Qi Gang is not shy about his success, and he has every reason not to be.
As the winner of many national design competitions and awards, Qi Gang is also the darling of China's fashion and lifestyle magazines. Most recently, he received further international recognition when actress Gao Yuanyuan, star of Shanghai Dreams, walked the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival in one of his creations – something he whipped up in 18 days. His collection for China BOTAO, China’s elite top-shelf brand name, has received critical acclaim. Not only is Qi Gang one of the youngest designers to strut the catwalks at China Fashion Week 2005, his newly launched signature brand, X, was also one of the most highly anticipated debuts. Young, successful and perhaps a little cocky, Qi Gang talks to That's Beijing about doing everything … right.
To couture or not to couture?
Ever since I graduated from design school, I've been designing clothing to suit the tastes of the commercial market: thousand and thousands of pieces and tens of thousands of orders. I used to accept work as an art director for many brands and there was one particular job that made me say to myself that I would never do it again. It was really frustrating and depressing. I had to follow the directives of the brand and I felt like I didn't succeed, even though the stuff sold well. That was a mid-priced brand, maybe RMB 300-400 per piece. They were making clothes for a wide commercial sector and wanted me to create new designs for them. At the time, I said to them: "The streets are full of cheap stuff like the clothes you wanted me to make, so why would you want me to make more?" This is why my stuff is in the high-end market – it's closer to couture. My style is elegant, sexy and handcrafted. I've made custom couture for pop singers Sun Nan and Han Hong and actresses Vicky Zhao and Zhou Xun. A simple silk evening gown may cost RMB 15,000 or so, but compared with international prices, it's pretty inexpensive.
The past few years I've also collaborated with BOTAO on their line of haute couture and I just finished an order for a fur coat for a customer abroad. I do it because I really love making clothes – it's my greatest love, really. Of course when you're making a coat, you don't have that much space to express your vision as a designer, so that's why I do couture. I'm creating a collection for X on one end, and high-end couture on the other. I've never said that just because I make couture pieces that I've let the commercial market behind. On the contrary, my couture informs my commercial line. If I make something high-end and there are details that I like, I'll use it for the commercial line. I think it's necessary to take a piece that has a heavy designer's hand and transfer that concept onto commercial clothing. I emphasize good craftsmanship, superior design, quality natural leathers and detailed needlework.
I have a lot of friends who tell me that my haute couture is too expensive but, say, for one piece, I might use two or three kinds of materials and use different techniques to make sure everything is well composed and doesn't feel or look messy. I'll use several kinds of leather treatments, then stitch lace into fur and sew pearls and diamonds onto it. That's why if I don't sell a skirt like this for RMB 2,000, I can't ensure the quality of my work. It's expensive for a reason.
The Market
Just in the last two years, the changes in the domestic market have been enormous. Even though the market for luxury fashion is still pretty small, the designers who can do them are even fewer. The reception to my designs has been very good and that's why I dare to do couture and a commercial line side by side. This year I helped this leather company in Haining make a line of fur items. They rarely make fur, mostly leather, and I took a risk by aiming some styles at high-end clientele. At first the company was apprehensive at the prospect of promoting this image, but then orders from stores came in and customers loved it. We were receiving 1,000 pieces per order and the styles that sold well were all the ones that, in addition to being cut well, had a lot of designer elements to them. The bottom line: if everyone sees that the clothes are cut to flatter and the style is unique, then it will sell.
Those who wear my clothes are not your average laobaixing. They are white-collar manager types. A skirt costs RMB 1,000 or more and a pair of pants cost RMB 7,000-8,000. These people are the upper class. Perhaps in everyday life, the clothes that they wear are more understated, but dinner parties, galas and opportunities to look more glamorous are on the rise and looking elegant and well dressed on a day-to-day basis is becoming necessary. So I'm not going to pay much attention to what ordinary Chinese people think of my designs – they're not my customers.
To understand fashion, you have to understand market demand, not only with clothes – one must also understand globalization and its trends. Just like now, global culture is going retro so I'm leaning towards that as well. Sometimes it'll lean to the 1950-60s, veer into the 1970s or 1980s, or all of a sudden jump back to the 1930s. Everyone can see this, but it just depends on whether a designer grasps that trend and whether or not their senses are sharp enough to pinpoint how it best manifests itself in their work.
I think the styles in 2006 will be more romantic than in 2005, much prettier than this year. This year at Fashion Week, I'm going to present princess dresses. One look and you'll know it's a girl from a rich family – that kind of glamour is where it's going next.
X Marks the Spot
After Fashion Week, X will officially get underway. My friend Chen and I will work together on this. I'll manage product development and marketing. He'll pave the way for opening the store. The materials we'll use inside the store will all be of the highest quality and it will be split into two sections: one is outerwear with a small section of high-end outerwear at RMB 7,000-8,000 fur pieces, and also at an RMB 4,000-5,000 range. Then, formal wear starts at RMB 2,000-3,000 and another collection at RMB 7,000-8,000. I will also have one piece for RMB 20,000, whose singular purpose is to show the potential and vision of my design. The X brand will be items people can wear to dinners, to meet up with friends and also for more formal events, such as galas and parties.
I've given all my clothes a lot of thought and that's why they're expensive. I have lots of fur pieces that very few people have seen before and you'll be shocked that this stuff actually can sell. Clothes are very simple: shirts have two sleeves, pants have two legs, and pants with only one hole are dresses. The key is each designer's take on it. If your signature style can stand out after hundreds of changes in styles and thousands of transformations in trends, then you've succeeded.
(That’s Beijing December 2, 2005)
