Threads of a wizard
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A model displays garments from Shangguan Zhe's 2013 autumn/winter collection. Photos Provided to China Daily |
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In 2010, Vogue China launched The Vogue Talents Corner, which sells products from designers it rates as the most creative young talents in China. Shangguan was chosen for the new platform.
Shangguan says Ze is commercially successful now. Though not revealing specifics of Ze's sales, he says the brand has been growing in sales during the past six years, and it has met his expectations. In the future, he will focus more on the new higher-end brand Sankuanz.
"I will not do haute couture, and will put my effort on Sankuanz ready-to-wear. Now, I don't have financial burdens, so for me, the only difficulty is to find inspiration for my design," he says.
Sankuanz, after the buzz from Shanghai Fashion Week, is popular among the top fashionistas. Buyers from well-established shopping malls around the world have purchased garments from this collection. Now they are available in Joyce in Hong Kong and Rei Kawakubo in Japan.
Shangguan says he likes Kawakubo. "Her creations are simple, elegant, yet very imaginative," he says.
As the night falls, Shangguan leaves the hotel pub for the award ceremony. When he walks through the bar, many businessmen with serious faces stop chatting and look at him, or the weird robe he is wearing. Like it or not, Shuangguan is a magnet for attention.
