?

Ban Xiaoxue: it may be more helpful in the thinking of product lines, and the integrity of goods, the overall sense of the series will be relatively mature, all from the experience of brand.

The first series of personal brands is started from the pillar. Now I started to open the shop of BAN XIAO XUE with more than 70 employees. Actually, I encountered difficulties on the way, but I think I will find someone who is good at different things to help me, and I will make rapid progress.

In my personal brand, I have many plans at the moment, but the main direction is actually the same. What I want to focus on is the practical value. In the latest 2015 autumn and winter series, I used the cotton cloth, stripes and even lace, which are not very practical. They are refined and suitable for life. I will ignore the complicated layout in the design to adapt to different human bodies, and the development of fabrics is the most exciting for me. For example, the wool of this season will be added to different materials such as traditional Chinese medicine, flower tea and plants to express the abstract artistic conception.

Liang Jiajun: you don't have the experience of designing costumes, but your clothes are more complete and mature. From the perspective of visual and tailoring, you are more neutral. How did your brand style come into being?

What is the next plan?

Sun Xiaofeng: I am a fashion designer from a flat background. I did this at the beginning.