China'S First Luxury Product: APEC Designer Zhang Zhifeng

From the small tailor in Mudanjiang to the "tiger in the northeast", who is now in the fashion world, the designer of the APEC conference has been called "the first Chinese luxury goods".

On the 18 day, after the 2015 international fashion week in Harbin, Zhang Zhifeng became a flying trapeze.

Prior to this, Peng Liyuan and the queen of Denmark visited the NE TIGER little fairy tale, the great future fairy tale Chinese dress exhibition.

From the little tailor who went out in Mudanjiang to the northeast tiger, who is now in the fashion world, Zhang Zhifeng completed the magnificent pformation in 33 years.

Although many years away from home, 21 afternoon, Zhang Zhifeng said in an interview with our reporter, "I went out from the black land in Northeast China. It is my bounden duty to revitalize the fashion industry in my hometown. It is also my dream."

"Lying tiger" on the side of Mudanjiang

Zhang Zhifeng's hands have touched countless expensive costumes over the past thirty years, but the fate of him and his clothes should start with the rags of childhood.

In the 70s of last century, a family of eight snail lives in a 8 square meter cottage in Mudanjiang. Zhang Zhifeng's mother subsidize her family by needlework.

"Mother threw away some bits of cloth when I was alive, and I picked them up. That was my favorite toy when I was little."

Zhang Zhifeng recalls.

From childhood, the sewing machine's "clicking and clicking" has been accompanied by his growth. After growing up, Zhang Zhifeng began to lay hands on his mother like his brothers and sisters, learning to make clothes.

For him, making clothes is just like breathing.

"I think my hands are for making clothes."

He never thought of how interesting it was to make clothes, and how important it was. He thought it was like a natural gift.

In order to give full play to this talent and reduce the burden on the family, Zhang Zhifeng, 18, gave up his chance to go to university in 1982 and opened a tailor's shop.

He became the first self-employed individual in Mudanjiang in the early days of reform and opening up.

He works in the daytime and goes home to make it in the evening.

Cutting and making a pair of trousers costs only 1 yuan, and clothes only cost 2 yuan.

Low prices have attracted many businesses for him, and he has gained popularity in the area. Some Russians at the border also started ordering clothes.

In just two years, Zhang Zhifeng contracted a garment factory.

Since then, he has begun to go abroad, and his business is becoming bigger and bigger. He spans the 16 industries, such as clothing, department stores and hotels.

"Northeast tiger" appeared in New York Times Square

Although it has been 27 years, Zhang Zhifeng still clearly remembers his first stand on the streets of New York: the dazzling luxury and amazing prices in department stores made him feel shocked for the first time.

After an eye opener, he decided to go out with his product.

"Before I made clothes to support my family and I was no longer restricted by economic conditions, I became more and more aware of my goals in life."

The goal of Zhang Zhifeng's mouth is to return to fashion creation wholeheartedly.

In 1992, he founded the "NE TIGER" brand.

"Because I was born in the northeast and had a nickname" little tiger "when I was little, so I named my brand" northeast tiger ". Later I thought it should be low key, so I renamed it" NE TIGER ".

N stands for Noble (noble), E represents Elegant (elegance).

Zhang Zhifeng explained.

At first, the "tiger in the northeast" did not go smoothly. Because there was no brand accumulation and operation experience, he had been shut down for several years in the United States and European customers.

He gradually realized a lesson: to get NE TIGER to be accepted by international customers, it is necessary to have excellent product quality and global design concept.

In 2006, Zhang Zhifeng pioneered the introduction of "Chinese clothing", which is a Chinese dress and a national costume representing the Chinese nation.

This Chinese custom dress is expensive. All the procedures are done by hand. The cost of a Chinese garment is at least one and a half months.

With the appearance of "Chinese clothes" on international occasions, it has been gradually known to many people. Its customers include the royal family of Denmark, Saudi Arabia and other countries, as well as Gong Li and Fan Bingbing.

On January 2008, at the launching ceremony of the Olympic uniform, Zhang Zhifeng led the opening show with his "Chinese dress".

Zhang Zhifeng, who was shocked by New York at that time, returned to New York in a special way.

In 2011, the "China national image film - character chapter", which was prepared by the State Council Information Office, circulate in the times square of Manhattan, New York. Zhang Zhifeng appeared as an outstanding designer in China.

Last November, the APEC summit was held in Beijing. NE TIGER participated in the design and production of leaders and ladies' clothing.

"As a fashion designer, I was invited to the APEC welcome banquet."

Zhang Zhifeng said frankly that this is the "most honored moment" he has worked for over thirty years.

The tradition of "salvaging" lost

Have you ever seen such a fashion show?

In the show, Huang Yuan's image of Xuanyuan is hung, and more than 1000 yellow brick paved from Huangling County, Shaanxi province. The theme is "Tang mirror", "Hua Song", "Ming Li", "Da Yuan".

Although in the fashion world, Zhang Zhifeng is a famous preference tradition.

Looking for embroidered mother, inheriting stunt, creating independent brand's difficulty needs to endure loneliness, but he persists in choosing such a difficult road.

Zhang Zhifeng took silk as an example. Since the end of the Qing Dynasty, no one had been wearing dresses for 150 years.

He gathered together some of the handicraft artists scattered in the folk and made innovations with modern people's favorite patterns and crafts to make this traditional skill shine again. He was proud that there were 12 kinds of silk craft, and now we have restored 7 kinds.

The same goes for Yun brocade.

In order to cater for the aesthetic of modern people, Zhang Zhifeng led the designer to add SWAROVSKI crystal to the brocade. "In fact, for these traditional crafts, modern people can enjoy the best protection." Zhang Zhifeng always believed that "these crafts can be inherited, more meaningful than in museums."

On the traditional road of salvage, Zhang Zhifeng went farther and farther.

He has visited more than 20 old artists in Suzhou. They began to learn embroidery since their childhood, and the oldest among them is 95 years old.

"These people can't draw, and some can't even write, but they have the aura of embroidery.

For example, the 95 year old man wears needles without looking at his eyes. He wears them well. "

He also formed a team to go deep into the countryside to find folk artists.

In Wenchuan, a number of Yi embroidery artists were found. "These people need protection. They carry the longest traditional skills in China and are able to give full play to their imagination." Zhang Zhifeng found that the same elements, every folk artist's works were improved and innovating every time, "this is their most precious and unique place."

The craftsman's "artisan feelings"

Zhang Zhifeng is known as "the first person of luxury in China" and talks about fashion.

"For a long time, fashion is being led by Westerners. This is also the place we need to learn from our European counterparts."

But Zhang Zhifeng also believes that China has many unique things worth learning from abroad, such as brocade embroidery, freehand brushwork, ink dragon totem, blue and white porcelain.

He found that these elements with Chinese national characteristics are now appearing frequently in the four international fashion week, as well as LV, Dior, Prada, Chanel and other top international clothing brands. "The influence of Chinese dress culture on the world is obvious. No matter when it comes to designer or brand, there must be a root. There are many things that can be excavated in 5000 years of Chinese culture. This is our root."

In Zhang Zhifeng's view, the quality of high-end clothing brands is closely related to the national cultural connotations behind them.

After studying the history of many international brands, he summed up the rule that culture is the first priority and the brand can be successful.

"Five thousand years of civilization in China is the source of inspiration and inspiration for our designers. Deep excavation of our clothing culture is the golden rule for China's brand development."

Despite years of shopping in the mall, Zhang Zhifeng still maintained a "craftsman's feelings".

Compared with commercial value, he pays more attention to the cultural value conveyed by clothing.

Before the end of the interview, he told reporters that he had always had a dream of "Chinese clothes": "every Chinese clothing has been integrated into the veins of Chinese civilization, and it is a cultural representation which originates from tradition and experiences modern creativity.

I hope to take the Chinese costume as a carrier to reappear our splendid dress culture and push it to the world, so that more people can understand Chinese history through fashion and spread our cultural power.

In the eyes of the 51 year old "craftsman", the embroidered mother's thread is hidden in heaven and earth.