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National cultural heritage tailor shop hopes on crafting a comeback
By Shi Xiaohan |
July 27, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ZHEN Xing Xiang, a traditional Chinese tailor shop in Hangzhou, is famous for custom-made qipao, silk coats and silk winter jackets. With unique skills and techniques, the brand has gone through glorious periods in the past, but also run into difficulties at home and abroad. Recently listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, the shop is preparing an ambitious return to its homeland market.
Like most renowned old brands in China, Zhen Xing Xiang has struggled hard to keep traditions alive in the face of ups and downs in history.
The shop was opened in 1932 by Weng Taixiao, a tailor who had just finished his apprenticeship with the most famous designer in Hangzhou at that time. With fresher designs but uncompromised quality, his store became quite popular with upper-class customers and expanded to three branches in the following year.
This fast development was interrupted by the Japanese invasion, but quickly restored after the war. In 1954, the store was confiscated as state property with its owner Weng becoming the technical consultant.
The shop was nearly devastated by the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) when traditional Chinese clothes were considered indecent and obsolete. Tailors from Zhen Xing Xiang, however, kept the traditional skills alive by making clothes in alternative styles. Zhen Xing Xiang claims to be the only tailor shop in China whose handmade techniques survived the "cultural revolution."
To seek new ways to compensate for losses during the cultural revolution, the factory started to increase exports when China adopted the opening-up policy in 1978.
The clothes became popular with overseas Chinese quickly. At the same time, the long-oppressed and accumulated desire of beautiful traditional clothes exploded in China in the late 1980s.
"People lined up in front of Zhen Xing Xiang for customized clothing. Everyday, only 20 people could get their sizes measured. Those who stood in the front of the line could actually sell their position for more or less the same price as the clothes they made," said Li Zhenghua, a 62-year-old Hangzhou resident and a regular buyer of Zhen Xing Xiang's customized clothes.
The popularity in the domestic market did not last long as China was continuing to open up to the Western world. In the early 1990s, Western styles considered more fashionable in China started dominating Chinese closets.
"Since then, over 95 percent of our profits were made from export," said Bao Wenqi, director of Zhen Xing Xiang.
The export market kept growing as China became more internationalized. "After the return of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, Westerners started to do business with us. They sell our clothes as party costumes in their own countries. Before that, we exported only to overseas Chinese," explained Bao.
Most of the clothes are sold at 2,000-3,000 yuan (US$319-465) in the United States and Europe, leaving Zhen Xing Xiang enough margin for profit.
However, as the world has been suffering from financial crisis and economic downturns since 2008, Zhen Xing Xiang's business has dropped severely.
"We relied too much on the Western markets. It gives us a headache right now as the Western economies are still in trouble," Bao said. After waiting for two years for the revival of Western markets, Bao started planning Zhen Xing Xiang's return to the domestic market.
Bao found it difficult to bring the brand back to its homeland. The clothes appeal only to older people in China who have more traditional taste for styles and care more about quality and materials. The market, however, is shrinking quickly.
To appeal to younger consumers, designers at Zhen Xing Xiang have to adopt more fashion sense into the traditional clothes. "To be innovative, we collect fashion news everyday and try to integrate the newest trends into the costumes we make," said Chen Lan, a designer who joined Zhen Xing Xiang in 1995.
To make Zhen Xing Xiang's comeback a success, Bao changed its target to the high-end market. "Zhen Xing Xiang had always been a high-quality designer store since its debut. We are trying to bring that glorious past back," Bao said. Handmade clothes by Zhen Xing Xiang have attracted many big-name customers such as Yao Ming. It also supplied Chinese-style coats to foreign leaders attending the Bo'ao Forum for Asia.
Bao is planning a factory-store-museum project to show visitors the beauty of traditional Chinese clothes as well as the process of making them.
Bao wants it to be a destination for tourists and a place to promote and sell Zhen Xing Xiang products.
"Being listed as a national heritage is good news for us," said Bao. "It means our traditional techniques are going to get national attention and protection." Right now Bao is applying for land to build his dream store and trying to make the grand comeback of Zhen Xing Xiang a turning point in its history.
Like most renowned old brands in China, Zhen Xing Xiang has struggled hard to keep traditions alive in the face of ups and downs in history.
The shop was opened in 1932 by Weng Taixiao, a tailor who had just finished his apprenticeship with the most famous designer in Hangzhou at that time. With fresher designs but uncompromised quality, his store became quite popular with upper-class customers and expanded to three branches in the following year.
This fast development was interrupted by the Japanese invasion, but quickly restored after the war. In 1954, the store was confiscated as state property with its owner Weng becoming the technical consultant.
The shop was nearly devastated by the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) when traditional Chinese clothes were considered indecent and obsolete. Tailors from Zhen Xing Xiang, however, kept the traditional skills alive by making clothes in alternative styles. Zhen Xing Xiang claims to be the only tailor shop in China whose handmade techniques survived the "cultural revolution."
To seek new ways to compensate for losses during the cultural revolution, the factory started to increase exports when China adopted the opening-up policy in 1978.
The clothes became popular with overseas Chinese quickly. At the same time, the long-oppressed and accumulated desire of beautiful traditional clothes exploded in China in the late 1980s.
"People lined up in front of Zhen Xing Xiang for customized clothing. Everyday, only 20 people could get their sizes measured. Those who stood in the front of the line could actually sell their position for more or less the same price as the clothes they made," said Li Zhenghua, a 62-year-old Hangzhou resident and a regular buyer of Zhen Xing Xiang's customized clothes.
The popularity in the domestic market did not last long as China was continuing to open up to the Western world. In the early 1990s, Western styles considered more fashionable in China started dominating Chinese closets.
"Since then, over 95 percent of our profits were made from export," said Bao Wenqi, director of Zhen Xing Xiang.
The export market kept growing as China became more internationalized. "After the return of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, Westerners started to do business with us. They sell our clothes as party costumes in their own countries. Before that, we exported only to overseas Chinese," explained Bao.
Most of the clothes are sold at 2,000-3,000 yuan (US$319-465) in the United States and Europe, leaving Zhen Xing Xiang enough margin for profit.
However, as the world has been suffering from financial crisis and economic downturns since 2008, Zhen Xing Xiang's business has dropped severely.
"We relied too much on the Western markets. It gives us a headache right now as the Western economies are still in trouble," Bao said. After waiting for two years for the revival of Western markets, Bao started planning Zhen Xing Xiang's return to the domestic market.
Bao found it difficult to bring the brand back to its homeland. The clothes appeal only to older people in China who have more traditional taste for styles and care more about quality and materials. The market, however, is shrinking quickly.
To appeal to younger consumers, designers at Zhen Xing Xiang have to adopt more fashion sense into the traditional clothes. "To be innovative, we collect fashion news everyday and try to integrate the newest trends into the costumes we make," said Chen Lan, a designer who joined Zhen Xing Xiang in 1995.
To make Zhen Xing Xiang's comeback a success, Bao changed its target to the high-end market. "Zhen Xing Xiang had always been a high-quality designer store since its debut. We are trying to bring that glorious past back," Bao said. Handmade clothes by Zhen Xing Xiang have attracted many big-name customers such as Yao Ming. It also supplied Chinese-style coats to foreign leaders attending the Bo'ao Forum for Asia.
Bao is planning a factory-store-museum project to show visitors the beauty of traditional Chinese clothes as well as the process of making them.
Bao wants it to be a destination for tourists and a place to promote and sell Zhen Xing Xiang products.
"Being listed as a national heritage is good news for us," said Bao. "It means our traditional techniques are going to get national attention and protection." Right now Bao is applying for land to build his dream store and trying to make the grand comeback of Zhen Xing Xiang a turning point in its history.
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