Commentaires fermés sur CULTURAL EVOLUTION – CHINA 2005 – 2010 / photography by Lionel Derimais / Text by Mary Kay Magistad
Hello again dear Nicely Made in China readers,
It’s been a while, I know. I do hope you are all safe and well as the whole world is in the middle of a second tumultuous year. Like many of you, I’ve used my time to complete a project close to my heart. Some of you may know that besides producing the NMiC blog since 2009, I am first and foremost a working professional photographer.
Today I am pleased to announce that after years of preparation, I am launching a book of photographs called “Cultural Evolution China 2005-2010”. It is now available for sale via my website – please click on this link to buy the book. Texts in the book (essay, biographies, captions) are in 3 languages: English, Chinese (Mandarin) and French.
Commentaires fermés sur Z-KIN / Camera bags / Hong Kong
Yee Chan (Left) and Quincy Wong (Right) the two bag designers who founded Zkin in Hong Kong who’s now fast becoming a major player on the photographic bags market.
The Fairy E bag has enough space for 1 mid-size prosumer, 1 extra lens / flash unit + Room for personal gear and a 8.5″ tablet computer. External size: 26 x 10 x 17 cm
The Zkin camera shoulder bag made of leather and canvas. External size: 36 x 13 x 25 cm.
The Zkin Raw Yowie Camera Backpack perfect for hiking and long city or countryside walks. It’s made of water splash proof nylon / leather with a thick cotton inner layer. External size: 31.5 x 35 x 46 cm and up to 63 cm in height when the cover unfolds.
Here’s a problem we didn’t have twenty years ago – the need for a bag that can hold a camera – and its charger – and a laptop – and its charger as well as various other pieces of equipment. Ever on the lookout for niche quality products made in China, here at Nicely Made in China (NMiC) we think we’ve found something that might interest our photography readers. So to learn more, we’ve interviewed two bag designers, Quincy Wong and Yee Chan, founders of Z-Kin, a Hong Kong-based design company specialising in and designing better camera bags. Read the rest of this entry »
Commentaires fermés sur KHUNU / YAK WOOL LATEST KNITWEAR PRODUCTS FOR CHRISTMAS 2014
Christmas is upon us – a very cold winter is predicted! – and Nicely Made in China (NMiC) has asked Khunu’s founder Julian Wilson what his company has in store to keep us warm in the coming months. New accessories have arrived – beanies, pompom hats, scarves – plus the classic and timeless sweaters all in pure yak wool from the Tibetan plateau.
For our readers who don’t know Khunu, the first article we wrote about it is here.
For her: This scarf is knitted using a highly textured seed stitch and is available in plain and marled colour options using mostly non-dyed yarns. Warm, natural and extremely cosy.
Gift for him and for her: For cold feet these mid-length versatile outdoor socks. Composed of 56% yak wool and very comfortable – check Khunu website for full composition. Great resistance to odour.
For her: Traditional knit which originated on Fair Isle, a remote island off the north coast of Scotland. Using neutral and mostly non-dyed yarns we’ve combined one of the island’s classic pattern with a heavy knit to create a versatile infinity scarf that can be adapted to a wide variety of uses, and will be super cozy this winter.
For him: The houndstooth pattern originates from the Scottish Lowlands, and has become a classic pattern for both woven and knit wear.
Unisex: The traditional ribbed knit and pompom create a classic winter look that works equally well for boys and girls.
Unisex: The beanies are made from pure yak yarn knitted in using a garter stitch edged with a dense rib finish.
For him: Shawl collars are a dashing and versatile way to keep warm during the winter.
For her: Our latest incarnation of the Travel Wrap is made from 100% pure yak wool sourced from the Tibetan plateau. The black and natural grey yarns are woven together to give a beautiful two-toned texture and a finish that feels both soft and warm.
For her: The latest Khunu women’s sweater is made from luxurious 90% yak wool and 10% silk yarn for a beautiful handle and great comfort.
Commentaires fermés sur WHAT’S NEW? KATRIN REINFURT MPMP FASHION DESIGN
Katrin Reinfurt the founder of the fashion brand Magnetosphere Prospecting and Monitoring Program (MPMP).
Coat created by Katrin Reinfurt / MPMP for the Walter Van Beirendonck Paris fashion show 2014.
Dress Ocean Storm created by Katrin Reinfurt / MPMP from her 2013 _Eternal Infinity collection.
A coat which glows in the dark by Katrin Reinfurt / MPMP created during her collaboration with Walter Van Beirendonck for Paris fashion show 2014
We wish you a happy new year of the horse! You may have noticed that we recently had a break from publishing in order to take stock and revitalize our efforts. Now we’re back and glad to continue bringing you news about quality products and services from China.
At Nicely Made in China (NMiC) we like to keep track of the companies we’ve featured in the past. So, to begin this Nicely Made in China 2.0 we caught up with Katrin Reinfurt in Paris. An emerging talent in the fashion world with her brand Magnetosphere Prospecting and Monitoring Program (MPMP), Katrin (normally Beijing-based) was at Paris Fashion show collaborating with Walter van Beirendonck no less!
Commentaires fermés sur ROCHESTER PR GROUP / PUBLIC RELATIONS (Sponsored article)
Joanna Dodd, Rochester PR Group founder and Chloe Liang the China team manager photographed in Rochester PR Group headquarters in central London.
The Rochester PR Group helped organized the Huaxia Liangtse Opening Ceremony in 2011.
Joanna Dodd of the Rochester PR Group and Chloe Liang China team manager organized the Sino-UK Publishing and Media Industry Investment Forum on 15 April 2012, during the London Book Fair China Market Focus, attended by high profile government officials from both China and the UK.
Fashion Shenzhen event during the London Fashion Week in September 2010 organised by The Rochester PR Group.
Irrespective of the size of a company, corporate communications and public relations play a vitally important role in any business strategy. Our new sponsor Rochester PR Group specializes in helping Chinese companies to research the British market and find new potential customers. To learn more about this, Nicely Made in China interviewed Joanna Dodd, CEO of Rochester PR in their Cavendish Square (central London) head quarters. Joanna read Classics and Modern Languages at St Catherine’s College Oxford before moving into P.R. She set up Rochester PR Group in November 2011.
Commentaires fermés sur CHANGYU PIONEER WINE COMPANY
Mr Laurenz Moser, photographed at Berry Bros & Rudd, is an Austrian winemaker who works with Changyu Wines in China to produce the 2008 Chateau Changyu Moser XV.
Mr Laurenz Moser with a bottle of 2008 Chateau Changyu Moser XV which can be bought in Europe. In the UK it’s sold by Berry Bros & Rudd.
Chinese workers harvest grapes in Ningxia province on the vineyards of the Changyu Pioneer Wines Company to produce Chinese red wine and Chinese white wine.
The Changyu Pioneer Wines company is the oldest and largest wine company in China. Its domain in Ningxia covers an area of 10.000 ha. Changyu is now exporting Chinese wines to Europe.
With summer now officially underway, thoughts turn to al fresco dining accompanied by suitably chilled and refreshing wines. Foreign wines are nothing new in China but what maybe new are Chinese wines on foreign tables. More and more, wine critics are giving high ratings to Chinese wines and reputed wine merchants such as Berry Bros & Rudd in London are now importing them. To learn more about the subject of Chinese wines Nicely Made in China recently met Laurenz Moser, an Austrian winemaker who works with Changyu Pioneer Wines.
Commentaires fermés sur NICELY MADE in CHINA in the WALL STREET JOURNAL
‘Nicely’ made in China tea cups: the Zisha project by Neri & Hu, Shanghai-based designers.
Our readers are familiar with shoe designer Mary Ching who was featured in NMiC in October 2010.
The CTK 04, A Chinese Timekeeper watch with two hands and a small second dial. One of the two movements CTK uses for its watches.
Franco-Chinese team Xu Ming -interior architect/designer- and architect Virginie Moriette created those shelves, the WEN ST 03.
Dear readers,
We’re happy and proud to announce that a few weeks ago Nicely Made in China came under the spotlight when it was mentioned in a Wall Street Journal article by writer Mark Ellwood under the title: “The New Cachet of ‘Made in China'”.
Commentaires fermés sur THIRCUIR BOOKS / PUBLISHING
Beijing-based Jeremie Thircuir, founder of Thircuir Edtions specialized in photography books presenting contemporary photographers.
Wang Qingsong is the most famous Chinese photographer and each of his pictures requires many models and a lot of work.
Song Chao series of portraits of Chinese miners was published by Thircuir Editions.
This week Nicely Made in China looks at publishing, a first for us. Jeremie Thircuir, a French-born entrepreneur, created Thircuir Books in 2011, with a mission to introduce Chinese photographers to the world. We asked him a few questions about the how and why of the venture.
Jeremie, what is Thircuir Books?
Thircuir Editions publishes contemporary photography books by leading Chinese photographers and artists who use photography.
How long have you been in China and when did you create Thircuir Books?
I arrived in China in 2006 after studying economics at the Sorbonne in Paris – I headed off as soon as I received my diploma. My goal was to work in the art world. I believed that cultural development would follow economic development….and so it has turned out. First I worked for a Taiwanese gallery and then for a year for Art+ in Shanghai. I moved to Beijing in 2008 where I worked for Piech Art, founded by Anton and Xenia Piech. In January 2011 I created my own publishing house – Thircuir Books.
Why create a publishing house in China?
My objective was to give Westerners some tools and keys to understanding China – to make China more accessible. I think that outside of the country, people have a muddled vision of China, be it on an economic or political level. The books I publish can be seen as a showcase for creativity in China as well as also shedding light on the reality of the country. The photographs are presented in a way that gives insight into the life and work of each artist.
How many books have you published so far and what’s your initial print run?
We started off by publishing 5 books at the same time and now we have 6 on offer, with another 4 ready to launch. Each book consists of 96 pages, and with an initial print run of 6,000 copies, they are priced at £8.90 or US$12.90.
Which photographers are featured?
In China right now, there are many different artistic movements, and I like to think our books illustrate that richness and diversity. Among the photographers we’ve published so far are Song Chao and Yang Yong. Song Chao’s black and white portraits of Chinese miners represent a type of social documentary, whilst Yang Yong’s photographs of young Chinese women in Shenzhen show us a kind of artificial world. Then there is Liu Bolin, already known to many people through his project “Hidden in the city”.
Let’s talk about the printing technique. What type of ink do you use for instance?
We use soya-based inks, as they give much more precise colors. All our books are made of natural papers with U.V. filters which gives a beautiful smooth finish making people want to stroke our books.
Where can Nicely Made in China readers buy Thircuir books?
NMiC readers can buy our books in selected bookstores and major online retailer like Amazon. Check out retailers near where you live: www.thircuir.com
Commentaires fermés sur NICELY MADE IN CHINA’S THIRD ANNIVERSARY
Serge Pierrard, Asia travels specialists Travel-Stone founder photographed in Hong Kong.
Virginie Fournier founder of Shanghai Trio which make accessories and corporate gifts.
Julian Wilson, Khunu owner and founder photographed wearing one of his products: a Slingby made of yak wool.
Liu Yang outside his shop in Huilongguan in North Beijing.
Mr Wang Haoran (Left – top row) with his grandfather, a K’o-ssu master with employees of the workshop.
Li Zetian founder and main designer of the Chinese product design company Daye Design based in Foshan in Guangdong province.
Mr Kele Ma photographed in his museum in Tianjin, in front of chairs from Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
Zhao Lei, founder of Smartwood, flatpack furniture maker.
3 years ago, on April 22nd 2010, a new website took its place on the Internet stage: Nicely Made in China (NMiC) published its first story about companies making quality products and services in China. That story was about a photographic laboratory on the outskirts of Beijing and it attracted a total of 9 people from China, France and Australia.
3 years and 80 articles later Nicely Made in China has been visited by over 150,000 visitors who have viewed more than 400,000 pages. Week after week, NMiC has helped you discover that all over China there are both Chinese and foreigners producing quality products and services, often using skills honed over thousands of years by Chinese workers.
We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you, our cherished readers – from 198 countries – for helping Nicely Made in China evolve into this unique showcase, where those who make quality products in China can present them to the world.
Recently, we decided to take the leap into e-commerce and proposed some interesting and surprising products for purchase through the site. These products, from 3 of our featured companies, can now be bought via Nicely Made in China: Khunu yak wool sweaters, Shanghai Trio accessories and Tranquil Tuesdays tea and teawares.
In the good news department Nicely Made in China has now extended its network to Europe with its sister website Nicely Made in Britain which presents quality products – often handmade – in Britain.
NMiC would like to take this opportunity to thank its loyal sponsors:
Serge Pierrard who founded Beijing-based travel agency Travel Stone – which specialises in travel advice, hotel bookings and airline tickets in China and across Asia in general,
Virginie Fournier and her company Shanghai Trio which makes handmade accessories mixing raw materials and traditional fabrics with local know-how and is now making nicely made in china corporate gifts.
And last but not least, we thank our two most recent additions to the Nicely Made in China family:
Joanna Dodd who runs the Rochester PR group, a London-based P.R company with strong ties to China that also helps Chinese companies settle in the UK.
We would also like to acknowledge the support of Patrick O’Donnell and his company, Links Moving international movers . Their early faith in us and what we were doing, convinced us that we were on the right track and were doing something which even 3 years ago was still considered controversial but is becoming more accepted by the day – that is, to associate in the same sentence the words ‘Nicely’ and ‘Made in China’.
Commentaires fermés sur TRANQUIL TUESDAYS / CHINESE TEA & TEA SET GIFTS
Charlene Wang, founder of Tranquil Tuesdays a new brand selling Chinese tea.
Charlene Wang, Tranquil Tuesdays founder sourcing tea in Anxi, Fujian. Charlene is checking the quality of the next harvest of Iron Goddess of Mercy (Tieguanyin) Oolong tea.
At Tranquil Tuesdays tea is packaged in boxes, packets and tins designed by the founder of the company Charlene Wang.
Tranquil Tuesdays teapots and cups are designed exclusively for the tea seller.
The simple pleasure of a cup of tea can be a very welcome break from the frenetic pace of life. But how to know which tea is best, when there are hundreds to choose from: Lapsang Souchong, Pu’er, Oolong, white tea, green tea…and so on. Nicely Made in China’s (NMiC) guest this week is Charlene Wang, a Californian of Chinese origin. She’s a tea aficionado and the founder of Tranquil Tuesdays, a new player in the world of tea merchants. She has taken it upon herself to bring the best tea leaves from China to the thirsty world.
