Designer Brand Exception Founder "Mao Jihong" Dialogue: Do Not Be Abducted By Business.

Mao Jihong

Mao Jihong, vice president of China clothing association, is a well-known entrepreneur in the cultural and creative circles.

In 1996, the earliest and most successful designer brand "exception" was founded in China. It is committed to inheriting Oriental aesthetic culture and interpreting contemporary Chinese lifestyle.

The first men's wear series was introduced in 2011.

In 2011, "Fang culture" was founded, and he explored more possibilities from the fields of life, humanities and contemporary art.

The first store opened in Tai Koo Hui, Guangzhou, covering an area of 1800 square meters. It combines books, costumes, life aesthetics products, coffee, exhibitions and cultural auditorium. It is known as the new landmark of Guangzhou culture, and has been selected as the "best shopping place of the year".

In 2012, another mountain artist co founded YNOT with Hongkong artists.

The aim is to create an open platform for creativity, and to promote the creativity of the younger generation and to interpret the New Oriental Aesthetics of fashion.

The brand has shops in major cities in the mainland and Hongkong.

dialogue

The exception has always been the contemporary oriental aesthetics. What do you think of the contemporary oriental aesthetics we are advocating? Or what elements do you think accords with contemporary oriental aesthetics?

Mao Jihong: first, in modern architecture or art, if we talk about modern, it is easy to import into an era.

In fact, the present age is the present age.

As an enterprise, it is a very important definition.

In fact, all enterprises are solving contemporary problems.

If we look at the issue of environmental protection, including the issue of humanistic care, and so on, we will have a big problem with aesthetics before we create this brand, because China has a great lack of aesthetics.

There are many people, I think art class may only go to junior high school, and there is only one class a week, music class is also like this, in fact, this is very weak, lacking.

In fact, reputation is more important than mathematics and physics. It represents your national quality and your aesthetic quality.

In fact, these things need to be renewed.

In terms of business, we hope that these things will be seen in a more contemporary way, including all the solutions we have made.

Aesthetics of life, many people mention the aesthetic part of the art is easy to mention, in fact, art is derived from life.

Because the exception is the beginning of clothing, clothing products are closely related to people's lives. We hope that every product and reputation will be related to each product.

You will create a brand new product that is not entirely based on Western aesthetic standards, thus changing our attitude towards life, including a scene on our life scene.

Through eighteen years, we have been doing this practice.

There are many humanistic concerns in life aesthetics.

In terms of this vision, we have always been the core of all the things we do and think about.

Actually, this process is a constantly updated process.

As we often say now, we are constantly refreshed and refreshed every day, because your problems are different, because the times are changing very quickly.

When you get back to the original point, you can really keep your interaction with the society, the interaction with the industry, and the interaction of your own business, and there will be a virtuous cycle.

This new store in Shanghai is also an ecological store. Many years ago, we had a similar store in SOGO SOGO, also in Guangdong.

Mao Jihong: in 2007, the core issue we faced was environmental protection. Since then, our relationship with low carbon, green, environmental protection and ecology has been a very important element in our decision-making.

When many people are doing their own business, they may see a lot in their return on investment, but we hope to make more contributions to the friendly society, to the society, to the environment and to the survival of mankind.

Of course, in Beijing at that time, the design of the shop has used many such concepts. Over 80% of the items are redone with old things.

We prepared for two years and came out in 2011. Of course, we saw it.

This shop is an exception to try to present our exploration of life aesthetics and lifestyle in a relatively large commercial space.

We call it a conceptual store.

This concept store is relatively perfect from the precision of the whole space to its formation to its links.

We are in operation. We may try some of these parts in product structure, services, including coffee + books and exhibitions.

Because when I first arrived in Shanghai, I also hoped to have an interaction with the business environment of Shanghai.

In fact, it is also looking for a kind of opportunity besides buying, giving others a stretch or breathing space. Besides reading clothes, they can read books or watch exhibitions. In fact, this will have some tentative significance.

Exceptions, in the past few years, we have done a lot of publicity in the past two years.

Mao Jihong: actually, 15th anniversary should be 3 years now.

Maybe you will see that we have a high rate of media viewing in the media. We want to take a cultural perspective. In fact, we want to interact with culture, art, lifestyle and society.

The focus of future exceptions will gradually be placed in an artistic perspective.

Mao Jihong: in fact, many of our things, because the current executive hand executive deputy is always a real art man, he graduated from the Art Academy of the Central Academy of fine arts.

He regards the enterprise as a contemporary art and behavior art to finish it.

I think my basic intentions include practice.

Mr. Hu, vice president of product development, is also a very professional cultural person in costume teaching.

As for me, I have always been in a relationship with contemporary art. These are your ways of life. Your attention in culture and art has always been a part of your lifestyle. It is a matter of peeling away and doing what you do. I often seem to be very normal in a lot of times. It is a necessary thing for us to join in with some artists, including handcrafts, which is a necessary thing. It does not exist if I decide what to do.

I talked about more than 10 years ago that we turn business into means, culture, art and lifestyle.

Many people take culture and art as his means, and he aims at business.

In fact, we aim to be different from others.

As our market share, including the growing market, will naturally encounter a problem. There may be a balance between the commercialmarket and our style. How can you balance? Sometimes it may become bigger and bigger. I can't be like myself at the very beginning. We must take the market into account, take into account the business, and consider the more acceptable things in the mass market.

Mao Jihong: I think it's easy to balance. You respect your heart and don't be kidnapped by business.

In fact, this balance is quite easy.

I have been doing this all the time, and I have always respected my heart.

In fact, respecting your inner heart and doing what you want to do, you will do well, and the consumer will be happy to accept it.

If you feel that you are going to do something with the trend, you may not be able to do well.

Because we were very early, very early, in 2000 and 2001, because of the professional manager who came over at that time, I was confused and did some things. Our agent said, Lao Mao, did you make a mistake? Is this goods yours? Later we gave up the season and found the original thing again. At the same time, we also gave up the real large-scale part.

Because the front as an original brand, for the special design brand, in fact, there are not too many examples, and there are not many templates to say that this road is right, this road is wrong, in fact, we are all groping for it.

The process of touching stones is a wealth for the founders.

The development of the world today is much faster and more complicated than before. At that time, if you did not have a definition to run with others, it would be hard for the brand to do so.

Will the design team conduct quarterly design work?

Mao Jihong: we (including Mao Zong, vice president, art consultant) like "good voice", we turn around. When they make proposals, we don't know who did it. We just passed our own judgement.

Because there are many new designers, we really don't know where our talents are.

But we have a principle. This proposal must be made by yourself. This way of making clothes was added by us three years ago.

Exceptions, all proposals must be done by themselves.

I have been in charge and directional work all the time, and the greater the degree of participation will be.

In the light of

Mao Jihong: of course, I think the playground is the last one, because that series is actually an interesting model from the perspective of a creator, because the series is before and after the Spring Festival.

We know that we have our own clothes at Xichang square on Christmas day. In fact, can we use some more contemporary ways to make the totem of our ups and downs in the Chinese new year, just like the peony or the door god, the carp, and the bat, this is the totem in our life.