Xu still has designs on shirts after 30 years
By Xu Wei |
December 25, 2012, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SENIOR fashion designer Xu Dingyu has devoted more than 30 years to designing and making men's shirts. She says it's not a profession that proves popular with young designers. Every year, she sees many talented young designers leaving but she perseveres.
As the chief designer of a Shanghai shirt factory, Xu has designed shirts for many state leaders of China including Jiang Zemin, the former president; Li Peng and Zhu Rongji, the former premiers; and Wu Bangguo, head of the National People's Congress, China's top law maker.
Influenced by her father, Xu decided to be a tailor at a young age. Her father used to be the manager of Great World Cloth Store. When Xu was a little girl, she often touched the fabric on the counter, imagining which pattern would be the most beautiful for her clothes.
In 1976, the then 22-year-old Xu left the Hongxing Farm in Chongming County and entered Shanghai Second Shirt Factory, which was renamed as Shanghai Conch Clothing Co Ltd in 1993. The factory is in Malu Town, Jiading District.
Though she had to learn from scratch, she was very excited.
The first thing Xu learned at the workshop was how to seal a sleeve vent with a sewing machine. It is the simplest part of making a shirt but it took her a month to grasp the skill.
Then she was taught how to make sleeves and cuffs. Finally she learned to make collars, the most difficult step of the process.
Owing to her outstanding performance, Xu was transferred to the technology department, and was sponsored by the factory to take a fashion design course in a vocational college. Later Xu continued her studies at the China Textile University.
Making samples
After her studies, Xu began to make shirt samples with two veteran tailors in her factory. She was in charge of the whole shirt-making process. She also set up the factory's first sample book by taking notes of all the production steps. At that time, most shirts the factory made were based on the samples provided by overseas clients. The factory didn't have its own brand.
In the early 1980s, a fabric supplier recommended a new soft and flower-patterned fabric to the factory to see if it could be made into women's shirts. Xu worked out a men's-style collar for the women's shirt and received high praise from the head of the factory.
Owing to its novel design, the new shirt was popular among the customers and proved to be a wedding necessity for fashionable young ladies at the time.
Two years later, Xu designed a new kind of Oxford shirt for men, which had four different colors including white, blue, light beige and grey. The shirt immediately brought new vitality to the shirt market which was formerly dominated by single-colored terylene shirt. People rushed to buy the new products. After that Xu developed a series of men's shirts such as woolen and metal woolen shirts, which could help wearers keep warm even in the chill of winter.
As an adage goes, without a dozen shirts, a white-collar man can't leave home. It demonstrates the importance of shirt for a man in his life and work. Since shirts are usually worn under suits, collar and cuffs are more likely to be noticed by people. Xu has made new changes to the collar and cuffs, adding new elements of decoration lines, strips and buttons.
Inspiring new designs
One of her designs was even inspired by a common sewing mistake - a floating thread in shirt stitches. By adjusting the tight-fit degree of bottom thread and upper thread, Xu managed to create a good and natural ornament for cuffs and collar. The new technique has been widely applied to many of her designs and has received a national invention patent.
The apparel industry has developed rapidly. But compared with the popularity of women's fashion, few people choose to be designers of men's clothing.
"There are few changes in patterns for men's clothing, particularly for men's shirts," Xu says with a sigh.
She has seen a lot of young designers leaving her factory because they haven't made a breakthrough in design.
However, Xu has been a designer for men's shirts for more than 30 years, winning over 40 invention patents. Every year she brings out 200-300 new types of shirts. Where does her inspiration come from? Xu says there is nothing but observation.
When she is on business trips abroad, she spends some time at airports and train stations to watch people passing by.
What interests her is how their shirts are made and what are the special design for the collar and cuffs. After the trips, Xu will put her ideas into practice.
Her perseverance has won wide recognition. As one of the best designers for men's shirts in Shanghai, Xu has designed shirts for a number of statesmen and celebrities in China.
In 1998, when then President Jiang was attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference and had a meeting with the President of the United States, he wore a tailor-made shirt designed by Xu. Her efforts won high praise.
As the chief designer of a Shanghai shirt factory, Xu has designed shirts for many state leaders of China including Jiang Zemin, the former president; Li Peng and Zhu Rongji, the former premiers; and Wu Bangguo, head of the National People's Congress, China's top law maker.
Influenced by her father, Xu decided to be a tailor at a young age. Her father used to be the manager of Great World Cloth Store. When Xu was a little girl, she often touched the fabric on the counter, imagining which pattern would be the most beautiful for her clothes.
In 1976, the then 22-year-old Xu left the Hongxing Farm in Chongming County and entered Shanghai Second Shirt Factory, which was renamed as Shanghai Conch Clothing Co Ltd in 1993. The factory is in Malu Town, Jiading District.
Though she had to learn from scratch, she was very excited.
The first thing Xu learned at the workshop was how to seal a sleeve vent with a sewing machine. It is the simplest part of making a shirt but it took her a month to grasp the skill.
Then she was taught how to make sleeves and cuffs. Finally she learned to make collars, the most difficult step of the process.
Owing to her outstanding performance, Xu was transferred to the technology department, and was sponsored by the factory to take a fashion design course in a vocational college. Later Xu continued her studies at the China Textile University.
Making samples
After her studies, Xu began to make shirt samples with two veteran tailors in her factory. She was in charge of the whole shirt-making process. She also set up the factory's first sample book by taking notes of all the production steps. At that time, most shirts the factory made were based on the samples provided by overseas clients. The factory didn't have its own brand.
In the early 1980s, a fabric supplier recommended a new soft and flower-patterned fabric to the factory to see if it could be made into women's shirts. Xu worked out a men's-style collar for the women's shirt and received high praise from the head of the factory.
Owing to its novel design, the new shirt was popular among the customers and proved to be a wedding necessity for fashionable young ladies at the time.
Two years later, Xu designed a new kind of Oxford shirt for men, which had four different colors including white, blue, light beige and grey. The shirt immediately brought new vitality to the shirt market which was formerly dominated by single-colored terylene shirt. People rushed to buy the new products. After that Xu developed a series of men's shirts such as woolen and metal woolen shirts, which could help wearers keep warm even in the chill of winter.
As an adage goes, without a dozen shirts, a white-collar man can't leave home. It demonstrates the importance of shirt for a man in his life and work. Since shirts are usually worn under suits, collar and cuffs are more likely to be noticed by people. Xu has made new changes to the collar and cuffs, adding new elements of decoration lines, strips and buttons.
Inspiring new designs
One of her designs was even inspired by a common sewing mistake - a floating thread in shirt stitches. By adjusting the tight-fit degree of bottom thread and upper thread, Xu managed to create a good and natural ornament for cuffs and collar. The new technique has been widely applied to many of her designs and has received a national invention patent.
The apparel industry has developed rapidly. But compared with the popularity of women's fashion, few people choose to be designers of men's clothing.
"There are few changes in patterns for men's clothing, particularly for men's shirts," Xu says with a sigh.
She has seen a lot of young designers leaving her factory because they haven't made a breakthrough in design.
However, Xu has been a designer for men's shirts for more than 30 years, winning over 40 invention patents. Every year she brings out 200-300 new types of shirts. Where does her inspiration come from? Xu says there is nothing but observation.
When she is on business trips abroad, she spends some time at airports and train stations to watch people passing by.
What interests her is how their shirts are made and what are the special design for the collar and cuffs. After the trips, Xu will put her ideas into practice.
Her perseverance has won wide recognition. As one of the best designers for men's shirts in Shanghai, Xu has designed shirts for a number of statesmen and celebrities in China.
In 1998, when then President Jiang was attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference and had a meeting with the President of the United States, he wore a tailor-made shirt designed by Xu. Her efforts won high praise.
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