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For a long time， Chinese production has been synonymous with corner-cutting and cheap goods. Few Western luxury brands were willing to admit how much of their stock was manufactured there. However， that perception is slowly changing as many homegrown brands-high-end women’s label Uma Wang， Mary Ching shoes and Sept-wolves menswear， to name a few-focus on quality craftsmanship， often with a traditional bent and sophisticated designs.
These brands are starting to make inroads with the most fashion-forward of the country’s sizable luxury hungry population. “Younger Chinese women are very discerning and want things that others don’t have，” said Lionel Derimais， photographer and blogger who has charted the rise of such brands on his three-year-old site Nicely Made in China. “Everybody’s got a Louis Vuitton bag or a Gucci. These girls want something different and very often it’s a Chinese brand.”
“ln the first 30 years of economic development， we didn’t have the opportunity to pursue this desire. It was basic needs-no more hunger and cold，” explained Shang Xia’s CEO and artistic director Jiang Qiong Er. “Now we’ve started to go back to our cultural roots. In the last five years， people have realized the importance of creativity and quality in China.”
Driven by many of the same instincts as Ms. Jiang， Alison Yeung founded her luxury shoe line， Mary Ching， in Shanghai four years ago. The globe-trotting daughter of a former Cantonese diplomat is active and impassioned， like a stiletto-shod mash up of vintage Spice Girl and Manolo Blahnik. “My mission is to change the perceptions associated with ’made in China’，” she explained. “We source local materials， like water snake. My concept is 100% made in China.” She added， “lt’s the same as with Japan 50 years ago. Things made there were considered cheap and bad quality. Now they produce the best in the world.”
This nascent made-in-China pride reflects the cultural revolution currently under way in the world’s most populous nation. A great many of its white-collar workers under 35 are only children-the result of the country’s strict one-child policy enacted in 1979-with their disposable income boosted by gifts from doting families. “They’ve never known hardship， they’re fiercely nationalistic and very proud of the modern， emerging China taking its place on the global stage，” noted Nick Debnam， Asia Pacific chairman of financial advisory firm KPMG China， who has studied this phenomenon， “They now have money to spend， and they would like to associate with brands like Shang Xia.” China’s stylish new first lady， Peng Liyuan， wears mostly domestic labels， and has boosted their profile and profits much as first lady Michelle Obama’s cheerleading did for J. Crew and Jason Wu， One of Ms. Peng’s favorites is Exception de Mixmind， whose designer， Ma Ke， was invited in 2008 to present a collection at the haute couture shows in Paris. The brand now has 50 stores in China. Ms. Ma’s work is reminiscent of fashion-forward Western designers like Rick Owens and Dries Van Noten， but she uses traditional Chinese dyeing and weaving techniques.
The multimillion-dollar question， of course， is how to make product that appeals to both domestic and international sensibilities. Ms. Yeung， who was educated at English schools and attended London’s prestigious design school Central Saint Martins， makes it a point to emphasize the cross-cultural appeal of her designs. She said her shoes fuse Chinese opulence with British eccentricity. She devotes 10% of each collection to styles for Asian consumers， The rest of her wares are available world-wide.
Thirty-eight-year-old menswear brand Bosideng， which has more than 11，000 Chinese stores， is also making a big play for Western customers. The company recently opened a flagship， at a cost of over $50 million， on London’s South Molton Street. However， the product inside the London store is different from the label’s domestic range， and the logo is changed. That clothing， manufactured largely in Europe， is a pricier riff on Bosideng’s classic aesthetic， combining British tailoring with a few Chinese touches.
Soon， though， loyalists in China won’t need to book a ticket to Europe to browse the London store’s collection. Within two seasons， Bosideng will make the European designs available on its home shores-a unique instance of East-meets-West-meets-East-again.
長期以来，中国制造一直是偷工减料和廉价商品的同义词。过去，几乎没有哪个西方奢侈品品牌愿意承认自己有多少货品是在中国生产的。不过，随着很多中国本土品牌专注于高质量的做工，常集传统元素与精致的设计于一体，人们的这一观念正在慢慢改变——例如高端女装品牌王汁、女鞋品牌贞和男装品牌七匹狼等。
这些品牌逐渐开始吸引中国庞大的奢侈品消费群体中那些最前卫的时尚人士。摄影师、博主里昂耐尔·德里迈在其开设了三年的网站Nicely Made in China上记述了这类中国本土高端品牌的崛起：“年轻的中国女性非常有眼光，她们想要与众不同的东西。（这些女孩们）每个人都已有一个路易·威登或古驰的包包，她们想要与众不同的东西，而这些东西往往是中国品牌。”
“上下”的首席执行官及艺术总监蒋琼耳解释说：“经济发展的头30年，我们没有机会追求这样的愿望。当时我们只有基本的需求——不再挨饿受冻。如今我们开始回归我们的文化根源。在过去五年中，人们已经认识到创意和质量在中国的重要性。”
受到与蒋琼耳类似的一些本能的驱使，杨贞四年前在上海建立了自己的奢侈鞋类品牌“贞”。这个周游世界的前广东外交官的女儿精力充沛、充满激情，总是穿着细高跟鞋，结合了古典辣妹和莫罗·伯拉尼克的风格。她解释说：“我的使命是改变人们对‘中国制造’的印象，我们使用本土的材料，比如水蛇皮;我的理念是，100%的中国制造。”她补充说：“就像是50年前的日本一样，当时日本生产的产品被认为价格便宜、质量低下，而现在日本却在生产世界最好的产品。”
These brands are starting to make inroads with the most fashion-forward of the country’s sizable luxury hungry population. “Younger Chinese women are very discerning and want things that others don’t have，” said Lionel Derimais， photographer and blogger who has charted the rise of such brands on his three-year-old site Nicely Made in China. “Everybody’s got a Louis Vuitton bag or a Gucci. These girls want something different and very often it’s a Chinese brand.”
“ln the first 30 years of economic development， we didn’t have the opportunity to pursue this desire. It was basic needs-no more hunger and cold，” explained Shang Xia’s CEO and artistic director Jiang Qiong Er. “Now we’ve started to go back to our cultural roots. In the last five years， people have realized the importance of creativity and quality in China.”
Driven by many of the same instincts as Ms. Jiang， Alison Yeung founded her luxury shoe line， Mary Ching， in Shanghai four years ago. The globe-trotting daughter of a former Cantonese diplomat is active and impassioned， like a stiletto-shod mash up of vintage Spice Girl and Manolo Blahnik. “My mission is to change the perceptions associated with ’made in China’，” she explained. “We source local materials， like water snake. My concept is 100% made in China.” She added， “lt’s the same as with Japan 50 years ago. Things made there were considered cheap and bad quality. Now they produce the best in the world.”
This nascent made-in-China pride reflects the cultural revolution currently under way in the world’s most populous nation. A great many of its white-collar workers under 35 are only children-the result of the country’s strict one-child policy enacted in 1979-with their disposable income boosted by gifts from doting families. “They’ve never known hardship， they’re fiercely nationalistic and very proud of the modern， emerging China taking its place on the global stage，” noted Nick Debnam， Asia Pacific chairman of financial advisory firm KPMG China， who has studied this phenomenon， “They now have money to spend， and they would like to associate with brands like Shang Xia.” China’s stylish new first lady， Peng Liyuan， wears mostly domestic labels， and has boosted their profile and profits much as first lady Michelle Obama’s cheerleading did for J. Crew and Jason Wu， One of Ms. Peng’s favorites is Exception de Mixmind， whose designer， Ma Ke， was invited in 2008 to present a collection at the haute couture shows in Paris. The brand now has 50 stores in China. Ms. Ma’s work is reminiscent of fashion-forward Western designers like Rick Owens and Dries Van Noten， but she uses traditional Chinese dyeing and weaving techniques.
The multimillion-dollar question， of course， is how to make product that appeals to both domestic and international sensibilities. Ms. Yeung， who was educated at English schools and attended London’s prestigious design school Central Saint Martins， makes it a point to emphasize the cross-cultural appeal of her designs. She said her shoes fuse Chinese opulence with British eccentricity. She devotes 10% of each collection to styles for Asian consumers， The rest of her wares are available world-wide.
Thirty-eight-year-old menswear brand Bosideng， which has more than 11，000 Chinese stores， is also making a big play for Western customers. The company recently opened a flagship， at a cost of over $50 million， on London’s South Molton Street. However， the product inside the London store is different from the label’s domestic range， and the logo is changed. That clothing， manufactured largely in Europe， is a pricier riff on Bosideng’s classic aesthetic， combining British tailoring with a few Chinese touches.
Soon， though， loyalists in China won’t need to book a ticket to Europe to browse the London store’s collection. Within two seasons， Bosideng will make the European designs available on its home shores-a unique instance of East-meets-West-meets-East-again.
長期以来，中国制造一直是偷工减料和廉价商品的同义词。过去，几乎没有哪个西方奢侈品品牌愿意承认自己有多少货品是在中国生产的。不过，随着很多中国本土品牌专注于高质量的做工，常集传统元素与精致的设计于一体，人们的这一观念正在慢慢改变——例如高端女装品牌王汁、女鞋品牌贞和男装品牌七匹狼等。
这些品牌逐渐开始吸引中国庞大的奢侈品消费群体中那些最前卫的时尚人士。摄影师、博主里昂耐尔·德里迈在其开设了三年的网站Nicely Made in China上记述了这类中国本土高端品牌的崛起：“年轻的中国女性非常有眼光，她们想要与众不同的东西。（这些女孩们）每个人都已有一个路易·威登或古驰的包包，她们想要与众不同的东西，而这些东西往往是中国品牌。”
“上下”的首席执行官及艺术总监蒋琼耳解释说：“经济发展的头30年，我们没有机会追求这样的愿望。当时我们只有基本的需求——不再挨饿受冻。如今我们开始回归我们的文化根源。在过去五年中，人们已经认识到创意和质量在中国的重要性。”
受到与蒋琼耳类似的一些本能的驱使，杨贞四年前在上海建立了自己的奢侈鞋类品牌“贞”。这个周游世界的前广东外交官的女儿精力充沛、充满激情，总是穿着细高跟鞋，结合了古典辣妹和莫罗·伯拉尼克的风格。她解释说：“我的使命是改变人们对‘中国制造’的印象，我们使用本土的材料，比如水蛇皮;我的理念是，100%的中国制造。”她补充说：“就像是50年前的日本一样，当时日本生产的产品被认为价格便宜、质量低下，而现在日本却在生产世界最好的产品。”