Designer Mark: The Highest State Of Costume Design Is "Useless".

When she sits down and starts talking softly, you will soon find that she is not compatible with fashion circles, not just appearances.

As a

She is far from flashy and even heavy thinking about fashion, design, beauty, commerce and wealth.

She worries about the ecological crisis caused by excessive human desires, and the extinction of traditional culture caused by globalization. It appealed to designers to assume the responsibility of ecological, moral and cultural inheritance.

It's like she was a thinker first, and happened to like it.

And sewing.

Marco is the earliest native place in China.

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In 1996, she set up an exception with her ex husband in Guangzhou and pioneered the brand of Chinese designers.

At that time, she decided that she designed "costumes" instead of "

What she wants to disseminate is the implicit and restrained beauty of Oriental women.

"Exceptions" quickly succeeded, but her extreme pursuit of design gradually deepened her disagreement with her ex husband's business philosophy.

In 2006, Ma, who had run away from the "exception", founded "useless" in Zhuhai.

This brand, from name to design, has become an experimental arena for mark to stubbornly practice her design concept dubbed "anti market and anti business".

At the beginning of the brand building, mark was invited to Paris for two times.

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But in the first place it becomes the world's first line.

After the taste, mark clearly realized that she was not part of the fashion world.

It's not the same thing as fashion.

In those years, more and more she went into the folk alley, the remote countryside, and devoted herself to finding all kinds of handcrafts that would be lost, including weaving, dyeing, sewing and craftsmen.

Then she decided to save all these artistes who thought they had "useless" - not to stay in museums, but to integrate into the lives of urban people.

In the twinkling of an eye, "useless" has been ten years.

If it weren't for the stunning costumes of Peng Liyuan's visit with Xi Jinping, that people could find out the mark behind him, she might still be living in a suburban life in the studio in the suburbs of Zhuhai.

When she was designing, she would spend time alone, accompanied by several cats and dogs.

She would carry the hoe with her workers and plant plants to extract dyes.

In the studio, more than 10 women workers, relying on skylight and one pair of hands, did not need much electricity. They finished all the work from spinning, weaving, sewing, embroidery and dyeing to a maximum of hundreds of pieces per year.

No two pieces are exactly the same.

Marco was extremely low-key. After the first lady's costume became the focus, she only said lightly that they knew each other and appreciated each other many years ago.

The official came in all directions, hoping to invite her to design, and she refused all the same because she decided to "only do one thing in her life".

Her idea is summed up in her own words: luxury and poverty.

It can be understood as material poverty and spiritual luxury.

In our interview, she further explained: "in today's world, luxury is no longer luxurious, but poverty is the most luxurious.

In my understanding of Chinese culture, luxury is not marked by price, but by spiritual value or personal integrity as an understanding of nobility.

Our interview with Marco, with her permission, was made in a "useless life space" in Beijing.

The space behind the Dongcheng District Museum of art in China opened in 2014. It was divided into two parts: "home" to display and sell Marco design and handcrafted.

And home furnishings; "exhibition hall" to launch her curatorial, and traditional crafts related thematic exhibitions.

Here, we can enjoy the design of Marco close.

Most of the clothes are made of cotton and linen yarn. They are soft, thick, and meticulous. The style of cutting is extremely Oriental, and the buttons, printing and dyeing, and skirts are fluttering.

The price is not bad, the single piece sells for thousands or even more than ten thousand yuan.

This allowed Marco to be questioned - not to live in poverty and to return to simplicity.

She said that the process of handwork is very complex and the output is very low, which is totally different from the mass production on the assembly line, and "useless".

Durable clothing, a cheap garment that can be made up of many machines.

Fashion can create endless impulse to buy, but only a few pieces of "useless" in a wardrobe are enough to meet the needs of the seasons.

Even if such a high price, but because the output is too low, "useless" to make profits is not easy.

But mark doesn't seem to care too much.

"I will not pursue business goals.

I am a casual person who values the fruit.

I only care about my initial heart. "

Sitting in the "useless space" of his own design and construction, mark appears comfortable and self-sufficient.

She introduced a thing: a handmade bamboo basket, a linen curtains, a wooden table after recycling.

It is wonderful that these coarse objects are not seen in detail, and they show a kind of calm and calm beauty.

Before filming, we looked for a corner in front of the window. We pulled a bench at random to let Marco sit down and put some of her home behind her.

At the end of the interview, mark spoke of himself and his family with a lively look.

She pulled the plait to her chest and told us that her hair was cut by herself. She never went to the beauty salon, starting from herself and her family, to reduce material desires and reduce consumption.

"My daughter's hair was cut by me and my husband, and the barber couldn't make money from our family," she said with a smile.

Because of the fact that the story of starting a business together with the former husband is gradually becoming more and more widely known, Marco's personal life can not help but wonder.

After seeing her own details, I asked two questions.

She said generously that today's husband and her are highly compatible with the idea. This space is the couple's work together.

As a woman, I am glad to hear this from my heart.

The spirit of being rich and independent, doing what you love to do, and having a like-minded partner should be the life most women want.

"Useless" may be too small and highly cold, but Marco is not alone, which is enough for her.

Here are some of my interview with her.

Q: what kind of change have you experienced in fashion before and after creating "useless"?

A: before I founded "useless" in 2006, I went to various fashion centers around the world to take part in various show.

We can see that the models on the T stage are often dressed like Bobbi dolls, making them all kinds of lovely and beautiful images and stepping on the heels of ten centimeters.

Sometimes a model falls down on the T stage, and the photographer is still in the back when he falls down.

I think this is an incomprehensible world.

At that time, I had a very deep feeling: isn't the woman beautiful enough? If she is beautiful enough, why do we have to deliberately change her? I know that the feeling of wearing high heels, the dozen or so high heels and shoes and torture devices are not two kinds, and it is very painful to wear them.

But the model must be charming and gesture.

I find it ridiculous.

After participating in the fashion week of Paris in 07 years and participating in the Paris advanced customization in 08 years, I knew very well that I am not in fashion.

I think

It should be the portrayal of the inner world of the human being, not to show anything, nor to conform to the tastes of some people. It should reflect the inner state of the wearer and make her feel comfortable and relaxed.

What I want to do in my heart

It's not the same thing with fashion.

After coming back from Paris, I plunged into the discussion of Chinese traditional culture. In those years, I went to the countryside very frequently.

The gap between the rich and the poor in China is large, and the high consumption in the city and the bottom line of life in the rural areas can not be maintained. The two are in sharp contrast.

"Useless" wants to build a truly friendly bridge between the country and the city, to connect the two worlds, rather than to be indifferent to each other.

After several years of accumulation, I hope that through the design, we can give the fine arts and crafts a modern flavor, so that the traditional ancient handicrafts can be used by people in the city.

I think this is the only way to really give the handicraft industry a long future.

If we keep looking at them in museums or art galleries, they will disappear in our time.

Q: how does "useless" practice your ideas and achieve your goals?

Answer: the "useless" product is different from the outside products. It is all hand-made, including

To home textiles to daily necessities.

It starts with spinning and weaving, and my designs are also from

The beginning of design, from research

The fiber to the tissue structure, through weaving and printing and dyeing, complete the fabric, then cut and sew, and finally use pure natural plant dyeing.

You will not see anything glittering in the "useless" and will not see the high-tech chemical fiber material.

All of our materials are pure natural. We can take them back to nature and do not cause pollution in production and production.

We can only make hundreds of pieces a year.

Because we add up to only twenty or thirty craftsmen, and some of them are made furniture.

Handmade things can't be produced in large quantities.

All the household items in "space" are made of pure and pure natural materials.

Every piece of "useless" product is the only one that can't be replicated.

I like small and intimate teams.

We are in Zhuhai in a more than 100 year old park in the suburbs, the small building in 70s and 80s.

More than 40 employees work and live together every day, like a family.

Craftsmen are free in their time. If there is anything in the family, there is a busy holiday.

When the family got the wheat, they went back.

I do not want to cut them off and the roots of the land, nor do I want to change their lives completely. They return to the countryside or plain farmers.

I have always felt that handicraft is a work of heart and soul. If she is unhappy in her heart, she will not be able to do anything good.

Q: you once summed up your design concept as "luxurious poverty". How do you understand this?

A: before the publication of "luxurious poverty" in Paris, I wrote a passage. The last sentence is that the luxury of the world is no longer luxurious, but poverty is the most luxurious.

We usually mean luxury, more refers to the popularity of a brand, the price of a brand.

But in my understanding of Chinese culture, extravagant culture and works of art handed down from the forefathers, luxury is not necessarily labelling by price, but a noble understanding of spiritual value or personal integrity.

Q: in China, as the "world factory", the most important thing is the low cost of mass production on the assembly line.

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"Useless" insists on pure handwork, and the price is not bad.

How many markets can there be?

Answer: pure manual production is very slow, the output is very low, and the annual output is limited.

It is impossible to satisfy the needs of the Chinese people by relying on "useless" brand.

But what I am looking at is not quantity, not how many people I can meet. What I value is the attitude and ideas we are carrying out, and how many people can really affect it.

In terms of how to balance the relationship between man and nature, "useless" can be a demonstration to encourage more people to make more efforts in environmental protection and ecology.

Q: can such a small brand be accepted by this era? How can we keep our business sustainable?

Answer: I can not decide.

Even if there are business figures, it may not be possible.

Most importantly, it is the greatest guarantee of business development that only dedicated effort, focusing on every product, giving users a pleasant feeling and feeling value for money.

I will not care much about that specific number.

I am a casual person who values the fruit.

I only care about my initial heart.

I can't ask people to be the same as I think.

The most important thing is to concentrate on one thing and do it for a long time.

Q: can you tell me how you design for the first lady?

A: I've known her for more than 10 years, and in the late 90s she began to wear me.

I always liked it very much.

We have a lot of topics together, because I am also a crazy music person. We often discuss music, including western modern music and Chinese national music. I will also introduce the western very good creation and musicians to her, and also talk about environmental protection public welfare.

After more than ten years, I know not only this person, but also her spiritual realm and character.

I think she is a very familiar and familiar person.

Through her charisma, she can show the world the image of Chinese women: self confidence, independence, introverted, dignified and noble.

After the design of the first lady, all kinds of famous people were invited, but I refused all of them.

I am a person who only does one thing in his life. If I want to do a good job, I must reject other things.

If I accept the invitation, I may be able to get to know the important person, but the service is only a small number of people, and "useless" can benefit the public.

The value is different.

Q: as a

How do you design your image? Your image seems to have changed for many years.

A: it's been ten years. It should go on like this.

Of course, as time goes on, I will have white hair and wrinkles, but I will wear "useless" simple.

There will be no bright colors and gleaming things that will not change.

Why braids? Because braids are the laziest hairstyles, and they don't need time and energy to take care of them.

My hair is cut by myself, and I have never been to beauty parlour. It is a state of special self-sufficiency. It does not need to rely on external people or things from head to toe.

My daughter's hair was cut by me and my husband, and the barber couldn't earn our family's money.

Return life to the simplest state.

Minimizing consumption and buying is the concept of "useless" in my own practice.

Q: do you feel lonely?

Answer: everyone in life has two states.

When I write, I need solitude, and I need extreme peace and solitude.

Only in the loneliest state can we accept the information from heaven and earth, and at this time we can completely forget ourselves.

Creation seems to be saving energy and ideas, but it needs to be released in stages and more to share with the public.

"Useless" is not for one or two people to do things, nor for my family to do things, it is for thousands of people to do, this idea is beyond national boundaries, race and cultural differences.

From heart to truth, from goodness to beauty is the common pursuit of all mankind.