Page 3 - 20170926銆愪笂娴锋棩鎶ャ€戝崄鏈堝垔

Shanghai Daily Tuesday 31 October 2017
Veteran tailor Chen Jian works on a hand-made coat at the workshop on Haifang Road. 鈥?Jiang Xiaowei
Once proud icon restyles brand
of fine tailored women鈥檚 fashion
We have to Li Qian
introduce new
blood to our Hongxiang, a bygone fashion brand,
workshop. We is making something of a comeback.
need people A fashion show of its haute couture
to carry on the collection was recently staged to cel- craftsmanship.
old skills, and ebrate its 100th birthday.
we also want
young ideas on Founded in 1917, Hongxiang was a pioneer in
fashions in tune classic cheongsam, changing it from a loose-
with the times. fitting, straight-line gown to a body-hugging,
Chen Jian Madame Soong Ching Ling as a revolution in
the women鈥檚 liberation movement.
Senior tailor of Hongxiang
Hongxiang was the first couture house in
China to hold a fashion show, attracting ce-
lebrities like Ruan Lingyu, known as 鈥淐hina鈥檚
Greta Garbo,鈥?and movie queen Hu Die to the
catwalk.
At the 1933 Chicago Expo, six of Hongxiang鈥檚
silk cheongsam captivated the world with their
elaborate, multicolored embroidery. The brand
won a silver medal, a first for China.
In 1947, Hongxiang again attracted attention
with a cloak it made, with embroidered flowers
in golden thread, for Queen Elizabeth.
Over the years, Hongxiang came to be recog-
nized widely as a trusted choice for high-end,
tailor-made garments. In 1993, it expanded
to a department store, becoming Shanghai鈥檚
version of Harrods.
But in later years, the brand began to falter
because of competition from foreign fashion
houses, careless management and a failure to
modernize marketing. It was part of a general
demise of quality tailors in China.
In 2008, Hongxiang lost its premium loca-
only a small store on Shaanxi Road N. and a
workshop tucked away in a residential com-
plex on Haifang Road.
Still, its allure as a quality brand is not all
forgotten. Hongxiang retains a following of
loyal, upmarket customers who still value
good tailoring and design.
age,鈥?explained senior tailor Chen Jian, 58.
鈥淭hey know our quality and they trust us.
They will come from time to time and sup-
port us. Every month, we sell clothes valued
at about 200,000 yuan (US$30,218).鈥?
In September, Chen was honored one of the
94 鈥淪hanghai standouts鈥?under a campaign
Jing鈥檃n C3
100 Years of Hongxiang
Hongxiang鈥檚 history: from a
small tailor shop to a once re-
nowned department store.
1928
Model team
Song sisters
1950s
1987
by the Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions to
single out 1,000 exemplary workers. 1997
Hongxiang is seeking to revive its fortunes
by doing what it does best 鈥?fine handmade
鈥淲e decided to hold a grand fashion show
after so many years to spark some publicity,鈥?creating new Chinese fashion and beyond. It redefined the said Ni Hua, deputy Party chief of Hongxiang.
鈥淲e want to show that our tailors are innova-
tive and can adapt to modern trends.鈥? one-piece dress that was highly praised by
For Chen, the only dress of value is one made
by hand. He has devoted 40 years to honing
his skills and putting his passion into fashion.
Some may view cutting, sewing and fitting as a
boring sort of job, but Chen said he finds great
satisfaction and enjoyment in his work.
鈥淵es, it鈥檚 nothing special,鈥?he said of his
skill. 鈥淏ut if you indulge yourself in the world
of cutting and sewing, you will be amazed by
the beauty of change. It鈥檚 so exciting to face
a challenge, isn鈥檛鈥?it? I feel happiness beyond
description when I address challenge.鈥?
To make a perfect garment, Hongxiang tai-
lors require 26 body measurements and 30
techniques, which were listed as part of the
city鈥檚 鈥渋ntangible cultural heritage鈥?in June
2007. Among them, 鈥?D tailoring鈥?is what
made Hongxiang famous, and Chen is an ex-
pert in the practice.
Knowing how the body moves, he can shape
the cloth to the wearer so they appear as one.
He can also compensate for body flaws and
make wearers seem taller or shorter.
鈥淢any of my customers are older hunch-
backed women,鈥?he said. 鈥淭hey can鈥檛 find
suitable clothes at ready-to-wear stores, so
they turn to me.鈥? tion on the Nanjing Road W. Now, it operates
Chen also mentors young people in tailor-
ing. He has taught more than 20 students.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have many young customers, and
we also lack young tailors,鈥?he said. 鈥淲e have
to introduce new blood to our workshop. We
need people to carry on the old skills, and
we also want young ideas on creating new
fashions in tune with the times.鈥? 鈥淭hey became our customers at a young
Hongxiang recruits saleswomen who can
speak English and Japanese fluently to better
serve foreign customers.
After the fashion show, Hongxiang鈥檚 parent
company, the Kaikai Group, announced it will
set up a 1 million yuan foundation to help
promote venerable brands.