February 2011 Issue Features "Made In China" Design Section Highlighting New Chinese Brands#
Jing Daily is mentioned in the February 2011 issue of Monocle magazine, the London-based publication focusing on global affairs, business, culture and design. In this month's design section, Monocle looks at the "Made in China" revolution that has seen several pioneering brands go against the mass-produced, low-quality reputation of goods produced in China and instead gone upmarket, calling back on the country's long history of craftsmanship.
The section highlights up-and-coming companies like the Hong Kong-based homeware brand Jia Inc., whose founder and president, Christopher Lin, is "on a mission to persuade the world that it needs good Chinese design," quotes experts like Liu Guanzhong of Tsinghua University and the Chinese Industrial Design Association ("The key is not just to make something but to create something"), and looks at the emergence of "China-only" collections, typified by Hermes' created-in-China sub-brand, Shang Xia.
Monocle has focused more strongly on China in the last year, opening its first Chinese bureau and storefront in Hong Kong last July and including more coverage of the country in its online Monocolumn. Considering Monocle has previously teamed up with high-end Asian brands like Japan's Porter and Comme des Garcons, if its interest in Chinese design continues, we might just see a Monocle-Shang Xia or Monocle-G.O.D. partnership in the near future.
Issue 40 of Monocle is on newsstands now.
