BLENDING FASHION, ART FOR A FINE TRADE
MNC Disney encourages Chinese designers to integrate Mickey Mouse into their unique creations
Could cartoon character Mickey Mouse inspire a thousand Chinese fashion designs?
Through its Shanghai Fashion Week Fall/ Winter 2018, which was held from March 28 to April 3, The Walt Disney Company, owner of such intellectual properties as world-famous cartoon characters Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and operator of Disney theme parks like the ones in Shanghai and Hong Kong, has shown that popular art, and artinspired fashion, can transcend cultural and geographical distinctions.
At the fashion event, a segment called “Mickey True Original” attracted much attention. In that segment, the highlight was a bright yellow down jacket resembling the cocoon shape of Mickey Mouse.
It was created by Chen Peng, 27, a Chinese fashion designer who drew inspiration from the famous cartoon character. Like Chen, other Chinese fashion designers were free to interpret Disney characters through their creations.
“Mickey Mouse gives people joy and innocence. It also represents love and adventurous spirit,” said Chen. “Those traits, feelings and emotions are part of ChenPeng brand, and inform our design philosophy.”
The fashion show was organized to celebrate the 90th “birth” anniversary of Mickey Mouse. Disney used the occasion to nurture the local fashion design segment and to build a stronger emotional connect with Chinese millennial consumers.
Besides Chen Peng, the beneficiaries included Wang Haizhen, Li Wei, Ban Xiaoxue and Han Lulu. Each of them has developed his or her own creative fashion with Mickey images and elements.
“Mickey Mouse is a household legend, a popular fashion star and a global icon. His adorable look, playful character and optimistic attitude inspire designers from different creative fields,” said Allen Au-Yeung, vice-president of creative, The Walt Disney Company, North Asia.
It is the first time that Disney has worked with Chinese creative talent for one collection, he said.
“Disney has been respecting people with passion to make sure their dreams come true. By working with the best in the fashion industry in China, we can create and spark something that no one can imagine. And through this event, we can attract more designers and communicate with them and come up with more results.”
Fusing culture, business
In the context of consumption, fashion is considered the biggest driver of young consumers. Leveraging its long and strong presence in the fashion world, Disney has collaborated with renowned fashion brands globally, including Los Angeles brand reg&bone, British brand Preen Line, Chinese sports brand Anta, and mass fashion brand Peacebird.
Besides Mickey Mouse, the company owns other brands or franchises like Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel that can be monetized via merchandizing.
“We will marry Disney heritage to the local brands and local culture to create something that is extraordinary. The whole idea is to capture the different subcultures around China and help spread them around to enrich them,” he said.
Disney’s collaboration with local designers aims to understand the tastes of consumers in various parts of the country. “I think localization is one of the key things we do,” Au-Yeung said. “(We try) to understand local culture and create something that makes sense for local consumers.”
Chloe Hou, public relations manager of Guangzhou-based Ban Xiaoxue, said the brand has combined the most classic Chinese patterns with Mickey Mouse, infusing the blend with 3D cuts to create a strong contrast. “We want to adopt Chinese traditional elements such as Chinese embroidery with modern cuts,” said Hou.
She said the event is a great occasion for independent designers to experience the fashion week and evolve in the profession. “Our brand has received much support from events like this fashion show since we set up our venture in 2014,” said Hou.
Local brands shine
Since then, Ban Xiaoxue has expanded to a 60-store chain in China. It has expanded to five international markets including Russia, Sweden and Austria, growing its 2017 revenue 60 percent yearon-year. Ban Xiaoxue attributed the rise to its nimble operations and low inventory. “We keep our growth pace slow and steady. Most of our stores in first-tier cities are directly operated,” she said.
With 20 new brick-and-mortar stores to open this year, the brand is expected to move online. It has already opened an e-store on Tmall, an Alibaba-run online marketplace for reputable brands.
“Online stores will give us closer access to consumers, which can not be usually done in physical stores.”
Huang Qiaoran, who studied at the Parsons School of Design, and created Babyghost, a fashion brand, with Joshua Hupper in New York seven years ago, redefined Mickey Mouse with a dated print-media advertisement on the New York subway.
“A Mickey image has been scribbled, washed and torn to relive the old artistic format of New York subway,” said Huang of her presentation during this fashion show. “Babyghost is a brand of conflict and extremity. We bring Mickey to young consumers and hopefully become more visible, thanks to this platform.”
The brand has focused on the Chinese online fashion and apparel market. Last year, on Nov 11, the Singles Day shopping festival, Babyghost saw 70 percent sales growth compared to 11-11 sales of 2016, said Huang.
The brand is also seeking to expand its directly operated offline stores to engage more with consumers.
“Apparel is a two-way media,” said Huang. “It speaks to people who see you and also talks to yourself to make you become who you are.”
The bright yellow down jacket’s designer Chen Peng, who graduated from the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom and has worked for Christian Dior and Harrods, is also positive about the domestic fashion market.
His design lines, which were created in 2015 in London, have been exported to nearly 40 shops. ChenPeng the brand has been represented by more than 80 retailers and department stores worldwide, up from 30 retailers in 2017. Its 2017 sales tripled to 15 million yuan ($2.73 million), with about 70 percent of products sold overseas.
“It’s time to get going in the domestic market,” Chen said of the immense potential in the domestic fashion market to maximize its global exposure and recognition.
“The strong growth of domestic consumption demand and updated fashion tastes have attracted an increasing number of fashion designers and brands to seek opportunities in China,” said Chen.