Imagine giving a new lease of life to a three thousand year old Chinese tradition! This is exactly what Liza Serratore and Claire Russo – two young American entrepreneurs based in Shanghai – have done with ‘Nankeen’ in creating LuRu Home.  They are determined to make it a household name, not just in China but way beyond too. Nicely Made in China (NMiC) recently spoke with them to find out more about it.

 Liza, Claire, how did you discover Nankeen?

In China you just need to keep your eyes open to see Nankeen all around you: it appears on a wide array of products like cushions, tablecloths, padded winter jackets, umbrellas and so on. We tracked it down with the help of the shop-owners offering it for sale, and they directed us to the workshops. We visited our first Nankeen workshop in October 2010 and started to envision its use for interior decoration. A few months later – Spring 2011 – we launched LuRu Home!

What is Nankeen?

Nankeen is a technique used to dye cotton and linen with indigo. Its use is mainly confined to the Eastern seaboard of China, but in fact you also find a slightly different version of it in Japan where it’s called shibori. A pattern is hand-carved onto a screen of thick oiled paper and a paste of soybeans and rice is then applied through the holes on to the fabric. When dry, the fabric with the paste on it is dipped into vats of indigo dye and then left to dry for 10 days in the breeze.

What can two young American girls bring to a 3000-year old technique?

We bring an updated edge to Nankeen. We also bring patronage and believe that we have reawakened an awareness and appreciation of a beautiful age-old craft.

How big is the workshop you deal with and why did you choose that workshop in particular?

It is a family-run business, with 6-8 members working at any given time, although there can sometimes be more depending on the size of orders received. We chose this particular family in Jiangsu because they have been making Nankeen for generations.  Also, we were impressed by their attention to detail and the quality they produce. At the time of placing a new order with the workshop, we meet with the owners and head of production to view the print quality of the fabrics.

You mentioned that the weather influences the results of the dye.  In what way?

Yes, it is true that the weather plays its part in the process and has taught us to be flexible and patient. When it is sunny and clear, the dry air sucks the moisture out of the paste and helps it dry quickly on the fabric. Once the cotton is dyed, washed, dried and scraped clean of paste, the resulting print is a very crisp navy and white. When the weather is rainy, cloudy or humid, the paste takes longer to dry and the indigo doesn’t dye the fabric to the same intensity. The blues are slightly lighter and the whites are softer, a bit more cream-colored.

How many products do you sell and who designs them?

We have 7 products in our collection: cushions, tablecloths, tea towels, placemats …  So far, we have only used traditional Chinese patterns in our designs. However, for our Fall-Winter 2012 collection, due out in August, we will start using our own designs too. We are also happy to take individual customised orders and sell fabric by the yard.

Where can Nicely Made in China readers find your products?

Readers who are interested can contact us directly via our website (www.luruhome.com). We’re also always happy to welcome people in our Shanghai studio. For those of your readers who happen to live in the USA or in Australia our products are already for sale in home furnishing boutiques whose addresses are listed below.

USA:

Nicely Made in China would like to thank Fiona Reilly the owner of the blog Life on Nanchang Lu for the picture of Nankeen fabric drying in the breeze.

Bamboo groves have been a feature of Chinese flora for thousands of years. And humans have found many different uses for this, the largest member of the grass family, varying from building material to medicine and musical instruments. Its many qualities have long been favored by furniture designers too, among them Christine Richard, a Hong Kong-based « design publisher » (« editeur de design” in French) who recently launched Nookha, a designer furniture brand. In this interview with Nicely Made in China (NMiC) she tells us why she chooses to use bamboo and why part of her production is (nicely) made in China.

Christine, how did you create Nookha?

After completing an MA in Economic Development at the Sorbonne university, I did an internship in India where I learned about life in an emerging country. I loved it! A few years after that I worked for a French bank in Hong Kong where I was involved in financing various projects.  This prompted the idea of having my own project, so 18 months ago, in early 2011, Nookha was born.

What does Nookha mean?

It’s an Aboriginal name meaning « to give ». For me the name evokes the passing or handing on of crafts and traditional ways of make things…

What type of furniture do you make?

We have two lines: « Nookha Design » and « Nookha Atelier » . « Nookha Design » is made in China and consists of two collections: Kaawa and Lily, a range of round lacquered tables (see picture) and low level tables.  »Nookha Atelier » – made in Indonesia – consists of about 10 products: dining table, chairs, etc…

Why bamboo?

I first discovered bamboo in Indonesia, where we produce the « Nookha Atelier » collection. Nowadays, the Chinese are the masters of laminated bamboo. In recent years they have invested heavily in R&D so they now have a very innovative and high end product. Bamboo has many qualities: it is incredibly strong and flexible – witness its use for scaffolding in Hong Kong!  These properties also mean that it offers a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to furniture design. At the moment whilst there is a rush on wood (precious and non precious) all over Asia, bamboo offers a much-needed ecological alternative.  It is sustainable as it can be harvested between 3 and 5 years old – it is possible to cut 25% of a forest without destroying the forest!

Can you tell us about the multicultural team of designers you work with?

I work only with designers who have an interest in Asia and in working with bamboo. Our latest collections have been designed by French designers Macon & Lesquoy and by Hong Kong-based Stéphane Bulle. I also work with a Bali-based Italian designer, Giuseppe Verdacchi.

What kind of quality control do you have in place?

I work with a factory in Zhejiang province, near Anji – sometimes called the capital of bamboo. Both the forest and the factory have received the Forest Stewardship Council accreditation. The factory operates under stringent controls, which is very reassuring for me and my customers.  Furthermore, all the finishing products used (glue, varnish etc) are European brands meaning that their provenance can be traced and trusted.

Where can Nicely Made in China readers buy your furniture?

We now have a showroom for people to visit in Hong Kong, and of course, via our website.  The showroom is a shared space with Julie Progin and Jesse McLin, the ceramics makers behind the brand Latitude.

Website: www.nookha.com

Store: Latitude Showroom
16/F, Man Foong Industrial Building
7, Cheung Lee Street (link for map)
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2480 1182

Virginie Fournier, Shanghai Trio founder.

Dear readers

It’s our pleasure to announce that Nicely Made in China has a new partnership. This time it is with the handcraft company Shanghai Trio. An article giving the latest news and development about the company is on our other website www.partners.nicelymadeinchina.com.

We hope you’ll enjoy reading Virginie Fournier ‘s recent interview- see picture.

Happy birthday!!  Today Nicely Made in China (NMiC) celebrates its second birthday. On 22^nd April 2010 the new website bearing the unlikely name with ‘Nicely Made’ and ‘China’ in the same sentence, raised a few eyebrows and recorded its first visits – 13 to be precise – from 9 unique visitors. Two years later we are proud to report over 100,000 visits – from 74,000 unique visitors!

2 years is a long time by Internet standards. Our proudest achievement is that over the last 24 months Nicely Made in China has become a reference point for those searching for quality products made in China.

But a lot more has happened too. On the editorial front we have introduced several new features. Have a look at the videos on Daniel Meller’s Creativculture - we intend to make video a regular feature of Nicely Made in China. Our recently launched « expert’s corner » aims to help readers gain a deeper knowledge on specialist subjects. The first two on jewellery and travel have been a great success and we are busy preparing the next for publication very soon.

We now publish in four languages, with German being the most recent addition (to English, Mandarin and French). Naturally, this means that Nicely Made in China’s articles are attracting many more readers based in Germany.

Significantly, Nicely Made in China now has a sister website – Partners.NicelyMadeinChina.com – where we publish interviews with our all-important sponsors. We take this opportunity to say a special ‘thank you’ to them.  Throughout the last 24 months, with their creativity and unique products, they have helped shape Nicely Made in China, and they deserve special mention here:  travel agency Travel-Stone, Shanghai Trio (handbags & travel accessories), luxury bed linen maker Rouge-Baiser, Hong Kong business centers Centre O, Hong Kong French bookstore Parentheses and relocation company Links Moving.  We are happy to share that we have a healthy queue of prospective companies waiting in the aisle to join this select group of quality producers.

2011 saw NMiC venture into e-commerce for the first time, with our partners Khunu, the yak wool sweater company. The results, if modest, have been encouraging, with buyers spanning the world from Australia to USA.

Social networks have helped enormously to reinforce Nicely Made in China’s community.  Our Facebook page now welcomes 611 fans, our Twitter account enjoys the company of 162 followers and our brand new Weibo account links us with our Chinese readers.

As we look forward to continued growth, we expect the next 12 months to be as exciting as the past 24.  We will continue to tempt you with unusual new products and welcome new readers in search of the best that China has to offer. We thank you for your continued loyalty and interest.

Spring is here! And at Nicely Made in China (NMiC) it’s around this time of year that we get itchy feet! A trip, be it on horseback in far flung lands or a stay at auntie’s beach bungalow, needs careful preparation: tickets have to be booked and the right clothes have to be packed. We spoke to NMiC’s partner Serge Pierrard, CEO of Beijing-based Travel Stone (Asia-specialist travel agency) about the dos and don’ts for a memorable trip.

Serge, what’s the first thing you do when you prepare for a holiday?

Something very basic but often forgotten – I check that my passport is valid and that it remains so for 6 months after I enter the country I’m visiting!  As travel agents we’ve heard too many stories of holidays ruined for that simple reason.

How we arrange our travel has changed dramatically in recent years. How do travel agents add value to travellers’ experiences these days?

A well travelled backpacker may not need the services of a travel agent but in most other cases – booking a holiday or just a ticket – an agency can be a good idea. If something is not right – the view from your hotel room is not the one you hoped for – the agent will help find a solution or you miss your flight we will help find a solution and help you feel less alone. Another advantage is that an agent helps you choose the type of holiday that suits you:  we know the hotels, airlines, car rental companies, etc.. we won’t send a honeymoon couple to a hotel catering for large families! I would also like to add that contrary to common belief, travel agents more often than not get better prices than travellers when they buy directly.

But how can I make sure that I select the right travel agent? What should I look out for?

There are a few things you can do to make sure you’re dealing with real professionals: a quick Google search on the names of the owners of the agency should give you a good idea who you’re dealing with. Then find out if someone in the agency has been to that part of the world you intend to visit. It’s always reassuring to know that the person you’re talking to has actually been there too. The fact that the agency has partners at your destination, as well as an emergency number reachable 24/7 is also very important.

What other advice can you give our readers that will help ensure great holidays?

The list of things to think about before leaving is endless – that’s why I write lists which read like a poem by Prévert: check weather forecast before leaving in order to pack the right clothes, keep all boarding passes until you return home – you never know when you might need to prove you were on a certain flight, always carry a health insurance card as well as photocopies of your passport, buy a local sim card – it’s a lot cheaper than using the home mobile number, reconfirm return flights and last but not the least, do not leave home without good travel insurance – if you’ve paid with a credit card, chances are that insurance is included – but it’s always worth checking.

Bon voyage!

Travel Stone website: www.travel-stone.com

Please read the interview Serge Pierrard gave Nicely Made in China (NMiC) last July!

This week’s story comes from “Paris of the East”, as Shanghai used to be fondly known.  We meet Hélène Meunier, a young French mother of 2, long term Shanghai resident and the creator of the Meuh! fashion brand. Nicely Made in China (NMiC) caught up with her between fittings to talk about her love of vintage clothes and how her brand has been adopted by fashion-conscious Shanghai « belles ».

Hélène, how did the Meuh! adventure begin and what’s the link between the cow and the brand name?

In 2002 I came to study business at Tongji university but after 5 years I’d had enough and just wanted to work!  I’ve always loved to dress-up, so very early on fashion was the only option for me. As a student I designed clothes and had them made by a local dressmakers. 10 years on, it is the same team that gives life to most of my creations. I launched the brand in 2005 and we’ve had a shop in Tai’an Lu since 2009. As for the name Meuh!, it is a pun on my family name – Meunier – and the noise a cow makes in French – the equivalent of « moo-moo » in English.

How would you define your style?

My style is retro chic with a dash of fun! I love clothes from the 50s and the 60s so I use a lot of pattern fabrics in my creations. Twice a week I go to Dong Men Lu fabric market to select the material – it’s one of my favorite moments of the creative process…..also sifting through old fashion magazines inspires me. I find forgotten details that I adapt to my creations.

What do you most enjoy making and what material do you use?

I really like to make dresses and jackets. As for the material I mainly use silk, cotton, wool. Recently I’ve started to design cashmere sweaters that I have hand-knitted and embroidered in a small workshop.

How many collections a year?

 One per season but I am often tempted to add pieces throughout the year, so it’s an on-going process resulting in 5 or 6 collections.

Who are your clients, and what can you tell us about the Chinese market?

 My clientele is divided 50/50 between Chinese and foreigners. I mostly do women’s clothes but I have recently started a line for men too. The Chinese consumer market is maturing very quickly. Chinese women are veering away from reliance on established luxury brands, which I see as a sign of maturity. They now want something their friends don’t have, which is the reason they come here – to find something unique they won’t see elsewhere.

Can you tell us what price range you sell at? 

 Simple dresses are priced around 600 / 700 rmb,  rising to around 2000 rmb for something a bit more sophisticated.  Our turnaround is quite quick. Between fittings and the finishing of the garment is about 2 weeks.

Website: www.meuh-creation.com

Store: Meuh! 29 Tai’an lu / Xingguo lu, Shanghai. 
泰安路29号 (兴国路), 上海.

Every day thousands of brands are launched onto the world market, among them, an increasing number from emerging countries. This week Nicely Made in China (NMiC) is happy to give centre stage to NLGX, a new Chinese street-wear brand. Created in 2008 by Michel Sutyadi and Ed Hung, NLGX recently opened a store at Beijing’s Capital Airport Terminal 3 and is about to open another one. Quite an achievement for such a young brand, and so to help NMiC learn more, we interviewed Michel Sutyadi.

Michel, how did you start NLGX and what does it mean?

Our brand comprises of the letters NLGX which stands for Nan Luo Gu Xiang. [In the late nineties, Nan Luo Gu Xiang was one of the first street in Beijing where bars and funky shops opened up]. Ed and I began by creating an online map of all the Nan Luo Gu Xiang bars and stores, which we updated monthly in an effort to keep pace with new openings and closures. In 2008 we opened our first café in which we began to sell T-shirts and bags. But very quickly we needed more space for the retail side of the business, so we stopped serving coffee. That’s how the NLGX adventure began!

Today, what type of products do you sell?

We create new designs for the T-shirts we make, and also produce bags (from recycled newspapers) as well as a variety of accessories. We recently launched a fashion brand called Kommute for travellers and commuters.

Who is the designer? Where do you get your inspiration?

We both come up with ideas and concepts from which I then create the designs. As for our inspiration – we just look around us. We live in an old part of Beijing which gives us a lot of ideas. We also introduce the new Beijing in our creations – the Blue-Sky-day concept, the airport codes, etc… All things that have become part of the life of the 2012 Beijinger! For the new Kommute line, we feel we’ve created a line of clothing for people like us!  Ed and I both ride our bikes to work every day, so we knew that we wanted a bike hoodie that we could not find on the market. We put a reflector on the back for night rides for instance!

Quality control is a hot topic, especially regarding products made in China. What steps have NLGX in place for quality control?

First we only work with factories who have prior international experience. Then we do several rounds of sampling before we launch the production of an item, and all our T-shirts are pre-washed and pre-shrunk. The designs on the T-shirts are carefully silk-screen printed. We have made an effort on the packaging as well; each T-shirt comes with its own « green » box  that we’ve designed ourselves and which are too nice to be just thrown away. They can be recycled as great storage boxes.

Who are your customers and what feedback do they give you?

It’s a 50/50 split between Chinese and foreign clients. Chinese consumers like our designs because of their simplicity and our foreign clients like the brand because it’s Chinese without being too traditional.

Where can our readers buy your creations?

They can buy via our website as well as in our stores in Nan Luo Gu Xiang and Terminal 3 at Beijing airport. At Beijing Airport you can already find many international fashion brands, but they were looking for a local independent design brand – which is how we got invited to be there. NLGX is a Chinese brand, and even though we were not born in China our heritage is Chinese – we were both born abroad of Chinese parents.

Website: www.nlgx.com/

Dear friends and partners of Nicely Made in China (NMiC)

Our team would like to wish you a very Happy New Year of the Dragon! We hope it will bring you and your loved ones good health, success and prosperity!

Keep watching this space for more articles on people who’ve placed quality and passion at the centre of their lives to bring you some of the best products China has to offer!

If you know a company you think should be featured on our website, please feel free to let us know about them!

Don’t forget that you can also follow us on our Facebook page.

China’s export-led economy is slowly becoming more of a local consumer-led market. Evidence of this can be found in the growing number of consumer products with Chinese brands appearing in the shops all over China. Today, at Nicely Made in China (NMiC), we’re happy to introduce Zhao Lei – based in Hangzhou – and his Chinese furniture brand Smartwood.

Zhao Lei, when did you create Smartwood and what is it?

Two years ago, I was working in an architectural firm but I did not like the atmosphere there so I decided to give up this profession. I then spent about a year exploring my own business model and in 2010 I created Smartwood. Smartwood produces furniture that my wife Xiaofan and I design and that clients assemble themselves back at home. We manage all aspects of our company including marketing and sales and quality control.

Why did you choose wood as your material of choice for your design?

I think wood has wisdom, just as forms have shadows. I decided to design wooden furniture because wood is an easy material to handle. I am a nature lover and I love material that is alive.

What types of wood do you use? Where do you source your material?

Most of Smartwood furniture is made with American white oak which according to our American provider is between 80-150 years old, or German beech. In those two countries, forests are managed in a sustainable way. The quality of the wood is excellent, the classification is standardized, the supply is sufficient and we don’t need to worry about illegal felling.

What type of quality control do you have in place?

We work with two factories. The first specializes in white oak while the second works with beech wood for our shelving system. A prototype model is produced for every new design and only goes into production when we’re happy with it.

For customer service, if problems are found with our products they can be returned and exchanged within 15 days after sale.

If after 15 days any problems arise, customers can send the product back to us for repair at basic cost.

Where do you get your inspiration?

For me design should be functional. Some products are just nicely designed stand-alone pieces while others can be adapted. For example, our shelves – the S03 shelving system – allow you to realize multiple structures through different combinations of standard components.

Which piece of Smartwood furniture are you most proud of?

I think our most original design is our coat-rack. I discovered that Chinese designers do not pay much attention to coat-racks, so we designed two models.  I like to think that our models have successfully achieved a balance between beauty and usefulness.

How many products do you have in our catalog at the moment?

Right now we have 12 products – not a large range but that will change very soon.

Where can Nicely Made in China readers buy Smartwood flat pack furniture?

On our Taobao shop: http://smartwood.taobao.com/

Goodbye 2011, hello 2012!

2011 has been an eventful year for Nicely Made in China. 51,000 people visited the website to read our stories on quality Chinese products: watches, travel, carpets, porcelain, yak wool knitwear, children’s clothes, outdoor equipment,  high end design, handbags and more.

2011 has also been a year of firsts for Nicely Made in China: we received our first mention on the CNNGo website, we registered our first e-commerce sales, we launched our Expert’s page, put our first video online (thank you Jade & Ali), featured our first recycled products and published our first article in German and we reached the 500 fans mark on our Facebook page.

This end-of-year message would not be complete without thanking our loyal sponsors who continue to support us, and just like us, believe that quality products and services can indeed be found in China. So, we would like to thank very specially our favorite travel agent Travel Stone, the luxury bed linen maker Rouge-Baiser, the Hong Kong business centre CentreO, the Hong Kong French bookstore Parenthèses, the publisher Primary Mandarin, and lastly our first and oldest sponsor, the international mover and pet relocator Links Moving.

We wish you all a very happy Christmas, and a prosperous and healthy 2012.