Xie Zhi Zhang－Finding Where the Heart Belongs, Amidst the Flow of Tea
Zulu – A Quiet Day in the Shimmering Shanghai
We got to know Zulu through a friend in Shanghai. Back then, the only thing we knew about her was that she opened Quan Er, a Japanese homeware store, with her friends in a “longtang” (弄堂community alleyways) in Shanghai. Even before we got to meet each other, she had already sent a long, inviting email to share with us her life and her favorite places in Shanghai. Later, we realized that since its opening in 2013, Quan Er has been a legendary secret store very much talked-about in Shanghai’s art and design circle. In the fast-changing metropolis, the store is quietly reminding people of the beauty of life with its heartwarming homeware.
Written and Photographs by Kat Leung Read More
Moby－Creating Delicate Products with Slow Stitching
made by hand series —
Nowadays almost everything is mass-produced by machines. It happens so fast that we have almost forgotten the fine details of handmade goods. Fortunately, scattered about the city, some people are still following their hearts and insist on living a slow life, crafting handmade goods in opposition to the high speed lifestyle of the city. Moby is one of them. He established “Easy Company” to run his one-man business in a corner at his place. He insists on creating and selling his products—interesting new and old goods slowly crafted of recycled fabrics without any design sketches—all on his own.
For nine years, he has been sitting in front of his workbench every day, carefully choosing the right fabrics and stitching them into things like cloth bags, patchwork rugs, cushions, and aprons. He makes each of them like an art piece, taking his products to another level.
Written by Chia-hua Chiang / Photographs by Ivy Chen / Pictures: Moby Hsiao
Danielle Wu－Building a Sense of Intimacy with People, One Hat at a Time
made by hand series —
The first time we met Danielle in Shanghai was in her workroom, Studio Kreuzzz, fitted in Shanghai’s alleyways. The small, quiet and magical space was a stark difference to Shanghai’s ever-changing landscape. Shy and quiet at the beginning, the moment Danielle started talking about her hats, she looked like a child, eyes shining with excitement as she shared her hat stories and why she started making hats in China.
Written and Photographs by Kat Leung Read More
Nan Lang, Creating the Most Down-to-Earth Fashion Brand in China
When you talk about Chinese fashion, the first thing that comes to mind is Dong Liang— the pioneer of select shop in China which showcase local up-and-coming fashion design. In a time when everyone else was following Western fashion houses, Dong Liang strived to discover local designers with great potential—helping them sell, promote and even step onto the international stage. As one of the founders of Dong Liang, Nan Lang used to be a graphic designer and founded Dong Liang in Beijing by chance. From the beginning, he was in charge of creating the brand’s design, image and also the shop’s interior and visual displays. This time, we met with Nan Lang in Shanghai, not to talk about fashion, but to talk about the story behind his old house in Shanghai and his life as Dong Liang continues to expand and grow.
Nan Lang looks like a very serious person. Even when he’s talking, when he’s working in the stores, nobody dares to talk to him, some are even afraid of him. This time, we met up in Dong Liang’s latest Shanghai store in Chang-Le Road, where the fashion house occupies an old, whole story house. As soon as he walks into the store, Nan Lang heads toward the kitchen and starts making coffee for us while chatting the whole time. Then he moves a couple chairs into the garden, sits under the warm sunlight and starts talking about the house itself.
Written and Photographs by Kat Leung
Wallis + Kongkee－Living an Ideal Life in Hong Kong
Getting things done in Hong Kong isn’t easy; if you want to open a shop, the rent is always too high; if you want to focus on your creative work, bringing home the bread can also be a big problem. Yet Wallis and Kongkee, a couple living under such harsh reality, continue to follow their hearts by living and working the way they want. As a former glamorous fashion buyer, Wallis has chosen to forage into a tiny, sparsely populated village in the New Territories area, to open a homeware store; while Kongkee has weathered the ups and downs of Hong Kong’s comics market and still insists upon preserving his local-style illustrations. After his authentic Hong Kong-style work caught the eye of British rock band, Blur, Kongkee was asked to create a truly Hong Kong-style comic story for the band’s music album. Their stories might not sound as extravagant as others, but it’s a testimony to the fact that, in Hong Kong, with a little bit more courage and perseverance, you can always move a tiny step closer to your ideal life.
Written and Photographs by Kat Leung Read More
Alfie Lin－Follow Nature and Find the Beauty of Taiwan
On a sunny day, we followed Taipei-based floral artist Alfie Lin to his private guesthouse Shu Shu. On the way to Jiufen, a popular, photogenic mountain town outside of Taipei, we didn’t run into the flood of tourist nor the infamous capricious local weather. We followed a small and quiet path and walked up to the old house hidden in the mountain. On seeing Shu Shu, we immediately understood how it gained its poetic name—sunshine sifted through fragrant osmanthus trees by the window lit up the space. There seems to be this calming, magical power in the air at Shu Shu, just like Alfie Lin’s floral art, which discovers the beauty of common life. Shu Shu is a place where you won’t want to leave once sitting down. It is not only the new start for Alfie’s return to life in the mountains, but also his practice of beauty in Taiwan.
Written by Kat Leung / Photographs by Ivy Chen / Translation by Gladys Tsai