Mapping China: Fashion - Open to Western Fashion

In earlier days Chinese people especially tend to national brands, out of chauvinistic, nationalistic thinking. Nowadays, they do not mind where there fashion comes from. As long as it is nice – and affordable. He Yan, a well-known designer from Shanghai, explains.

He Yan: ‘Chinese do not mind where cloths come from’

Chinese may often be seen as nationalistic when it comes to fashion, but they have no preference for products from their own country, says designer He Yan. They especially want beautiful products, also when it comes from abroad. Her advice to Dutch entrepreneurs: ‘Do you see an opportunity in China? Go and get it!"

He Yan, who lives in Shanghai, started designing clothes under her own name in 2004. She is a child from a real tailor's family, and obtained her 'major' in the Wuxi Light Industry University. After she graduated, she started her designing career in the eastern port city. In 2009 she was named by Vogue as one of the ten leading Chinese fashion designers.

The designs of the independently operating He Yan are characterized by oriental aesthetics and details, making her clothing popular among the masses. That is exactly her purpose, and a major reason she relies mainly on ‘models from the street’ - sometimes literally. It happened that one of her occasional models got a phone call when he was standing on the catwalk. A long conversation followed.

“Often friends of mine are on the catwalk for me if there is a show, but yes, sometimes I just take people really off the street. I do that because I make fashion for the ‘ordinary Chinese’, and they usually do not look like the models that you normally see at shows. "

For He Yan, now a veteran in the Shanghai fashion world, her clothes must be a reflection of society, and are therefore not suitable for a particular type of body - generally very slim. ,,It makes my work look like an element of real life."

For all these reasons He Yan is very popular with young professionals in major cities. Architects, interior designers and models: they all are fond of the designer and her way of looking at fashion and everyday life.

Besides creative in her fashion she also needs to be creative in her approach to business. “There are not many opportunities for independent designers to show their collections. I cannot afford an expensive professional marketing campaign. And hiring talent to show your collections is also expensive. But on the other hand, your design should be well seen." Also this is a reason why she makes use of 'alternative' models.

After years of invitations He Yan finally joined the Shanghai Fashion Week. For long she doubted what benefits it would have for her. But this year she has - literally - made her entrance on stage.

The designer is primarily active in the Chinese fashion world, but she is sure that there are opportunities for western brands and designers. ,,My generation, and the generations that are to come, are not very tied to Chinese design, because they grew up with design that is at least a mix of Chinese and Western."

In addition, she is convinced that the origin of clothing is no issue when purchasing. ,, It does not matter if clothes come from China, Korea, Japan or western countries. It's about how it looks, about quality, and of course personal preferences. Chinese people do not feel they have to support production from their own country, out of nationalistic feelings. "

It is mainly about the sincerity of the designer and the product, and of course what people like. “This approach to fashion will only be stronger in the future. Really, Chinese are not xenophobic."

Dutch entrepreneurs therefore need to make their own decisions whether and how they want to enter the Chinese market. ,,Find out if a product is suitable to introduce in China, if the people will feel attracted to it. If you think it is, then you should not wait and immediately come to China!"

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