On the 10th anniversary, NPC introduced several countries to the world during Fashion Week.

Since the first "China Day" in early 2018, everyone has frequently seen news of Chinese brands on the stage of New York Fashion Week. The “China Day” theme of each quarter is also different, showing different Chinese designs and Chinese fashion for the global market: the first season is on the international stage in the name of “National Day”; the second quarter is With the theme of “Women's Power”, it shows the power of Chinese women. This year, the most influential young people are pushed to the spotlight, focusing on the Chinese youth culture and expressing the theme of “Youth Made China”. Among the two brands of the show, there is an old friend we are very familiar with - NPC.

This trend-oriented unit, led by Li Chennic and Pan Yibai, has unknowingly celebrated the 10th anniversary of this year and is able to board the stage of New York Fashion Week. It is a milestone for this anniversary. .

Just like the “China Day” event brought Chinese brands to New York, NPC has also played the role of “traveler” of Chinese trend culture for 10 years, using its influence to help the development of the country, in this New York fashion. Zhou also proceeded in the same direction as before, and brought together the joint series promoted by 5 different units, namely PHANTACi, ANB BRAND, the MAD HATcher, UMAMIISM and the Palace Palace culture, which included some countries we are familiar with. Tide brand.

Yes, you can think of this as the first step in the development of the Guochao brand. Although it is not a direct nature, the whole process is full of experimental taste. For them, after embarking on this plane across the ocean, everything is unknown, as if returning to the original starting line and re-exploring in an unknown area.

This feeling is actually quite compatible with the theme of NPC's catwalk.

"Follow this trip, reach the sky"

Regarding the main design inspiration of this theme series, Li Chennic said that it comes from two sentences. One sentence is the old Chinese saying: “Through this journey, to reach the sky”, but it feels that “bitter travel” sounds too bitter. Therefore, enrichment becomes "following this journey, reaching the sky"; the other sentence is English "Nothing great comes easy", the meaning of these two sentences is quite similar, so that the development of NPC 10 years is indeed hard-won.

This year, in addition to the 10th anniversary of the NPC, it is also the 50th anniversary of human landing on the moon. As a theme, it is also a manifestation of “walking through the sky”. More importantly, what is human landing on the moon? Explore the unknown. In the sense of exploring this aspect, the first human landing on the moon seems to have some subtle similarities with the NPC and several Chinese brands “reporting” on the international fashion stage for the first time – everyone has stepped out of the unknown field. Therefore, you can see a lot of space-related elements in the spring and summer series of catwalks, and this theme is closely related and echoes.

However, everything will be the first time for NPC, so that the whole show is filled with unknowns, such as the "super stitching" cloak on the picture above. This dress was made by an old employee who dreamed of becoming a designer. The material comes from NPC's classic and well-sold designs in the past decade. No one knows that a non-designer will design clothes. No, no one can expect that the reflection of people when they see this dress will be...

As the saying goes, the personnel of the decade have been refurbished. The NPC decided to take this step ten years later, which is destined to open a new chapter for them again. Regarding this, we also had a detailed discussion with Li Chennic and Pan Yibo this time.

Li Chennic, Pan Yibai

NPC manager

For a Chinese street brand, New York Fashion Week is a completely different field. What do you think of landing in New York this time?

NPC : We have only one store, many stores, and now come to New York Fashion Week, it is very happy. This also means that we have done a good job in the past 10 years, let everyone notice the NPC, we must continue to maintain our original philosophy, and then do our next decade.

We usually go to see some shows, but when you really do it yourself, you will find that there are many ways to learn from it. From the decision, we will be a month and a half today, and there will be a New Year in the middle. There are many difficulties that we cannot imagine. Although the show is only 8 minutes, but behind the 8 minutes, a lot of people's efforts are gathered. It takes a long time to show it, and the effect is really not necessarily perfect.

Let us introduce the design inspiration of this series.

NPC : 19 years is the 50th anniversary of human landing on the moon, so we hope to make a theme about space. I remember that we were brainstorming at the company that day, and then we began to complain when we chatted. One colleague said very heartily: "Boss, I really feel that I have a special weight loss feeling in the company for several years." After you leave the earth, you don't know where to drift, and then no one is pushing you, pulling you, and then you can't catch anything, it feels like this. After that, I think I have been like this for a few years, I don’t know where I am going.

So we liked this theme very much at the time. We have several concepts, one is “Nothing great comes easy”, and then there is one that “follow this trip, reach the sky”. This trip means the way we have traveled this decade. The place we are going to: the sky, the place where the heavens and the earth meet, the place where the sun rises.

The couples of this joint country have their own styles. Why did they choose to cooperate?

NPC : First of all, ANB BRAND is the first NPC brand sold by NPC. It was known before I opened NPC. I also witnessed the first season of ANB products. ANB is a brand that has been in existence since the beginning, and I personally think that ANB is a brand that can represent China's trend culture for ten years. A May's UMAMIISM is a trend style that has been popular in recent years and can represent a new generation of young people. He is also a very jumping person.

The MAD HATcher is because I have known Huang Yi for more than ten years, starting from his shop and skateboarding, and now he calms down to be a accessories brand. Because of a show, accessories are very important, hats, bags, these things I hope to have a more professional brand in this field can help us to do. So I found the MAD HATcher. I think it is a brand that has really made the accessories very professional. I am very willing to recommend it to more foreign friends who don't know it.

PHANTACi is because we are friends with each other. They are very similar to us. They are entrepreneurs and have a star aura (Jay Chou). They have been working hard to be a local culture for more than ten years, so this year we may be all year. There will be some cross-border products with them, so it is almost like this. In fact, we still want to bring more brands, but after all, we are also the first time, it is more important to stand firm first.

We know that entering overseas can be said to be the dream of every country, but the road is very difficult. Do you think the Guochao brand is ready? Is the NPC ready?

NPC : I think we should be prepared to be more adequate. You said that it is not difficult to get out. It is not difficult. It is not difficult to do a show. It is not difficult. You will work hard for more than two months. You can finish it without sleeping. But I think the problem with the China National Trends brand is not that you can shoot a very good group of movies, can you take a show, can you let a rapper on this side wear your clothes, this It is not the focus, the focus is on infrastructure.

I often talk to you, people feel very boring these problems: your supply chain, your team, your logistics, your analysis of the data, your plans for next year, the structure of all products... this thing is actually very Crucially, this is also a problem that many designer brands don't think about. Now that the national tide has become a hot topic, you will see that many commercial brands are also starting to do this. Fashion brands are also doing this. You need to know that they are stronger than you, definitely not design, but integration. The ability of all these resources.

I think this group of national brands around us are not prepared, including us, so I think we should be very careful in the next five years because they have done a good job in infrastructure. There is a feeling of being pinched before and after.

Now you also see that all brands are starting to trend, the appearance is that the trend is occupying these brands, but in fact, they think that these brands use the trend to seize a new generation of consumers. There are still many commercial brands and sports brands that are also moving here. Therefore, these brands that are really doing street culture, these young people, I feel that I need to wake up, I have to wake up and think about it, including the media, I always hope that everyone will Discuss this issue often, it's not that simple.

We know that NPC is a promoter in China's trend culture. This time is no exception, but you will not worry that the national tide will be pushed to the big stage of New York Fashion Week because it is not fully prepared yet. Have a bad influence?

NPC : I think everything has the opposite side, see how you cut into this point, but you won't gain anything if you don't do it. And no matter how well you do, there will always be people who have opinions about you, so I don't think I care too much about others because you want to express yourself. Compared with others, it is better to compare yourself with yourself. It is very important that you can do yourself well, because there is no way to change in the past. For example, in the past ten years, we often say that we have made many bad decisions or have gone through many detours. Can you change? You can't change, but fortunately we are still there.

You can't predict in the future. Are you saying that it is good or bad to finish New York Fashion Week? I think what we are doing is trial and error, that is, every step we take, I don't know where to step. Anyway, stepping out is the step. You can't predict the future. What you can do is to grasp the present and do it right now, at least we work hard. I feel that anyone in a new field needs someone to be willing to try and try. Although we don't know if we can succeed, we are willing to share this experience with all the experience we bring back.

If there are any national brands in the future, if you want to come to New York to run a show, or go to any place to run a show, we are willing to share with you the difficulties we encountered, not the honor we have here. Because only you are willing to tell him the detours you have traveled, he will not go, right? I think we may be such an identity, which is actually the same as landing on the moon.

Li Chennic and Pan Yibo said frankly that this step to take off internationally is actually not a big difficulty. On the contrary, what really needs to be considered is whether the brand's own "infrastructure" has been fully done. In fact, it is quite simple. Conversely, if you are not stable, why not stand?

Today, the head of the Chinese brand has already opened. Everyone hopes that every process will accumulate valuable experience for the next time. Just like the moon landing, it is because of the constant "trial and error" of the predecessors that Armstrong can finally successfully set foot on the moon.