'Style Radar' is our monthly look at the latest shopping arrivals in Beijing.
Primate Tunes
For a Year of the Monkey-themed Covet this month, we’ve picked two items that should be on your list of ape-inspired must-haves to welcome the New Year in style. First up: these special-edition Solo2 Wireless headphones from Beats by Dre. Internationally renowned Taiwanese-American artist James Jean is the man behind the design, which features artwork based on the proverb of the three monkeys who ‘hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.’ Jean flips the concept on its head, “reinterpreting how the primates see, hear and communicate in a modern context.” The result? Some pretty sick headsets for your jungle music. RMB2,288.
Monkey Business
If you failed at the whole New Year resolution thing last month, fret not: Chinese New Year is your second chance. Kick it off in an organized fashion by writing your resolutions in the Shanghai Tang x Moleskine Year of the Monkey 12-month planner. Featuring Feng Shui tips, 2016 horoscopes, a Chinese almanac created by a real master and a few other ape bits, this neat little diary is something you’ll go bananas for. Best yet, it comes in two covers: one with a beautiful pattern of little monkeys (our favorite), the other with the Chinese character for ape (猴, hou) and three embossed monkeys inspired by the famous proverbial principle. Not a believer in resolutions? Get it anyway. You’ll have a great time noting down how quickly your friends abandon theirs. RMB345-415.
Creative Cool
Tired of IKEA’s run-of-the-mill stuff? So are we. That’s why we dig Form Maker, and so should you. A Shanghai-based creative design studio led by Australian interior designer Kira Pan, the venture produces furniture and homeware using renewable cardboard material, ecologically friendly packaging and, in the company’s own words: “a positive state of mind.” This approach to design translates into a broad range of products for both home and office that are oh-so-clever and full-on ‘green’ – always a plus in our books. Crafted in the company’s workshop, each Form Maker item showcases strong geometric lines and playful structures, spanning bookcases, jigsaw-like coasters and hexagon-shaped penholder sets that can be stacked whichever way you want. Clever decor in a nutshell. Prices start at RMB20 for a coaster, up to RMB320 for ‘Test Tube’ vases.
Under the Lens: OgilvyOne x WildAid (and a Bunch of Celebs)
What do an international communication agency, a conservation organization and Li Bingbing have in common? A (very powerful) pro-bono campaign.
‘Nail Biters,’ a co-operation between OgilvyOne and WildAid, has enlisted celebrities like Li, Cheng Kun and Richard Branson to take a stand against the purchase of rhino horns, which, in China, are believed to have medicinal properties. Across multiple social media platforms, famous and regular people can take a stand to say no to the trade. Ads on both Weibo and WeChat feature stars biting their nails alongside the message: “Rhino horn has nothing your own nails don’t have.” Which is true, by the way – rhino horn is made of keratin, the same protein that makes up our own nails and hair. Would you buy that for USD65,000 a kilo? Didn’t think so.
Follow the campaign on Weibo with the hashtag #Eat your nails, not rhino horn# (#啃指甲救犀牛#), or on WeChat by creating your own 'nail-biting' poster with a selfie, which you can then post as an invitation for friends to participate.
Overheard
“They are traveling. They have their mobile phones. They get all of this information and you have to continue feeding them information about the brand”
Sidney Toledano, Dior Chief Executive Officer, on the unstoppable, uncontainable, uncontrollable numbers of Chinese buyers traveling, spending and splurging around the globe. Toledano was in Beijing in December for the opening of a new Peter Marino-designed flagship boutique in the China World Mall – already home to many high-end fashion houses. For the occasion, Dior held an ‘exclusive’ 700-guest party and fashion show, and Toledano paid painstaking attention to emphasizing just how important Chinese fans are to the brand – to the point that some of his statements made him sound stressed out about Mainland customers. “You have to be able to provide the best service for the best products, and it is challenging given the level of information Chinese customers expect,” he said. Relax Sidney. They're just shoppers.
Have a new store opening or fashion line coming out? Send your tips to our Life/Style editor Marianna Cerini at mariannacerini@urbanatomy.com with the subject 'Style Radar.'
For past editions of Style Radar, click here.
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