Angel Chen: Breaking the young designer's brand and the curse

After the show in Prada, no matter who it is, it will be under tremendous pressure. However, the young Chinese designer Angel Chen's Milan debut was arranged at this time point, which is both an opportunity and a challenge. However, she is not worried at all. In addition to all aspects of support and encouragement, the 25-year-old designer has achieved the best in his ability.

With the support of the Mercedes-Benz 2017 International Designer Exchange Program, Chen Anqi, a graduate of the Central Saint Martin Fashion Bachelor, stood out from the long list of candidates and eventually joined the other designer Vivetta Ponti in Milan. Opportunity to showcase on Fashion Week and China International Fashion Week official calendar. Previously, Wang Yutao, Fan Ran, Simon Gao, and XiaoLi were the participants of the project, and they were exhibited in fashion weeks such as London, New York, Berlin, and Milan.

“I received the notice when I received the competition in October last year,” Chen Anqi told BoF: “The results were released at the end of November and I was honored to be selected for the Mercedes-Benz 2017 International Designer Exchange Program. From the early stage of determining the official schedule, arranging travel, finalizing the cooperative stylist, casting director, show layout to the invitation to the media and opinion leaders, all can think of the best, Mercedes-Benz has arranged."

AngelChen2017 Fall Winter Collection Inspiration

Chen Anqi from Shenzhen, China, has a strong interest in fashion since childhood. “Our family is doing the paint industry. My father was coloring in the lab when he was young, and he loves photography and art. I think I have inherited the genes that my father is very sensitive to color,” she said, choosing to go to Central Saint Martin. Reading, it’s all because of John Galliano: “In junior high school, because I chose to be a fashion designer, I chose my alma mater, Central Saint Martin. I am still amazed by his work to this day.”

Chen Anqi is a bit like John Galliano, and both of them and their designs have a clear recognition. Especially after shaving her long hair, in the eyes of some young Chinese, she is a fashion symbol. “The hair is nothing more than decoration. Without modification, it can now face up to its perfection and imperfection, but it is easy and comfortable.” She said: “Find your own style and play to the extreme. Because it is a personal brand, I am in the brand. There are a lot of personal preferences in the image, such as never being black and white, full of rebellious punk feelings, Japanese violent subculture. These are often related to my own experience, but I will show it in a more modern way."

For the upcoming autumn/winter 2017 collection, she said: “In the autumn and winter, I created a modern tribe that speaks the world's common language. I am born with a group of animals but I am free. I have traveled to Africa such as Morocco, Egypt, etc. several times. I feel the national customs personally. Therefore, this season I try to combine modern fashion with tribal culture to express his pioneering spirit of unlimited geographical and fearless time and space."

“The new series is based on Yoruba, Bamileke, Maori and other national costumes and colorful folk culture. I created a brand representative color. Hand-painted prints combined with hand-embroidered, tassel jacquard and warm faux fur," she said. Chen Anqi's designs in recent seasons have a rich source of inspiration. Its 2016 autumn and winter collections brought the subculture of the Japanese rioters back into fashion discussions. In the spring/summer 2017 series, she turned her attention to Shan Hai Jing and Bai Ghost Night, and the shrimp and crab will be transformed into gold and silver embroidery, and the dragons will go all the way.

Throughout its works since its debut, it has always had a neutral aesthetic. This is both a personal preference and a new growth point for her future business. “For me, gender is not as important in this era as it used to be. Modern women are independent and self-confident, don’t need to live with men, and there are so many fashionable and courageous women around them. Men don’t need a suit to be serious. It can also be as delicate and sensitive as women, and it is talented. Life should not be defined or not. I value the characteristics of each individual." She said: "My graduation series is about this topic. A discussion. The concept comes from a place in Africa that does not allow same-sex marriage. A pair of girl lovers break the tradition and the law of the grand wedding. Their friends are all gay men, come to the wedding from afar, and bring blessings from all over the world. ”

Consumers who appreciate and even purchase AngelChen products must also resonate with her values. In an interview with the media, the designer once said: "I feel that the customers wearing my clothes may be young and confident. I am very positive about my life and know that I want to do it in the future. What, very individual, even a bit rebellious. Its market is young, some people who are unwilling to work with ordinary things, and want to be their own. I think they are the group of people I want to serve, I I also hope they will like my things."

Chen Anqi's Jackets Exhibition in Shanghai

"In fact, from graduation to the present, I have a considerable number of men's wear every season. It is probably a series of windbreakers with strong cultural characteristics. I have done an exhibition in Shanghai before, integrating the windbreaker from spring to summer 2016 to spring and summer of 2017. After the ladder-shaped display, it looks like a windbreaker army, very domineering," she continued: "I first consider the windbreaker as our key product, and then develop the matching clothing to complete the product line. The release of this line Time is considered to be released during the over-series or menswear cycle where the buyer's budget is relatively generous."

The designer said that the market has eagerly responded to her products. “The growth rate in the first quarter or two is 100%. The growth in the last quarter and the previous quarter is relatively stable, and it is maintained at around 50%,” she said. “This season, due to the support of Mercedes-Benz, it is estimated that there will be a qualitative leap. Increasing media and The exposure of international buyers is believed to be helpful in broadening the sales channels. There are new important buyers who have already met with us.” Currently, AngelChen has more than 30 sales outlets around the world, including many pillars, H.lorenzo, Well-known retailers such as Excelsior, Lane Crawford, IT, 10CorsoComo, Isetan, BeamsInternationalGallery and UrbanOutfitters. The annual sales of the brand is about RMB 5 million, which is a high level among the young designers of the same generation. Most British young designer brands can only see this number when they see this number.

The secret to maintaining rapid growth, in Chen Anqi's view, in addition to creative novelty, the price of the product, the sale rate (SellThroughRate) and on-time delivery are also key. “Ultimately they will affect sales in the next season,” she said. “With the advice of Tasha (Liu Xinyi) and Justin (Peng Yaodong), we made detailed product brochures for important stores, even with videos, to the store. Sales training, communication with frontline sales, understanding of the market, and improvement of the next season's design. This series of measures has greatly increased the sales rate, and important stores can reach 70% to 80% before discount. In addition, we will be based on different regions and markets. Sales status: Develop sales plans and measures, prepare stocks for re-sales, etc. Currently, we are preparing for the Spring/Summer 2017 collection."

“Of course, our sales have always been inseparable from our reasonable pricing,” she continued. “I will first price according to my own consumption level and refer to international e-commerce platforms such as Farfetch, Net-a-Porter, Lyst, similar products. The price range is finally fine-tuned according to the cost. Some products have low cost and high profit, but some products cost 600 to 700 yuan per meter. In order to let good products circulate in the market, as long as they don’t lose money, I hope they can Seen by more people. Customers will see the designer's conscience."

AngelChen's Spring/Summer 2017 collection is on display at the window of the UrbanOutfitters flagship store on Oxford Street, London.

To be on time, you need to always screen better suppliers and producers. Many young designers have problems with factory delays or products that are not well off. Chen Anqi said: "My understanding is that the designer's own order is small, and it is difficult to produce. If through cooperative brands, such as Lipton, Sony, Lane Crawford, etc., develop exclusive products. Its orders are large and large. Production management will be easier. In addition, after several quarters, there have been plans to design, order, purchase, and production, so so far, although not perfect, there is no serious delay in delivery, and The production season is smoother than the season."

For the future commercial arrangement, Chen Anqi has a clear plan – to conduct cross-border cooperation internally; to expand the market externally. “In addition to the release and presentation of Milan Paris and Shanghai Fashion Week twice a year, we spend the rest of our time working on collaborative products and collections,” she said. “We are with brands like Sony, Lipton, Swarovski, Estee Lauder, Airbnb; buyers such as Lane Crawford, H. Lorenzo, Liger; or singer PetiteMeller and Zhang Jingxuan, Wang Xizhi and other cooperation. Help brand promotion, expand product categories, improve quality, and gain profits and then invest in team building. A virtuous circle, I will participate in more cooperation projects in various fields in the future."

“The current Chinese market has relatively stable growth and will spend more time focusing on the international market, especially the Japanese market. Our international showroom is headquartered in Tokyo. Every season, I will spend a week in Japan to finish intensively: visit Customers, fabrics, market research, visits to ready-to-wear exhibitions, discussion of crafts, determination of 70% of the entire collection of fabrics, and design of some styles." In addition, she will also increase investment in fabrics. “Before the release of Milan, we have determined to purchase Italian fabrics and materials to improve the overall product quality,” she said. In addition, her deep cooperation with Paris fabric supplier MalhiaKent will continue. “They are Chanel's rough suppliers and they are very expensive. After selecting the wool, fixing the color, discussing the weave, and going through a one-month proofing and adjustment, the design developed in cooperation with them is often the most exciting fabric in the next season. ”

Coincidentally, the designer’s most admired seniors came from Japan. “The birth of the pioneering brands such as COMMEDESGARÇONS, Issey Miyake, and Yohji Yamamoto is a real change, each with its own unique design language and system.” She told BoF: “I met the experienced 247Showroom in Milan. The manager, talking about Chinese designers, said that the works are very interesting at first, but which one is not behind the investors, eager to grow and expand rapidly. Without accurate brand positioning, the series is patched up and finally commercialized. Lost in the middle. COMMEDESGARÇONS has made a good balance between creativity and the steady growth of the company. Everyone saw it as an alternative design decades ago, and it is now widely accepted. And you will not question the creative height of their brand. This is what our young designers want to learn. I hope that through continuous learning and accumulation, we can grow into a brand that has a driving influence on China and even the world's fashion industry."

Chen Anqi and fashion show stylist AlessandraCorvasce

Of course, from life, production, sales to media propaganda, China is still the home base of this designer. “Our factory group on the Shanghai border has a complete and strong production chain and system, which is highly compatible with the production of my series and the production of large quantities,” she said. The Chinese sales manager TubeShowroom played a key role in the commercial growth of the AngelChen brand with the designer's creativity. They have been working together for four seasons. “In the earliest days, the head of Tube, ZemiraXu, spent a lot of time teaching us to make a linesheet, as well as about coding systems, payment methods, shipping methods, product categories and ratios, and production. Orders, forms**, even the knowledge of logistics, customs declaration, tax refunds, etc., the entire basic sales process, so that we have now formed our own system."

Looking forward to the next five years, from building teams, increasing sales points, in-depth orders, completing over-series/multi-line to self-built online stores, direct-operated stores and chain stores, Chen Anqi plans to “step by step, steady and steady”. As a hot potato, the capital naturally pursued her passionately. “There have always been some investors who are in contact, there are clothing companies, e-commerce, and investment companies. We are open-minded and understand the consultation. She responded. At this stage, she is optimistic about the future: "In fact, we have already broken the balance since the second quarter. Now it is the development stage. Immediately after the profit, we will invest in the team or development plan. There will be a second time in the future. The capital injection is expected to have a considerable profit after reaching the scale."