Week In Review: June 18-22, 2012

In case you missed them the first time around, here are some of Jing Daily’s top posts for the week of June 18-22: 9 Questions For Fashion Designer Yang Du Having spent a decade in London, gaining a BA in Fashion Print and an MA in Fashion Womenswear at Central Saint Martins, the Dalian-born fashion designer Yang Du (杜旸) has become one of the most promising young Chinese talents, making waves with her brightly colored, playful animal-inspired apparel and accessories. Having cut her teeth with designers like Vivienne Westwood, Giles Deacon and John Galliano, Yang struck out on her own, launching her eponymous label in 2009. Since then, Yang’s oversized t-shirts and tunics have gained a cult following and, last year, Yang was included in the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN showcase, which has helped launch labels like Alexander McQueen, Christopher Kane and Erdem since its introduction in 1993. Lin Tianmiao, Wang Keping Make Art+Auction's "50 Next Most Collectible Artists" List By this point, it’s well established that the likes of Zhang Xiaogang, Wang Guangyi, Yue Minjun, Zeng Fanzhi and Fang Lijun — artists who made their names in the late 1980s and the 1990s — are firmly established as some of the country’s most sought-after blue-chip contemporary artists. But with works by these artists regularly selling for millions of dollars at auctions in China, Hong Kong and overseas, one of the important questions for a hopeful new collector is which artists are due for more attention. In its newest issue, Art+Auction looks at the question of who are the next most-collectible artists in the world, beginning with a discussion of what exactly the word “collectible” means. Jing Daily Interview: Chef & Restaurateur David Laris (Part One) (Part Two) Since setting down roots in Shanghai nearly a decade ago, Australian chef David Laris has become a fixture in the city’s rapidly evolving dining scene. Arriving at Three at the Bund in 2002, Laris led his eponymous Laris Restaurant from 2003-2010, helping to build the market for contemporary fine dining in Shanghai. Currently, Laris operates several F&B concepts across a diverse range of restaurants in Shanghai, including his Yucca Lounge, Mediterranean-infused Fat Olive, and 12 Chairs — “one of the smallest fine dining restaurants in China.” Pampered In Europe, Chinese Luxury Shoppers Slam Service At Home If there’s one major complaint we hear time and time again from Chinese luxury consumers shopping at home — aside from the country’s exorbitant import and consumption taxes — it’s about the uneven and relatively low level of customer service at high-end boutiques. Now that outbound Chinese tourist-shoppers have swooped in to buoy the luxury market in Europe, spending an average of 11,000 euros on shopping per trip, according to Global Blue, European luxury retailers have moved quickly to cater to this important demographic. Along with making the usual adjustments, like hiring Mandarin-speaking staff and increasing Chinese-language signage, some brands have focused more intently on their “VIP” service for big-spending Chinese travelers and opened new points of sale aimed squarely at their shopping habits. The Fashion Media Paradox It’s a known fact that the only way for print media survive is to secure as much advertising as possible at the highest price possible. This is true not only for the tons of free newspapers that we get every morning on our way to the office (what a waste), but it’s also true for the expensive glossy magazines. As such, I was a little surprised when I was told by a fashion journalist at one of Hong Kong’s leading publications that he was getting tired of the 60 emails he receives daily from brands that everybody already knows.

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Week In Review: June 18-22, 2012