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Northeastern Designers

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Vanessa is from Harbin and her boyfriend is from Shenyan. She is a graphic designer and he makes 3D cartoons or something like that. They have been to Beijing for less than a year, but plan to stay.

By the way, Harbin is one of my favorite places in China. Feed a duck to the tigers in Siberian Tiger Park. The suspense is intense as the tiger awkwardly paddles through the pond in pursuit. The ducks just nonchalantly cruise along as if there is no monster cat a meter behind, but they sometimes do even escape, unlike the chicken or pheasants who have no chance. Also make sure to have a shot of an obscure vodka at the Russian Café, on Zhongyang Lu, probably my favorite café in the world. Shenyang is not such a must-see, though it does have a very manageably-sized mini-Forbidden City built by Nurhaci as well as several late-90s examaples of provinical “shock-architecture.”

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Lingxifang

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At her No. 46 Fangjia Hutong studio, Lingxifang, Designer Xu Dong finds unconventional fabrics (like snakeskin print silk) for qipaos, but uses traditional embroidery and construction techniques. Garments are about 80% handmade by a tailor who schooled under Yang Chenggui, one of China’s most famous Qipao masters. Xu Dong, descended from the Qing imperial family like most Manchus in Beijing, grew up in a courtyard house nearby her studio, not five minutes from the Confucius temple. Now she commutes from an apartment by the Fourth Ring Road.

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Boyz at Vogue Night Out

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Xander Zhou (周翔宇) was one of a huge crowd of celebrities attending fashion for Anna Wintour’s Fashion’s Night Out. All eyes have been on this young fashion designer since he guest edited the August “Gay China” issue of media sorceress Hong Huang’s (洪晃) fashion magazine “ILOOK” (more at Gayographic and China Hush). Though there have been many smaller gay-friendly publications opening and closing over the last decade, this was the first time a mainstream magazine made nature’s bachelors and their role in fashion the focus of an issue. I met Xander last at a fabric store in Muxiyuan.

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Also at the Vogue party in the basement of the World Trade Center was Beijing brit-rock band Super VC (at a Burberry event). There were huge crowds and droves of celebrities making more stylites photos during the after-party up at Aria difficult.

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Millinery Among the Skyscrapers

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Mother and daughter wear creations from Elisabeth Koch Millinery. With her studio, the place where the magic occurs, not five minutes from the Kerry Center, milliner Elisabeth stands out from her peers for her own attire and for the creativity of her designs. Born in the US of Dutch and Welsh parentage, Elisabeth has adored hats and distinctive dressing since girlhood. Slaving for a time in tedious white collar jobs, she finally has started making her quirky dreams into reality here in Beijing, after studying the art of hats making at Wombourne School of Millinery in the UK.

Inspiration comes from her surroundings here at the heart of the Celestial Empire and from the styles of the 1960 and 1970s. Every single hat is made entirely with her own, exquisitely manicured, hands. She has not been tempted to capitalize on the cheap labor yet. Though the majority of clients are of the foreign persuasion, those who order the greatest number of hats are locals including the nonconformist wives of industrialists, government officials and wily magnates. Her hats are borrowed by Trends’ Bazaar and other magazines for photo shoots every week. They add some spice to the looks that tend to be shoulders to toes in the usual brands.

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Cuddly Creative

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What a great representative of the China’s exciting new “creative elite”! From Guangdong, Lin Lin lived in London for some time and then returned to China to develop Jellymon, her fashion and design empire which acts as creator, consultant, and partner for numerous brands home and abroad. Beijing is her new base and her command center is in Jianwai Soho. Here, the places she enjoys most are Q Bar (for its classic margarita), Opposite House’s Bei (Sushi and Italian food) and DEAL and Lane Crawford for enlarging her shoe collection.

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Mon Cheri

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In the field of polyestrous clones of Dior, Comme Des Garcons, Vivienne Westwood and other “big in China” designer names that is 3.3, seeing something with its own unique brand is always stimulating. Cecaa (霍亮), 24, has a shop selling a brand with the saccharine name “Mon Cheri” in shop number 2008.

The name refers to clothing being his most adored object as he grew up. He was a shy boy and clothing was an escape and an chance to be creative. A goal of his brand is helping clients find clothing that will be adored and soon have its own story. From Beijing, his childhood was spent in a military household. Mother approves of neither his style of dress nor his chosen career.

Favorite designers are Coco Chanel, Hedi Slimange, Anne Demuelemeester, Raf Simons, and Yves Saint Laurent

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Tribal Chief: Kevin Tallon

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An instructor at Central Saint Martins College, London, Kevin Tallon now designs for a very fashion-forward sportswear label with Italian roots, now here in China. He is spearheading efforts to make this brand the most stylish one in its category for the Chinese market. The first collection will be in stores this fall.

He makes the long flight out to Beijing almost every month, so he is now considering whether it might not be better to settle his two daughters and wife here in Beijing. It would be a fabulous chance for them learn the most important language of the 21st Century and experience its most important economy. He’s just a little bit worried about the pollution here.

Kevin, who also appeared last year on Stylites, just came out with a book on fashion trends among Chinese youth that relies heavily on my photos. The book, Fashion Tribes: China, is now available on Amazon, and looks in depth at the rapidly changing fashion landscape here.

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Rofty Designing Pair

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Having graduated from Beijing Agriculture University in ’08, Li Huawen (李画文) and Zheng Ran (郑然, English name: Ro) are now devoting themselves to their own brand that blends illustration, design and fashion. Called Rofty (ro联厂), they produce original T-Shirts, various badges, graphic posters, environmentally friendly shopping bags and other items.

The more vivacious one in the pair – she will inevitably handle the marketing – Ro studied landscape architecture and environmental planning and he graphic design. He has worked in an advertising firm before, but now they are both freelancers at the moment and hoping they never have to work in an office in the future.