Xia Guoxin -...
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10 ❘ lifestyle CONTACT US AT: 8351-9186, [email protected] Fri/Sat/Sun September 22~24, 2017 Debra Li [email protected] SINCE getting his company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2015, Xia Guoxin has expanded his fashion empire in stride after stride. Within two years, his Shenzhen-based Ellassay has purchased German brand Laurèl, U.S. trendy brand Ed Hardy, French brand IRO and U.S. designer brand Vivienne Tam. He also acquired Buy Quickly, a solutions provider operating online shops for established apparel brands. “It’s never easy to be in this fiercely- competitive industry,” said the designer- turned-entrepreneur who will turn 49 next month. “For startups, they are just three months away from bankruptcy. If your products don’t sell this season, you will be pushed out of the market in the next. In this industry, you’re always racing against time.” But Xia also sees big opportunities. “In the upgrading of domestic consumption, a driving force for today’s Chinese econ- omy, getting better dressed is definitely an indispensable part.” Of all the brands under his flag, Xia views Ellassay, which he founded in 1996, as the cornerstone of his empire. “Today’s customers want to look young and value individuality. Therefore, it’s important to come up with unique designs with an ageless look.” Ellassay’s 2018 spring/summer series, which will hit the runway in Milan next Monday, sport a futuristic look featuring oversized shirts, business-casual suits and elegant dresses made from high-tech fabrics. “Garments are primar- ily merchandise, not art pieces. Popular trending elements are embraced by all designers. Never- theless, it’s essential to keep one’s own unique features, that is, the DNA of a brand, rather than get lost and pack all trending elements into your design.” Xia thinks it’s most important that a brand finds its own personality. “You need to focus instead of trying to woo the whole world. For example, Zara and Uniqlo, two brands with the biggest sales revenues, target totally different groups. Those who love Zara think Uniqlo too basic and unattractive, while Uniqlo fans think Zara too cheap and low- quality. You have to decide who your customers are and make sure they love you.” A graduate of fashion design from Tianjin Institute of Textile Science and Technology, Xia also has an EMBA degree from the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). He basically thinks of him- self as a designer. “Designers are the soul of the fashion industry,” he said. “Instead of spending on ad campaigns, I’d rather pay generously to my designers.” There are more than 10,000 registered Chinese apparel brands in the market, which Xia thinks is “too much.” “Compared with interna- tional brands, our advantage lies in the fact that we know more about our clients. “Asians are different from Caucasians in many ways, from complextions to leg-to-body ratios. That said, we will make adjustments when introducing foreign brands and working with Western designers.” In time, China will have its own top global brands, he said, only it takes time and more attention paid to details. Xia also offers some insights into the fashion industry: Xia Guoxin: designing a fashion empire Fashion weeks Fashion weeks will attract a lot of limelight, fashionistas and industry insiders to a single city. But many Chinese cities do not have the resources to organize a successful event, so they are not doing it the professional way. With a mature fashion industry cluster and many local brands, Shenzhen’s fashion week is one of China’s best. Cooperating with New York-based IMG, Shenzhen Fashion Week is going in the right direction. The four global fashion weeks each have their unique orienta- tion: New York is commercial; Paris is artistic; Milan focuses on craft; and London is avant-garde. Domestic fashion week organizers need to understand their own take and differentiate themselves. Young designers With the Internet providing more channels for promotion and retail, young independent designers have better opportuni- ties than their predecessors. They are given more attention, as the media sometimes brands them as a group. But many of them will face bottleneck in their growth, as they lack the ability to run a brand successfully, which may require experience in branding and channel and supply chain management. Partnerships can be a viable choice. They can work with management profes- sionals and focus on designing themselves. A S much as we might spend half our lives chasing a pay rise, it turns out that it’s all been for nothing. Well, not quite noth- ing, because we can’t pay the bills with sunshine and laughter, but it seems there are things that affect our happi- ness more than our income. A new study commissioned by Sainsbury’s and developed by Oxford Economics and the National Center or Social Research in the United Kingdom found that sleep and sex make the big- gest difference to our happiness levels. And even quadrupling our income made less of a difference than getting enough sleep and having enough sex. Who knew? The survey polled 8,250 people and found that the average person has a Living Well score of 62.2. Those who were happy with their sex lives scored seven points higher than those who were unhappy. In an even bigger jump, people who got the most sleep were found to be 15 points above those who struggle to sleep. In comparison, a household income jump from US$16,800 to US$67,500 only resulted in an average growth of two points. Unsurprisingly, the happiest people are the older generation, and people with young kids. So, basically those who can afford to own a house and eat avocados — unlike us millennials, who have to do with one or the other. But while everyone says that getting on the property ladder is the first step to happiness, the study found that there was no difference between renting and owning, when it came to the Living Well score. The saddest people were in their 30- 40s and had no children. They were found to be generally less satisfied with their sex lives, and had weaker support networks. Other important factors were living in a strong community, the health of close relatives and job security. (SD-Agencies) Sex and sleep affect your happiness more than money
Transcript of Xia Guoxin -...
10 x lifestyleCONTACT US AT: 8351-9186, [email protected]
Fri/Sat/Sun September 22~24, 2017
Debra [email protected]
SINCE getting his company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 2015, Xia Guoxin has expanded his fashion empire in stride after stride. Within two years, his Shenzhen-based Ellassay has purchased German brand Laurèl, U.S. trendy brand Ed Hardy, French brand IRO and U.S. designer brand Vivienne Tam. He also acquired Buy Quickly, a solutions provider operating online shops for established apparel brands.
“It’s never easy to be in this fi ercely-competitive industry,” said the designer-turned-entrepreneur who will turn 49 next month.
“For startups, they are just three months away from bankruptcy. If your products don’t sell this season, you will be pushed out of the market in the next. In this industry, you’re always racing against time.”
But Xia also sees big opportunities. “In the upgrading of domestic consumption, a driving force for today’s Chinese econ-omy, getting better dressed is defi nitely an indispensable part.”
Of all the brands under his fl ag, Xia views Ellassay, which he founded in 1996, as the cornerstone of his empire. “Today’s customers want to look young and value individuality. Therefore, it’s important to come up with unique
designs with an ageless look.”Ellassay’s 2018 spring/summer
series, which will hit the runway in Milan next Monday, sport a futuristic look featuring oversized shirts, business-casual suits and elegant dresses made from high-tech fabrics.
“Garments are primar-ily merchandise, not art pieces. Popular trending elements are embraced by all designers. Never-theless, it’s essential to keep one’s own unique features, that is, the DNA of a brand, rather than get lost and pack all trending elements into your design.”
Xia thinks it’s most important that a brand fi nds its own personality. “You need to focus instead of trying to woo the whole world. For example, Zara and Uniqlo, two brands with the biggest sales revenues, target totally different groups. Those who love Zara think Uniqlo too basic and unattractive, while Uniqlo fans think Zara too cheap and low-quality. You have to decide who your customers are and make sure they love you.”
A graduate of fashion design from Tianjin Institute of Textile Science and Technology, Xia also has an EMBA degree from the China
Europe International Business School (CEIBS).
He basically thinks of him-self as a designer. “Designers are the soul of the fashion industry,” he said. “Instead of spending on ad campaigns, I’d rather pay generously to my designers.”
There are more than 10,000 registered Chinese
apparel brands in the market, which Xia thinks is “too much.”
“Compared with interna-tional brands, our advantage lies in the fact that we know more about our clients.
“Asians are different from Caucasians in many ways, from complextions to leg-to-body ratios. That said, we will make adjustments when introducing
foreign brands and working with Western designers.”
In time, China will have its own top global brands, he said, only it takes time and more attention paid to details.
Xia also offers some insights into the fashion industry:
Xia Guoxin: designing a fashion empire
Fashion weeksFashion weeks will attract a
lot of limelight, fashionistas and industry insiders to a single city. But many Chinese cities do not have the resources to organize a successful event, so they are not doing it the professional way. With a mature fashion industry cluster and many local brands, Shenzhen’s fashion week is one of China’s best. Cooperating with New York-based IMG, Shenzhen Fashion Week is going in the right direction.
The four global fashion weeks each have their unique orienta-tion: New York is commercial; Paris is artistic; Milan focuses on craft; and London is avant-garde. Domestic fashion week organizers need to understand their own take and differentiate themselves.Young designers
With the Internet providing more channels for promotion and retail, young independent designers have better opportuni-ties than their predecessors. They are given more attention, as the media sometimes brands them as a group.
But many of them will face bottleneck in their growth, as they lack the ability to run a brand successfully, which may require experience in branding and channel and supply chain management. Partnerships can be a viable choice. They can work with management profes-sionals and focus on designing themselves.
AS much as we might spend half our lives chasing a pay rise, it turns out that it’s all been for nothing. Well, not quite noth-
ing, because we can’t pay the bills with sunshine and laughter, but it seems there are things that affect our happi-ness more than our income.
A new study commissioned by Sainsbury’s and developed by Oxford Economics and the National Center or Social Research in the United Kingdom found that sleep and sex make the big-
gest difference to our happiness levels. And even quadrupling our income made less of a difference than getting enough sleep and having enough sex. Who knew?
The survey polled 8,250 people and found that the average person has a Living Well score of 62.2.
Those who were happy with their sex lives scored seven points higher than those who were unhappy. In an even bigger jump, people who got the most sleep were found to be 15 points
above those who struggle to sleep. In comparison, a household income jump from US$16,800 to US$67,500 only resulted in an average growth of two points.
Unsurprisingly, the happiest people are the older generation, and people with young kids. So, basically those who can afford to own a house and eat avocados — unlike us millennials, who have to do with one or the other.
But while everyone says that getting on the property ladder is the fi rst step
to happiness, the study found that there was no difference between renting and owning, when it came to the Living Well score.
The saddest people were in their 30-40s and had no children. They were found to be generally less satisfi ed with their sex lives, and had weaker support networks.
Other important factors were living in a strong community, the health of close relatives and job security.
(SD-Agencies)
Sex and sleep affect your happiness more than money
