Threads of a wizard
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Fashion designer Shangguan Zhe has been con sidered one of the most creative young talents in the country's fashion industry. |
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However, it certainly created a stir at Shanghai Fashion Week this year, which had long been rather boring.
"I was indeed inspired by Tibet, especially those monks' garments," Shangguan says, adding that he magnifies the look both in its size and patterns.
However, the young designer says his Sankuanz brand is very personal.
Majoring in graphic design at Xiamen University, he switched gears after graduation in 2007 and took up fashion design.
"I simply love to make garments," he says.
By using his savings of about 10,000 yuan ($1,650), he founded a label named Ze with some other like minds. According to him, this label was - and is - much more "commercial".
The first collection came out at the end of 2007, which contained about 20 looks. This brand, according to Shangguan, has targeted consumers between 20 and 30. It includes normal shirts, tees and pants for daily wear. The designer focused on using eco-friendly materials, which makes the clothes very comfortable. Each item was priced between 300 and 1,000 yuan.
Due to a lack of funds, Shangguan's partners decided the collection would only be sold on taobao.com, the top Chinese online customer-to-customer marketplace. This turned out to be very successful, and since then, the new designer decided to pursue this career path.
