When fashion encounters originality

by Dong Zheng

2016 Shishi International Fashion Week was sparkled with various activities such as Designers Press Release and Internet Model Contest， not the least of which was the “Young Entrepreneurs Bazaar” of infinite originality. When“originality” encounters “fashion”， the spark of inspiration lit up the broader future development in Shishi.

“Creative economy” has increasingly become a main force in developed countries to boost the fashion industry development and economic growth； meanwhile， “creative” has been a keyword on a par with “Internet +”. “Strong youths lead to a strong country.” In the name of “creative”， the Fashion Week this year set up a “Young Entrepreneurs Bazaar” for the cutting-edge designers， original masters， brand designers， artists， and designer associations from Quanzhou， Xiamen and Taiwan to promote creativity into productivity， so that there will be direct interaction between creativity and consumers. It is worth mentioning that all the stands are free of charge， and whoever you are， or whatever the product is， provided there is enough “creativity” or enough “personality”， are welcomed to join Shishi International Fashion Week.

Such a spirit of innovation and an attitude of inclusiveness attracted a large number of original design teams. In the bazaar， the reporter saw a lot of products of innovative ideas. A stand called “Lovely Zhang Magic Hat House”showcased a variety of cute dolls， brooches and hats handmade with felt， which came from a studio co-founded by two young girls. It was introduced that neither of them has the professional background of handcraft or design- ing， and such a cross-border business is totally out of their keen interest. Currently， they have been engaged in full-time operation of the studio for one year or so. Most products are of independent design， while customized services are also available. Their ideas have been initially recognized by the market， winning bread by themselves.

One original brand called “The Youth House”was even more amazing for a series of cultural and creative products with unique charming of the south of Fujian Province， e.g. hand-made woodcarving featured by the use of local slang into distinctive architectures as well as the derivatives such as T-shirts， brooches， and cups with patterns of characteristic southern Fujian Dialect. It is learned that the three creators-in-chief are all after 90s from Shishi， one of whom had been a backbone of “Southern Fujian Dialect Society”in his university life and dedicated to the cultural transmission of Southern Fujian Dialect. They expressed deep concern towards the tendency that such a dialect is at risk of extinction， which is exactly the root cause why they created the brand.

In addition to the creative exhibits， there were also exhibition works such as photography， paintings， and decorative arts， as well as an experience area to reflect life， nature， and ecology， bringing together fashion lifestyle and leisure activities. The “Young Entrepreneurs Bazaar” manifested the creative thinking and innovation spirit of the local young entrepreneurs， which also exhibited broader possibilities in Shishi， besides a business card of a famous city for casual wear in China.