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.
If, having read last week’s article on travel company Global Nomad, you decided to go trekking, you may find you need some of the equipment produced by today’s guest, Swiss-born Hans Schallenberger! Nicely Made in China (NMiC) has found the perfect brand for you. Started 15 years ago but still barely known beyond China, Ozark [website in Chinese] sells outdoor gear exclusively to the Chinese market. NMiC talked to Mr Schallenberger, Ozark’s founder and managing director, to discover what has made the brand such a success story. Read the rest of this entry »
The global village, first described in Wyndham Lewis’s work and later popularized by Marshall McLuhan, the Canadian philosopher (among other things), is now more than ever a reality. These days, China, also aptly called the Middle Kingdom, plays the role of the place du village of that global village – the place where everybody meets to see what’s new and interesting. A few years ago, doing just that, Alexander Host, a young Danish designer, arrived from Copenhagen on the Trans-Siberian railway, in search of inspiration for a fashion project and came back with…a bike! In the following interview Alexander tells Nicely Made in China (NMiC) about Sanitov, and how the coolest “san lun che” (三轮车) came to life. Read the rest of this entry »
Winter can be very cold and very long in the North of China! In its search for the perfect sweaters to keep warm, Nicely Made in China has come across Khunu, a young brand which deserves attention. Created by Julian Wilson, an ex-British army officer and Aaron Pattillo, who used to work as a manager for the Clinton Foundation, the company was created 18 months ago. Already, their sweaters are to be found on the shelves of fashionable stores in hip Swiss and Californian ski resorts. NMiC talked to Julian about finding the right wool and the challenges of living up to the expectations of nomads. Read the rest of this entry »
Chinese sneakers are making a remarkable come back on the world fashion scene with a few historical brands competing for attention. Shulong is not a historical brand but its shoes come from a long tradition of shoe making. The company has been on the market for only 3 years and Nicely Made in China wanted to know more about it. Brice Genin, Shulong general manager, accepted to talk to us to explain to our readers how Shulong mixes something old – the classic Chinese sneaker- with the new technologies to turn it into a successful product. Read the rest of this entry »
In its never ending search for quality products made in China, Nicely Made in China met Nicole Bernard, the owner of Longma, an Australia-based equestrian equipment company that makes all its products in China. From Tennessee where she was born, to Alvie (pop.60) near Melbourne, via Beijing where she spends half of her time, Nicole has traveled a long way. She stopped by at the Bookworm in Beijing to talk about her passions for China and horses, and how these two passions recently became intertwined.
Nicole, can you tell us how you started Longma?
A year or so ago my riding coach -Chris Smith 1980 Australian Olympic show jumping rider- came to visit me in Beijing- , and while discussing the equestrian market in Australia we realized it is bipolar: you either find very high end and very expensive gear or cheap junk. Horse riding is called the sport of kings and it is an expensive hobby. People who spend a lot of money on a horse care about what they put on their horses’ backs. I thought that hard-working people who love riding deserved high quality equipment at decent prices and that’s what Longma has been trying to provide for a year now. While I will not compare Longma with Australian master saddle makers, I can say that we’re trying to achieve a level of quality that these people respect.
After the coast of Fujian, Nicely Made in China takes you to the South China Sea to meet Adam Healy one of the two owners of Benpat International. Based in Shek-O on the South-East coast of Hong Kong Island, Benpat makes quality surfboards -as well as kiteboards, skateboards, nipper boards and stand-up paddle boards- all made in China and sells them all over the world. Adam, 26, is Australian and was raised in Hong Kong. He sat with NMiC and explained how surfboards are made.
Adam, can you give us some information about your company?
Benpat International was created in 1990 by John Patkin and I came onboard in 2008. Most of our production is for exports, mainly to Australia, the UK and the US.
It’s summer, and to get away from the heat in Beijing, Nicely Made in China felt like dipping a toe in the sea. That’s how NMiC landed in Xiamen, Fujian province, to interview Ms Liu Hongyan, Red Dragon Yacht Building general manager, to discuss sails, carbon fiber rudders and the new Chinese consumers who are boosting the recreational marine economy.
Ms Liu, when was the company created?
The company was created in 2003 by Mr David Winter who had long experience in the marine industry working for Taiwanese shipyards. When he arrived in Xiamen in 2001 he was surprised to see no recreational boats at all. That’s why he decided to build a small sailing boat for the Chinese market. A few months later the D5.8 – a reference to the boat’s length – was born. He found a shipyard to build it and when that shipyard did not want to build it anymore, David decided to make it himself, creating Red Dragon Yacht Building. We are today what is called a contract builder or an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Clients from all over the world, like Scandinavian Cruisers, come to us with their design and we build the boats.
Nicely Made In China product of the week is a bike. Not your everyday bike! A carbon mountain bike!
NMIC has asked a few questions to Chiru endurance bikes CEO Pierre-Arnaud Le Magnan.
Pierre-Arnaud when and why did you start Chiru Endurance Bikes?
We started in February 2009. We make mountain bikes exclusively and only made of carbon. It is a product specially designed for endurance races and adventure racing. The reason I started this company stems out of a passion for bicycle making. I had been building my own bikes for Read the rest of this entry »
