Timothy Parent is the founder of China Fashion Bloggers and has been working with some of China's best designers and brands since 2009. In his Fashion Column for That’s, he writes about the latest trends in the Middle Kingdom's emerging fashion scene.
In a Chinese language article in 2013, the New York
Times likened Xiamen and its fashion designers to
the Antwerp Six, labeling them the “Xiamen Gang.”
Last June, WWD reported on Xiamen’s intentions to
become “China’s New Fashion Hub” and in July, the
Business of Fashion introduced us yet again to the
idea of a “Xiamen Fashion Gang.” But is such a label
accurate or even necessary?
The answer is a resounding NO.
Geert Bruloot, a friend of the Belgian designers, famously noted, “As they could not pronounce [the designers’] names, they just started calling [them] the Antwerp Six.” Those were names like Ann Demeulemeester, Dries van Noten and Walter van Beirendonck. Names of designers in Xiamen, like Shangguan Zhe, Liu Xiaolu, and Wan Yifang are no less difficult to pronounce. But the similarities between the two groups end there, and that is no reason to give them a collective moniker.
Let’s briefly compare and contrast. The Antwerp Six all graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts between 1980 and 1981 under the direction of Linda Loppa, whereas the “Xiamen Gang” were educated around the world and come from a variety of creative backgrounds. The Antwerp Six got their break at the same time when they all traveled to London in a van in 1986, the Chinese designers have all forged their own paths to success separately. And aesthetically, there was a certain thread that ran through the approach and philosophies of the Belgians, whereas their Chinese counterparts have distinct aesthetics and perspectives on fashion.
Sankuanz is known for his laidback but simultaneously aggressive streetwear, whereas you won’t find a more refined designer than Ms Min. Deepmoss is romantic, natural and pure, while Xiamen’s newest designer transplant Vega Zaishi Wang is experimental and loves to reference various subcultures.
In Vega’s work, you’ll find her proclivity for nature, and how that affected her decision to move from Beijing to this clean and serene island-city. “Xiamen is a much better environment for not only working, but also living. Even though there may not be the same art, music, or fashion scenes that there are in Beijing, nature can be even more beneficial to a designer than all of those things because it makes us happier. If I am happier, then I will be a better designer.”
And this seems to be the only thing that connects all of these designers. They all agreed that Xiamen is a great place to live, and that the positive effects that the environment has had on them means that they are happier and thus better able to create.
So having the same profession in the same geographic location (in addition to difficult-to-pronounce names) shouldn’t be enough of a reason to group together such an aesthetically diverse group of designders that hail from a variety of creative backgrounds.
China should no longer have to define itself in relation to the West or in comparison to that of which we already know. China and its creative talents should be recognized for their own merits, and on their own terms. It is, after all, 2017.
Timothy Parent is the founder of chinafashionbloggers.com. See more of his Fashion Columns.
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