Mao Jihong: Oriental Philosophical Thinking &Nbsp; Make Clothes More "Exception".

For a long time, Chinese clothing enterprises tend to stick to "nationality", "tradition" and "Chinese elements". "Exceptions" and "useless" make us feel the new thinking of China's new generation of designers and entrepreneurs on global fashion and popular aesthetics.

Mao Jihong's efforts to create a unique business world, in the true sense of "Aesthetics" and "art" dissolved in the Chinese local business.

Character story Mao Jihong: continue "useless" more "exception"

Mao Jihong hopes to find the most essential things in human nature through "useless" and "exceptions" and find the aesthetic creativity of China.

Twelve years' exception Road

In November 25, 2008, state Clothing Design Co., Ltd.'s brand "exception" passed its 12 birthday. Mao Jihong gave it to him.

In the shop he named "state", another famous designer in Hongkong, another shop designed by the mountain people, conveyed the imagination of human life in the cave age.

The decoration and furnishings of the shop are all made of environmental protection and recycling materials, clothing, books, household goods, and the objects scattered between them show an exceptional way of life through interaction with the consumers, thus constructing a living space related to contemporary life aesthetics for visitors.

The exception is Mao Jihong, the founder of 1+1=2.

12! "

The interpretation began his own speech.

This strange equation reposes his 12 years' exceptions, the art of dress, and his thoughts on life.

12 years ago, "exceptional" created a unique Chinese designer brand with its independent philosophy and aesthetics insisting, and created an oriental philosophy contemporary life art.

12 years later, the "exception" began to pay more attention to the ecology, the living condition of the environment and even the attitude of life.

In eco shops, books of culture and art form a loose understanding with those designed by Marco, providing people with a seemingly unrelated but interlinked feeling.

The store also has galleries and auditorium. On the day of its opening ceremony, Ouyang, a writer in Hongkong, gave lectures on simple life and delicious food.

On the second day, Mao Jihong, a teacher of Beijing Institute Of Fashion Technology and professor of Beijing Institute Of Fashion Technology, made a lecture on dressing style.

In the ecological store, this form of lecture hall will also become a regular activity, and the eco store will also become a gathering place for cultural concerns.

Mao Jihong regarded the store as an exception to the ability of cross domain integration.

Japanese designer Chuan Jiu Bao Ling has made similar attempts. Her Dover Street Market in London has aroused great concern in the fashion industry.

Mao Jihong hopes to build the "exception" into a brand that can spread spiritual value by caring for the society, the environment and the humanities.

In his case, the "exception" brand is more related to philosophy. It is not a fashion, fashion, clothing that is measured by women's function. It gives people not a sense of sight, but a feeling of inner feelings.

He believed that the current urban knowledge women retain their literary and romantic complex.

Some of them have a strong demand for art, humanity and beauty, just because they have to deal with very rational daily work. After a long time, they lose interest in romance, dreaming and culture and art, but the core of romantic spirit is still there.

The exception is to awaken this need.

These people may not be popular enough, but it is enough to get their approval.

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"Useless": Oriental philosophical thinking

Another brand "useless" goes further in thinking about life.

In July 3, 2008, in the Paris high fashion week, which is the world famous brand, Mao Jihong's wife, exceptional dress designer and famous designer Ma Ke, through the "useless" brand, staged a "Palace Royal" show called "luxurious poverty" in the quiet forest space of Paris's small palace (Palace), and interpreted the concept of luxury in the East.

42 men and women models walked slowly on blankets, dressed in blue, black, beige, and so on.

Prior to the 2007 Fashion Week in Paris, the "useless" brand made the "land" themed show for the first time, which caused a great sensation in Paris's art circles.

The famous director Jia Zhangke recorded the process of Marco's participation in the exhibition and made it into a documentary called "useless", which won the best documentary award of the Venice Film Festival.

"This brand is a clothing culture, playing the national brand.

It requires foreigners to understand and understand Chinese culture.

We do not use the word "USELESS", but use the Chinese character "useless" to make foreigners voice "useless", which may not spread well, but I want him to make this voice, which is Chinese.

Mao Jihong said.

In Mao Jihong's interpretation, "useless" imply Laozi's philosophical concept of inaction.

Nowadays, whether "useful" is almost the premise of all people's actions, but the value of immediate usefulness and future is often deviant or even totally different.

"I want to search for the most essential things in human nature through useless".

Marco once explained.

Mao Jihong applied for Paris 5 years ago.

The French high fashion Union has only 12 members. Now it has been invited to only 30 fashion brands in Paris fashion week.

Following the release of "land" in 2007, mark also received an invitation from France High Fashion Association to attend the fashion week in July 2008.

The "luxury poverty" is thus demonstrated.

Now, Marco has been regarded as the new symbol of the rising Chinese design power. The costumes that she displayed made Western commentators have begun comparing her with the prestige of Lssey Miyake, the famous Japanese designer of the 80s, in the international fashion design world.

The revolutionary nature of Marco's design is often compared with Japanese designer Wakubo Rei and Belgian designer Martin Margiela.

Mao Jihong said that Wakubo Rei provided a different thinking from tradition. Martin Margiela was the product of the post industrial revolution era, and Marco was more inclined to show Oriental concern for human beings and society.

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The unique age of Chinese designers

"If the fashion world from the end of 80s to the beginning of 90s is the Japanese era and the Belgian era is the end of 90s, then it is time for Chinese designers to mark the age of Chinese as a representative."

Mao Jihong said.

He believes that once this era comes, it will have a great influence on Chinese clothing culture.

But the current design environment in China is hard to support his optimism.

According to his impressions, most European designers are doing their favorite things with a calm mind. In China, designers are still too much in pursuit of superficial things. In many cases, design has become a means for designers to pursue fame and fortune, and the design itself has also been highly utilitarian.

On the positive side, compared with European designers, Chinese designers are more motivated and more active, but active often means easy to break.

When interviewed by the Yangtze River, Mao Jihong just returned from Holland.

In December 3rd, he and Marco were interviewed by the queen of Holland and accepted an award from the prince Claus foundation of Holland.

The Award established by the prince foundation aims to reward individuals, groups, organizations or academic institutions that make special contributions to culture and development in a specific area. Each year, 10 awards and a major prize are awarded.

Marco won the laureate Award for "futility" caused a sensation in Europe. He was honored as "the godfather of Chinese contemporary art".

"Useless" was invited to give a 20 minute opening performance at the awards ceremony.

Mao Jihong said that after watching the show, many people came running to tell him that if everyone had seen the performance before, Marco could get the main prize.

Next, "useless" will be exhibited at the National Museum in Holland, Amsterdam.

From 2010 to 2011, "useless" was also invited to make a one year exhibition in National Museum, Canada, in Montreal.

"Searching for the self in Contemporary Chinese life aesthetics"

While the Chinese design represented by mark has begun to be recognized by western fashion circles, "exceptions" have also opened nearly 60 stores in cities across the country.

"Exception" does not advertise. The way Mao Jihong chooses is to go deep into the hearts of the audience through activities such as shops and activities that others can't imagine, stimulating their associations from the cultural level, causing some kind of thought recognition or emotional resonance.

"Exceptions are also inheriting the useless pursuit of environmental protection, humanistic care, culture and art."

Mao Jihong said, "exceptions" can be regarded as useless living editions. Compared with "useless", "exceptions" are closer to consumers, markets and the masses, and can also make the design of Marco popular.

After studying EMBA at Changjiang Commercial College, Mao Jihong began to devote more energy to channel innovation.

Nowadays, "exceptions" already have three forms: ordinary stores, double-sided exceptions and ecological stores. He hopes these forms can become a flexible combination.

In 2009, ecological stores and double-sided exceptions will spread to more areas. The new eco store in Shanghai will soon open.

"The ultimate goal is to hope that people in the world will have Chinese life products and accept the Chinese way of life."

Mao Jihong said.

In fact, if there is no sudden economic crisis, perhaps the "exception" shop has arrived in Paris.

In the second half of 2008, Mao Jihong had received some buyers of some large international department stores, but the economic crisis had to postpone the plan.

He hoped that the first station of "exception" to go abroad is Paris. "Useless prestige has laid a good foundation for our landing."

Lssey Miyake, a famous Japanese designer, is a designer who Mao Jihong admired very much. His "spirit behind my kimono" aroused Mao Jihong's great feeling: Italy is sexy and colourful; France is luxurious and untouchable; Japan is exquisite and elegant.

But what words can describe the fashion spirit of China?

The slogan of "exception" is related to this question: "searching for the self of contemporary Chinese life aesthetics".

Looking for, it means losing. The life that is happening in the contemporary era contains Chinese aesthetics of life. Self, that is, China used to use western aesthetic standards, not Chinese people themselves, but China has to find its own creativity.