Mariella Radaelli
“For this season, behind the design concept of my new silhouette, there was a philosophical idea which refers to a Chinese expression she de — the hand that gathers. This beautiful philosophical saying originates from the Chan of China: She — lend — and de — gain. You have to lose first if you want to win thereafter. It is a way of life and is widespread behavior in Chinese culture,” he says.
He describes his creative process in almost mystical terms.
“It is a vision — the spirit I perceive inside of me — that is behind the way I face life. And, consequently, I express through my creations. You can call it Chan or you can call it Zen; nothing really changes.”
He favors black and elegance in his collections.
“Black means neatness and tidiness to me,” says the fashion designer, who’s usually clad in black.
He also works with contrasts — crisp white shirts featuring exclusive prints blend with a modern aesthetic.
“They were inspired by my personal reconnection with the Chinese painters of my youth. Those black brushes on white evoked the daily scenes of those ageless times and landscapes.”
Ji’s team takes an innovative approach to tailoring and traditional silhouettes, injecting modern finishing and techniques.
“It allows fashion to gain a new life: the new oriental aesthetics is explained with an understanding heart.”
The collection features natural fibers, especially silk and soft cottons, as well as innovative techno fabrics, all with detailed embroidery.
The Ji Wenbo fashion- house headquarters are in Fujian’s coastal city Xiamen. His production factory in Shandong province employs 1,000. The Ji Wenbo Fashion Agency has a design laboratory and a research laboratory.
The brand also has 100 boutiques spread across Asia, with the bulk in China. It plans to expand to Europe soon.
Chinese brands are working to gain international exposure but are held back by a lack of international commercial appeal, Ji says. But he hopes that will change. “We have done a lot of things but we need to do more — invest in brand building, education and communication, and then expand incrementally.”
Local brands should develop identities domestically while reaching Western qualitative standards, he believes.
“We already have our own excellences — local designers who are a signature of excellence. But it is necessary for us to increase the number of those with a distinctive style in order to accelerate the process.”
Ji believes the frenetic buying of luxury foreign brands by China’s wealthy will soon taper.
“This phase is already underway.” Contact the writer at sundayed@ chinadaily. com. cn.