JAPAN: Chinese designer looking to break into Japanese fashion market stage collection at fashion week

Record ID: 197599

  • Title: JAPAN: Chinese designer looking to break into Japanese fashion market stage collection at fashion week
  • Date: 7th September 2008
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Chinese) JI WENBO, DESIGNER FOR CHINESE BRAND LILANZ, SAYING: "I didn't come to Tokyo just for this show. I think Tokyo goes well with my style and my future plan as well. I've become friends with lots of famous Japanese designers here, so I'm hoping to create an international brand with them in the future." MODEL MO WANDAN STANDING ON RUNWAY DURING REHEARSAL MO TALKING TO JI AND HIS STAFF (SOUNDBITE) (Chinese) MO WANDAN, CHINESE TOP MODEL, SAYING: "Ji Wenbo has become the first Chinese designer to showcase at Japan Fashion Week so he's very happy and I'm happy for him as well. It's also my first visit to Tokyo so I'm very thrilled."
  • Embargoed: 22nd September 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Fashion
  • Reuters ID: LVA25FB1KZFUFU8Q3N2LJIQPWY5G
  • Story Text: Ji Wenbo wanted every button in place for his debut show on Wednesday (September 3) at the Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo.
    He is the first Chinese designer to present a Chinese brand in the prestigious event.
    A veteran designer specialising in men's casual business wear, Ji hopes not only to impress Tokyo's fashion-savvy crowd with his collection for the brand Lilanz but also to eventually collaborate with Japanese designers.
    "I didn't come to Tokyo just for this show. I think Tokyo goes well with my style and my future plan as well. I've become friends with lots of famous Japanese designers here so I'm hoping to create an international brand with them in the future," Ji said after a rehearsal.
    The 46-year-old native from Jilin province has won several awards in China, including the top men's fashion designer award, which he was crowned with three times in a row. He was also the first Chinese designer to showcase a collection in Milan, in 2007.
    Ji said he is a huge fan of Japanese fabrics and artisan skills, which were heavily featured in his Milan show.
    His collection for the Tokyo runway includes 34 men's businesswear inspired by the historic Chinese Terracotta Army, a famous collection of ancient funerary statues discovered in Shaanxi province.
    Ji also introduced two couture dresses tailored for top Chinese model Mo WanDan, who has won various modelling competitions in China.
    "Ji Wenbo has become the first Chinese designer to showcase at Japan Fashion Week so he's very happy and I'm happy for him as well. It's also my first visit to Tokyo so I'm very thrilled," Mo said.
    Ji became Lilanz's official designer in 2000 and has helped it become one of the biggest brands in China. With its business casual lines, Lilanz has expanded its market and now owns more than 2,800 stores across the country.
    Wang Liang Xing, Chief Executive Officer of Lilanz, now sees an opportunity in the Japanese market.
    "The fashion industry and brands in Japan are fully developed, so I would like to use this opportunity in Tokyo to interact with the country.
    I'm looking forward to collaborate between brands and also among designers," Wang told Reuters.
    Japan's fashion industry began staging a twice annual fashion week three years ago in a joint effort with the government, hoping to dress up Tokyo's image as a global style capital.
    The Japan Fashion Week will be revealing collections from more than forty brands and ten new designers.
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