The Success Of Chinese Designers In Paris

Chen Caixia's works 2012/2013 autumn winter series

Last year, they were appointed chief of the old fashion house.

Becoming the first Chinese designer to enter the French fashion brand has become a topic of discussion for a while.

Unlike Chinese born designers in recent years, they are "authentic Chinese": Liu Ling, 32, from Harbin, sun 30, who grew up in Dalian, grew up in Paris, and met there for nearly 10 years.

On the 2012 spring and summer fashion week in Paris held in the second half of last year, Liu Ling and sun Da released their debut in Cacharel. Many people commented that they were "right in the middle"; and those who had seen their show this season would say, "Liu Ling and sun Da finally let go."

The sensitivity of the designer to the color is released, and the matching is very bright.

They said that this season's inspiration is Mousika, the famous American female pilot Amelia Earhart (Amelia Earhart), which is rich in feminine beauty, but also elegant.

"Liu Ling and sun DA are very talented. I think they did a good job.

The use of color and fabric is very good.

It is a challenge for a brand with a long history to pour new things, but they do it, congratulate them. "

Valerie Tohania, editor in chief of the French version of ELLE (Valerie Toranian), told this magazine.

Sitting in the spacious reception room, Liu Ling and sun Da joked, "maybe we caught up with a good time."

"The times are different now. They are really different."

Liu Ling said to this magazine.

As a Chinese designer studying in Paris and starting her career here, she felt the environmental changes in recent years: more and more Chinese tourists in Paris, and more and more Chinese consumers in department stores.

One thing that impressed her most was that he heard Chinese radio in Paris's old Buddha's shop one day.

"Probably in 2003 and 2004, I suddenly heard the Chinese radio. I was shocked at that time.

When I was at school, I often went to old Buddha's department store, and I heard only Japanese.

I suddenly realized that they wanted to catch up with the Chinese market.

"As a designer, there is no nationality.

First of all, we want to be an excellent designer.

But you are a Chinese, whether you want to be prominent or not, you are a Chinese.

Sun Da told the journal that "Chinese identity is now an advantage and is helpful to anyone. This will only bring us glory."

In the past, Europeans would not regard China as a primary market, but would only regard China as their country of origin.

They used to know where the Chinese market was, but they were not interested, and now China is the point of contention. "

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"We regard ourselves as designers rather than" Chinese designers "because this is a professional ethic.

Designers want to talk with their works, let people focus on their works, do not want to bring fame to other things.

Many designers do not want to be concerned about themselves because they are Chinese. What we want is to prove their abilities, even if they give us a worse environment.

Sun said, "what do the French think of the changes in China? We don't know.

But it is a fact that China is going up.

Do you want to get into the rules of the game or on the sidelines? What others think is not important, mainly depends on themselves.

It is another Chinese designer who appeared in the fashion week of Paris. Compared with Liu Ling and sun Da, she is an older generation of designers, and the way of design is different from the former.

"I have never entered a fashion college, but I am a craftsman."

Chen Caixia told the journal.

Her career began with learning to make clothes. After marriage, she set up her own brand "Xia Zi", which was in 1978, when she was only 20 years old.

In the 90s of last century, Chen Caixia came to Paris, set up a studio, and formally opened Paris store in 2001, becoming the first Taiwan fashion brand to enter Europe.

In Chen Caixia's view, "Paris is more fashionable and inclusive than New York and London".

She chose "Shiatzy Chen" 2012 spring and summer show at the French national higher Academy of Fine Arts.

This is the eighth time she has come to Paris to make a show.

"When I first came to show in Paris, I was very scared, but I told myself that it would be useless to be afraid.

Second and third times thereafter.

I have been testing my shortcomings.

Compared with the big show of those big designer, I have many shortcomings, but I have always told myself that one day I will be like them, and I will not lose them in scale and momentum.

Chen Caixia told the magazine in the background of the show.

People who have seen the works of Xia Ting Chen can easily find the Chinese imprint on it, which can be seen before even seeing the design.

The term "Xia Zi" means "Huaxia new posture".

Paris is changing the Chinese designer.

"From the first to the eighth, I had some changes.

When I first made a show, I thought, what's wrong with us? Why don't Westerners accept it? But slowly I began to find that I really had some bad things.

No one knows what is right or wrong.

Now I know that it would be better to change the shortcomings.

They will only accept new elements when they are added. "

The theme of "Xia Zi Chen" this season is "weaving dream". Miao embroidery from Guizhou is still a typical Chinese element, but it is not the embroidery and Chinese knot everywhere.

Wang Chen Caixia has a different thinking mode from Liu Ling and sun.

"Europeans are very proud to accept them very hard.

This is one of my worst points.

I think there will always be a day for them to accept.

What you do is not acceptable to everyone, knowing where it is and then correcting it, and not deliberately trying to please or ingratiate yourself. What you need is to do well.

Every time, reporters will ask me, "do Westerners accept these Oriental things?" everyone is talking about this as if they have no confidence in themselves.

I have been doing clothing for over thirty years, and I always have confidence in China.

This is what I want to break through most. I hope they can see the beauty of China.

Chen Caixia told the journal.

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"Xia Zi" belongs to another generation. In her consciousness, she hopes to be a cultural envoy.

Yang Wen told this magazine.

She is the general manager of China publishing, Hearst. In the past, she has worked as editor in chief of Taiwan edition of Marie Claire and ELLE. She has known "Xia Zi Chen" for more than ten years.

"She is changing, especially after coming to Paris to make a show.

Now, she has started making clothes for women, not as cultural pmitters.

She can still see Chinese elements in her design, but in a more subtle way.

Yang Min said.

"When we see Chinese designers, we always think that he represents China, and often ignores that before he was a" cultural ambassador, "he was first an artist.

Yang Wen told this magazine, "I think" Xia Zi "is a good case. You can see changes in Chinese designers.

Before she thought of "I represent China", the first thing I thought of was "I am designing clothes for women".

It's a good turn to design clothes for women from the world as a carrier of Chinese culture.

She is no longer confined to one role, but is more open to design and art. "

In many people's eyes, these Chinese designers who are now in Paris are "catching up with the good times", which has commercial factors, and the hot luxury market has brought additional points to "Chinese identity".

"In recent years, when brands talk about" the first big market ", more and more refers to China.

In China's industry, consumption is running very fast.

Industrial development is somewhat unbalanced, but I do not think it is abnormal.

The real backstage drivers of this industry should be designers and stylists. In the past 20 years, we have introduced more foreign countries.

Although there are a lot of talented people around us, there are still too few people in terms of our consumption share.

Hearst, managing director of China, told Emil.

"In this high-end lifestyle industry, China has made too few voices.

The reason is that our understanding of the west is far greater than their understanding of us, and the mechanism of two-way communication has not been well established.

France's fashion industry chain is very complete, and we are building this industry chain and doing the whole value chain. There are still many things to do.

That's why we need to bring some people to Paris, so that overseas people can understand China's reasons.

If there is no magazine industry, our development and docking will be even more unbalanced.

Emil said to this magazine.

During the fashion week in Paris, they held the "ELLE Paris Fashion Night" at Paris national higher Academy of Fine Arts, and invited hundreds of guests to attend. One of its themes is "the rise of Chinese fashion power".

Today's situation is that Chinese fashion media really "love and add" to Chinese designers, which makes many people feel that the Chinese designers are so lucky that "as long as a Chinese designer makes a show in Paris, the chief editor of all the Chinese big magazines will run to see it."

In other western countries, independent designers of the same age rely on great efforts to get such attention.

"France's new designer, no matter which country comes from, has to go through a lonely time.

Many people, like "Xia Zi", eat a lot of closed doors at the beginning.

Even if you come to Paris to make a show, you will not necessarily notice the editor. "

Yang Min told this magazine.

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"The French have a very fixed working pattern. If you are a new designer, you need to send some clothes regularly for the editor to see.

If the economy is abundant, it can be done through public relations companies.

In France, several colleges and universities are fashion relations companies that can help new designers make a full range of brand planning.

Their clothing rooms have various brands of clothes, and large and small editors will come here to see clothes.

Public relations company is the first brick stepping into this door.

Next, because most designers do not have enough funds to open stores, they need public relations companies to help them contact buyers.

There are several big buyers in Paris: Paris spring, Lafayette department store, and the Po marsh department store on the left bank.

The three buyers came to let designer clothes enter the temporary cabinet of the department store, and there was a chance for reporters to see you.

Finally, the editor will tell the editor that a designer is very red and that the editor in chief may appear on his show.

Yang Wen told this magazine.

Beijing girl Martha (Masha Ma) is the most "fresh" one among the three Chinese designers who appeared in the Paris fashion week. This is her first time to show in Paris.

In this autumn and winter series, she was inspired by Oscar Wilde's fairy tale "Nightingale and rose".

You can see this from some design details.

For example, inlaid with pearls and layered ornaments, with the use of fur collar, it reflects the combination of Nightingale and roses.

Many people have heard the name of the new Chinese designer before the fashion week in Paris.

Martha went to Britain to study in 2000 and received a bachelor's degree and master's degree in women's costume design from central London School of art and design in London.

Her graduation work was selected and appeared in London Fashion Week, making her the first Chinese mainland student to enter the Saint Martin fashion design masters' Graduation media show in London Fashion Week in the past 5 years.

Compared with their predecessors, the environment of her generation is much more enjoyable.

"Now there are many successful Chinese designers in the world, so the international fashion industry has also improved the friendliness of Chinese young designers.

The biggest difficulty for me is the assurance of time.

The design and production time of each season is very intense, so we must have a good grasp of time and know clearly what to do in what stage. "

Martha said to this magazine, "in the final analysis, the acceptance of a designer depends on the degree of completion of the work.

Chinese designers have to choose more internationalized languages to integrate into the international environment.

Just like storytelling, we can understand the meaning of what we want to express by using the language we can understand, and so is the design.

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Such independent designer, from London Fashion week to Paris fashion week, is a natural thing.

In fashion, this is a precedent.

In recent years, Alexander McCune and John Caliano, in recent years, belong to this situation.

"The pursuit of creativity in London Fashion Week allows many young designers to give full play to their own creativity and alternative, improve their entire series of styles and integrity, and win fame for themselves in the fashion industry."

Martha told the magazine, "but London Fashion Week is not mature enough to attract more buyers and fashion media.

The Paris fashion week can provide a better platform for designer designers to develop their brands and get more multimedia, manufacturing support and business cooperation.

For young designers, this is a challenge from being an independent designer to a brand, and also a must for every successful brand. "

There are not many people who share the same view with her, which makes Paris the most dense area in the world during the fashion week.

It is not easy to stand out when such a designer is gathered.

"Paris is a city that welcomes world designers. Unlike Milan, New York and London, it is very open -- perhaps because it is the birthplace of fashion.

But competition in Paris is also fierce. Many new designers come here every year.

This is a crazy time. It's not easy for a reporter to see you. "

Valerie Tohania said to this magazine.

She has been working as editor in chief of the French edition of ELLE for 16 years.

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It is obvious that today is no longer an era of attention only based on "identity differences".

"Is the era different from the Japanese designers coming to France in 80s? Maybe so.

80s is a time of cultural integration.

Japanese designers have a very strong personality, but their strength lies not only in their Japanese identity, but also in their fashion acumen.

For example, Wakubo Rei, I don't know if she is very 'Japan', but she knows fashion very well and brings many new things to the fashion industry.

You can keep an open mind while maintaining your identity. "

"Fashion is emotional, no matter where the designer comes from, as long as his design is special and style, it can move people.

Fashion is, in the final analysis, clothes, not so great.

Nationality is not important, and the fashion industry is very international.

You are in China, I am in France, and my similarity with your style may be greater than that of I and another French woman.

Taste is personal and open. It has no boundaries and focuses on arousing the emotional resonance of spectators.

It's like seeing a picture, some people will be moved, some people will not watch a fashion show, too.

Valerie Tohania said to this magazine.