On the evening of October 8, the China Ship Museum. Photographer Zhang Jiacheng and four Independent Chinese designer brands YIRANTIAN, NOMANOMAN, SHUSHU/TONG and YUEQI QI released the "Romantic China" fashion co-brand collection in the form of immersive theater, officially opening the fashion week schedule of the twelfth season of labelhood Leihu Pioneer Fashion Art Festival. It will continue to be statically displayed during the Fashion Week schedule from October 9 to 13.
"Romantic China" is jointly created by Zhang Jiacheng and LABELHOOD Lei hu, and specially invites the most representative national model faces of the moment, Pei Bei, Chen Yu and Zhao Jiali, to express the aesthetics and love of different eras in China through fashion design and photography. "Romantic China" is Zhang Jiacheng's first cross-border cooperation fashion brand. In his view, this collaboration is not only a personal creation, but more importantly, from the designer's point of view, to build the entire story framework. Respecting the unique style of the brand, it also has the visual unity of the four brands, and embodies his understanding of romance with clothing as the carrier.
This collection of fashion was released on the opening day of the LABELHOOD Leihu Pioneer Fashion Arts Festival, turning the show into a virtual theater - "Romantic Theater". Performances such as the chorus "Velvet Flower", the women's volleyball pre-game training, the drama "Crush on Peach Blossom Garden", and the Kunqu opera "Frightening Dream" appeared in turn, showing the Chinese romance created by Zhang Jiacheng and the four designers, and for the first time, the series of co-branded fashion was fully displayed.
Romantic Chinese show
Romantic China Chapter 1: YIRANTIAN begins with two performers singing "Velvet Flower", inspired by a traditional family of military and factory women workers in the 1950s and 1960s. In the understanding of designer Guo Yirantian, Chinese-style romance is to convey strong emotions in an implicit way, which is an atmosphere that is not limited to time and space. Whether it was in career or family, women in that era could stand up to half the sky. They and their partners do not seek to explore the thrills and splendor of life, but they want to go slower and accompany the people in front of them for a longer time; they run their respective positions and manage love together. YIRANTIAN uses three-dimensional, graphic design and tailoring to interpret the independent tenacity of women, and the use of orchid elements echoes this subtle bloom. YIRANTIAN also launched the wedding dress for the first time, as an object to witness the lovers moving towards the couple, symbolizing Chinese love.
Dossier Wallpaper* abbreviated as W*
YIRANTIAN is presided over by Guo Yirantian
W*: What is the setting/inspiration for the story zhang jiacheng worked with you? How did you understand the story?
Guo: The whole series of this collaboration revolves around a traditional Chinese family from the 1960s. The love of that era was mutual support, and the love was hidden in chai rice oil and salt. They do not explore the thrill and splendor of life, but only hope that the days can go a little slower and accompany the people in front of them for a longer time. They run their respective positions and manage each other's love together.
W*: How do you combine the images of "romance" and "China" through design?
Guo: Romance is an atmosphere that is not limited to any border and time. Chinese-style romance is in my understanding of conveying strong emotions in a subtle way, in the hands and feet or in the ordinary days. In the design, three-dimensional or graphic design methods and tailoring techniques are used to interpret the message conveyed by the clothes, and the use of orchid elements also happens to express this implicit bloom.
W*: How do you think this collaboration compares to the usual brand design work? What's the most interesting part?
Guo: The difference in design is that it is more about the story to try to express the time that has never been experienced. The unforgettable part is the real touch on the shooting scene.
W*: What's your favorite/satisfying piece in the collection?
Guo: Favorite pure white buttoned wedding dress and three-dimensional orchid shark clip.
"Romantic China Chapter 2: NOMANOMAN" begins with the pre-match training of a women's volleyball player, and the series of clothing is inspired by the love story of the women's volleyball player and the coach. The spirit of the women's volleyball team was once the label of the times, they have the perseverance to bear hardships and stand hard work, tenacious struggle, and also have a sense of teamwork. The coach who accompanies them day and night can not only bring them spiritual stability and encouragement on the field, but also take good care of their low emotions when they are injured or frustrated in training, which is also the cornerstone of the spirit of the women's volleyball team. In the era when the curtain of reform and opening up was first opened, the spirit of the women's volleyball team that was sincerely united was like a banner, allowing the world to see the miracle of China, which was a unique Chinese romance. NOMANOMAN creates a vintage sports suit made of velvet and nylon materials, the small plum embroidery symbolizes strength and elegance, and the whistle element reflects the tacit cooperation between athletes and coaches.
Nomanoman Principal Elsa
Elsa: Leslie himself is a very romantic person, he has his own understanding of NOMANOMAN, NOMANOMAN itself also has some leisure sports attributes, the inspiration may be the tension romance in his life or bones. What I understand is the vague memory of the 90s, the era when Mom and Dad fell in love, and the feeling of being in love on the playground of physical education class. The imaginary Chinese women's volleyball team is that kind of heroic and cool with a little restraint and tenacity.
W*: How do you fuse the images of "romance" and "China" through design?
Elsa: When I learned that we were doing the women's volleyball love story, I thought it was very interesting to think of combining leslie's photography style from the single product. Starting from the plane, the plum blossom pattern is made with the shape of the Olympic five rings, which means that the spirit of the women's volleyball team is the same as the plum blossom in winter. Then combined with the elements and colors of Chinese sportswear from the early 90s, some adjustments were made.
Elsa: It's very different. Leslie is too romantic, very emotional, and works with him very complementary. Finally, the picture was presented, and he also let me see a different NOMANOMAN, which was very happy. The most interesting thing is the menswear part, he has his aesthetic, I have my aesthetic, and it's fun to collide! There was a men's suit that had his own name written on it, and then he wanted to wear it, but couldn't wear it.
Elsa: I like it all, I wear everything, men's and women's clothes.
The presentation of "Romantic China Chapter III: SHUSHU/TONG" begins with excerpts from the drama "Crush on Peach Blossom Garden". The costumes in this collection are inspired by the "letter age" when cars, horses and mail are very slow, and pens and love letters are the embodiment of love. The production of the fountain pen is complicated, and after the deposition of time, it represents a solemn and serious attitude; it writes down words and sentences full of affection on paper, and repeatedly thinks and ponders between words and sentences, and writes romance. SHUSHU/TONG's signature bow shirt, beaded floral vest, pleated skirt with Chinese stand collar, and classic student uniform in black, white and blue convey the heavy retro aesthetic and timeless classic charm of the 1980s.
SHUSHU/TONG principal Jiang Yutong and Lei Liushu
Jiang and Lei: We want to make a student love story about the Republic of China period. In those turbulent times, emotions were mostly delivered through letters, a way that was not so convenient for us. We wanted to blend this restrained mood with some elements of uniform.
Jiang and Lei: Love stories in turbulent times, which are romantic enough in themselves.
Jiang and Lei: You can create a group of works with good friends.
Jiang and Lei: A beaded vest.
The presentation of "Romantic China Chapter IV: YUEQI QI" begins with a performance of the Kunqu opera "Frightening Dreams". The inspiration for this series of costumes comes from the highly folk literature "Liaozhai Zhiyi Xiangyu", which tells the story of a scholar surnamed Huang who is in love with the peony fairy Xiangyu but has gone through hardships. The Yishi clan said, "He who loves the most, the ghosts and gods can pass." Flowers are sent by ghosts, and people are sent with souls, is it not their love? It is the best summary of the story of "Xiangyu". YUEQI QI captures Elements of Chinese Opera to highlight feminine femininity, while tulle fabrics and close-fitting cuts add modern charm. The beaded process of making peony flowers and birds, and then digitally transferred to the fabric print, through the brand's unique DNA technology and aesthetic concept, the traditional story jumps on the skirt.
YUEQI QI is headed by Qi Yueqi
Qi: Inspired by the characters in Pu Songling's "Liaozhai Zhiyi", it is also a famous white peony that does exist in the Taiqing Palace in Laoshan Mountain. This story is similar to our first series of butterfly lovers, both expressing love to the death.
Qi: In the design, we first made beaded peonies, flowers and birds and then made them into prints, which were interpreted through the brand's unique DNA technology and aesthetic concept.
Qi: It's no different, because it's all about interpreting stories with clear story logic as a source of inspiration. The most interesting part is that I am looking forward to presenting the story with Leslie's aesthetic and philosophy!
QI: I'm very satisfied, our designer presents the whole story line, they are one.
Photographer Leslie Zhang, as a leader in the new generation of visual creators, is good at reshaping and innovating in the context of Chinese culture, labelhood Leihu has always explored the concept of Chinese design new forces and Zhang Jiacheng's unique oriental aesthetic personal style aesthetics coincide.
Photographer Zhang Jiacheng Leslie Zhang
W*: This romantic Chinese clothing joint series is your first clothing cooperation, what do you think is the biggest difference between this cooperation and other work?
Zhang: This time is not only my personal photography creation, but also from the designer's point of view to build the entire story framework, including the early stage to maintain the visual unity of the four brands, but also to respect the style of each brand, including the way of expression of this show is also an unconventional attempt, in fact, I am doing this with a very relaxed mentality, compared with other work, I think in this work I have shown more skills, in which I added a lot of things that I have conceived for a long time before, I'm looking forward to bringing you a new visual experience this time!
W*: What kind of story does a blockbuster of four designer brands tell?
Zhang: In cooperation with YIRANTIAN, the story is a love story in a traditional family after the founding of New China, a soldier, a factory worker, and the love of that era is hidden in chai rice oil and salt. They do not seek the thrill and splendor of life, but only to accompany the people in front of them. To this end, YIRANTIAN tried to make a wedding dress for the first time, which is an object that witnesses lovers to go to husband and wife, symbolizing love.
Yueqi QI's brand culture is characterized by traditional culture. The collaborative story with YUEQI QI, "Xiangyu", is from the very folk literature "Liaozhai Zhiyi", which tells the story of a scholar surnamed Huang who is in love with the peony fairy Xiangyu but has gone through hardships. The Yishi clan said, "He who loves the most, the ghosts and gods can pass." Flowers are sent by ghosts, and people are sent with souls, is it not their love? "It is the best summary of the story of "Xiangyu". It was chosen as the backdrop for a collaboration with YUEQI QI and as an attempt to explore and reproduce the folk culture of the time in the context of a contemporary art form.
The story of the collaboration with SHUSHU/TONG is set in a love story from the 1980s. The "letter age" where cars, horses, and mail are very slow, and pens and love letters are the embodiment of love. The production of the fountain pen is complicated, after the deposition of time, it itself represents a solemn and serious attitude, writing down affectionate words and sentences on paper, repeatedly thinking about Tang Tang between words and sentences, and writing romance. This is the most beautiful embodiment of the sincere and simple love of that era.
NOMANOMAN takes the love story of the women's volleyball team and the coach as the background of the story, and draws inspiration from the spirit of the women's volleyball team. The spirit of the women's volleyball team was once the label of the times, they have the perseverance to bear hardships and stand hard work, hard work, and also have a sense of teamwork. The coach who accompanies them day and night can not only bring them spiritual stability and encouragement on the field, but also take good care of their low emotions when they are injured or frustrated in training, which is also the cornerstone of the spirit of the women's volleyball team.
During the filming process, each love story was matched with a unique era temperament of the scenery and clothing, which evoked my infinite reverie with the models for romance and the era. This may be the connection between things and people.
W＊：
This romantic Chinese co-branded clothing series will be displayed and released in the form of immersive theater, how is the design of the show related and different from the blockbuster? What are some interesting designs to look forward to in this release?
Zhang: Thematically, the designs and blockbusters of these four shows echo each other. The runway is a carrier that can deeply explore the background and meaning of costume creation, and the immersive theater mode adopted on the runway this time is very different from the conventional fashion catwalk in the past, and it is a new fashion display method. Added live performance of this link, including Kunqu opera, volleyball performance, chorus and drama to express the love story of four different periods, in an iterative way to feel the Chinese romance of different periods, I think the stories shown in these four parts are romantic and nostalgic, I want to draw everyone's memories in this short half hour. And in fact, some of the performances also have some interaction with the audience, so that the audience can be more immersed in it, feel the charm of the four brands with their own characteristics, and enhance the perception.
From the 2019 PITTI UOMO special project "Guest Nation China" photography exhibition to convey China's current fashion attitude; to the 2020 "Lei Hu Yellow River" ten seasons celebration traces the cultural heritage of Chinese design with the Yellow River traced; the 2021 "Lei Hu Family Portrait" New Year special series, showing the customs and rituals of traditional festivals through family group portraits; and then to this "Romantic China" fashion co-brand collection to convey Chinese romantic stories. Chinese fashion, Chinese aesthetics and Chinese culture continue to stir and collide in cooperation, presenting the diversified appearance of Chinese local brands, and driving consumers' recognition and support for Chinese design with great home and country feelings, which can not be described as "romantic".
Romantic Chinese Leihu living room
Romantic Chinese YIRANTIAN
Models: Pei Bei, Wang Zhu Xiaoyin
Photo by Zhang Jiacheng Leslie Zhang
Overall styling guide: Lucia Liu
Makeup: Yooyo Keong Ming
Hairstyle: Zhang Minghu John Zhang
Director System: Adam
Process Edit: Una
Casting: Lou Yizhe
Producer: Color
Fine Arts: Dumplings, Kitahara, Chai Shujie, Equal
Perform styling: Alignment
Styling coordinator: Sun Bin Nono
Makeup Assistants: Zhan En, Kookie
Hair Assistants: Ke Weitao, Sherman Qi
Production Assistant: Gu Jiahui
Photography Assistants: Shen Jiabin, Wu You
Styling Assistant: Yu Jingyi
Special thanks to the LABELHOOD Leihu team
Romantic Chinese NOMANOMAN
Models: Chen Yu, Yang Hao
Creative Execution: Dumplings, Equal
Fine Arts: Kitahara, Chai Shujie
Romantic Chinese SHUSHU/TONG
Model: Zhao Jiali
Makeup: Jonathan
Hairstyle: LIJIasu
Director:Adam Chen
Fine Arts: Kitahara, Chai Shujie, Zhang Tong
Executive Styling: Xiang Zhun, Yogamo
Later in the picture: Lee will play
Makeup Assistants: Xi Hui, Yan Qinan, Zhang Ning
Hairstyling Assistant: Lao Tian
Text Editor: Liao Zining
Orchestration: Alareiks