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.
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!
K’o-ssu – also written kesi – or Chinese silk tapestry, is a complex traditional Chinese weaving technique which had its heyday during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. Today there are less than 100 people working across China in this area. Frequently used to make clothes for imperial families and to reproduce famous Chinese paintings, nowadays this little known craft faces extinction due to lack of demand. However, there are signs of renewed interest, and to learn more about this precious technique, Nicely Made in China travelled to “textile town”, Nantong in Jiangsu province, to visit a young K’o-ssu maker, Mr. Wang Haoran.
Bubble-Mood is a new Shanghai-based fashion brand created by 3 young Parisian entrepreneurs in 2009. Olivia Gurdjian, one of the 3 creators of the company arrived in China in 2006 after media studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. She quickly realised that Shanghai was the perfect place to start a fashion business. With her business partner Margaux Painvin and her husband Lucas Gurdjian, the trio created Bubble-Mood which is now attracting an increasing amount of attention from fashionistas. In the following interview Olivia tells Nicely Made in China (NMiC) how it all started.
There’s nothing worse than getting a stain on your favorite garment and not knowing how to clean it. In the following article Virginie Fournier – owner and main designer of Shanghai Trio – and one of Nicely Made in China’s partners – gives Nicely Made in China readers a few tips on how to keep delicate and favorite articles in good shape for a long time.
Hong Kong-born fashion designer Carrie Chan, 32, got her Master’s Degree in Fashion Design in 2008 at the University of Westminster in the UK after a few years as a fashion and lifestyle journalist at the South China Morning Post. Then, in October 2011 she launched the first RI.by.CARRIE collection and made a name for herself with leg wear and hand printed tights. Nicely Made in China (NMiC) met Carrie in her Hong Kong studio at the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in Shek Kip Mei.
Eyewear comes in all shapes, materials and colours. Yet choosing the pair of glasses that not only solves your eyesight problems but also flatters and fits you perfectly can be challenging. While trying to understand why finding the perfect pair of specs can be so tricky, Nicely Made in China (NMiC) met Tom Davies, a London-based eyewear designer and his assistant Stephen Jakub. Tom’s design studio is in Mortlake, west London, and it is from here he produces his handmade eyewear, which is manufactured in China. In the following interview Tom and Stephen tell the story behind the remarkable craftsmanship required to make their handmade bespoke spectacles and why they’re proud of their China connection.
2 years ago, armed with a masters degree from the Vienna University of Applied Arts, Kathrin Reinfurth headed off to Beijing. There she created fashion brand MPMP – it stands for Magnetosphere Prospecting and Monitoring Program. Today she’s mixing art, science and fashion and exhibits her creations in China and in Europe. Nicely Made in China (NMiC) spoke to Katrin about her experiences and what she’s bringing to fashion design.
Latest: Meuh! stopped its activities in June 2012.
This week’s story comes from “Paris of the East”, as Shanghai used to be fondly known. We meet Hélène Meunier, a young French mother of 2, long term Shanghai resident and the creator of the Meuh! fashion brand. Nicely Made in China (NMiC) caught up with her between fittings to talk about her love of vintage clothes and how her brand has been adopted by fashion-conscious Shanghai “belles”.
Every day thousands of brands are launched onto the world market, among them, an increasing number from emerging countries. This week Nicely Made in China (NMiC) is happy to give centre stage to NLGX, a new Chinese street-wear brand. Created in 2008 by Michel Sutyadi and Ed Hung, NLGX recently opened a store at Beijing’s Capital Airport Terminal 3 and is about to open another one. Quite an achievement for such a young brand, and so to help NMiC learn more, we interviewed Michel Sutyadi.
