Zohra Brand Success

France

Senior fashion design institute (Beijing) International President, fashion design teacher, senior Galerie Lafayette, Paris

Styling consultant.

Zohra has served as chief designer, senior consultant or training supervisor in JEAN GABRIEL PEYRE, EUROSTYLE, GEORGES WEILL, ELECTRE, NORBERT NEL and so on.

In just a few years in China, Zohra has brought out cutting-edge designers such as Ye Qian and Xiang Yaodong.

What she advocates is a French "practical design", which teaches young Chinese designers the most practical way of making costumes and the way of creative design. In her view, Chinese fashion has reason to be more confident. There is no shortage of good designers or good brands. What is missing is an outward "resultant force".

Design responds to market demand.

Reporter: you teach

For over thirty years, I have worked in many countries. What do you think of young designers in China?

Zohra: we had an annual meeting in Jakarta last year. The president of ESMOD Japan said at the annual meeting that what is happening in the Chinese design industry is the state of Japan 20 years ago, and there are many active designers who are becoming famous.

Chinese young fashion designers are very creative, and some designers have been concerned by the world. This is a good trend.

Reporter: ESMOD advocates a French fashion teaching concept. How does the Chinese student accept this?

Zohra: for Chinese people, it is necessary to mention France when it comes to fashion. France is a reference for fashion. According to the ratio, the proportion of French creative and luxury designers is bigger than that of London, Milan, New York and other places, and France has a comparative position in fashion.

First of all, fashion must be creative, to respond to market demand, clothing is to wear.

We emphasize the concept, teach students how to make clothes, how to create and integrate the market. The whole process is to train students to work directly after graduation, even if they design their own studios, they can also have sales volume.

In Europe, big designers like John Galliano and Jean Paul Gaultier, because they have strong sponsors behind them, can do their favorite design, but you are creative in China, and they must cater to the market and meet customers' needs.

If you can design great clothes, you can also make clothes for ordinary people.

Designers need to know more about fabrics.

Reporter: why is the new invention of fashion no longer possible?

Zohra: inventions are not nonexistent, but not in design, but on fabrics.

The development of economy and technology will bring us new materials, such as smart fabrics and hi-tech fabrics.

The relationship between clothing and people will change on the body, such as thermal clothing, and so on.

Now there are two main trends in fabric, one is technology trend, the other is natural trend, such as milk protein, bamboo fiber and other natural materials.

The new trend of fabric requires designers to use their design to realize the function of clothing material. In this situation, designers should know more about fabric, although the basic design will not change, but we need to know how to innovate and create.

Schools teach them how to be creative designers - they can make any clothes.

Reporter: maybe someone will be curious. Can creativity be taught? How to teach?

Zohra: in ESMOD's teaching, students will be taught how to use tools to achieve creativity.

For example, if you want to make a coat, if there is no idea about it, one way is to collage, cut off different patterns, do not think too much, it is just to collage the layers one after another, and then use the fabric to do it.

If you want to add a hat, you can draw a hat and make a variety of adjustments and changes. You can find the effect of your design through the jigsaw puzzle, so as to find your own creativity.

The second way is to first find some fabrics for pformation, and then look at what kind of clothes the fabric is suitable for. This is also a creative way.

Another thing is to find creative ideas from stories.

You can also do some small samples and think about how to develop from small samples.

Some changes and changes in the details are also creative.

Go out and come in again.

Reporter: in your opinion, how should Chinese designers combine creativity with the market?

Zohra: as a Chinese designer, first of all, to understand the Chinese market, to know the whereabouts of our clothing, to answer the needs of the Chinese market is a design direction, and to answer the demand of the international market is another direction.

Designers do different things for the Chinese market and the Paris market, like the clothes made in the Japanese market 20 years ago and Paris are also different.

In China, the trend may be that there are many colors and bright pearls on it, which is not the most popular in France.

The products of ZARA in Beijing are different from those in Paris. China ZARA has Chinese buyers to choose from headquarters. It is a product that caters to the Chinese market. Some international brands and some designers will also specially design clothes that cater to the needs of Chinese people for the Chinese market.

China is a big market in the world. Chinese designers should not only follow foreign designers, but also make new designs with their own creativity and retain their own culture. Don't always think about selling in Europe, but rather attract foreigners to buy in China.

Reporter: in your opinion, the internationalization of designers is not to go abroad, but to attract others to the country?

Zohra: in my opinion, there are already some good quality designers in China, who also perform well in the domestic market, such as exceptions, white-collar and other local brands, with good quality and high quality fabrics.

What we need to do now is to let foreigners know!

Reporter: attracting foreigners to China to buy, for many designers, this is incredible.

Zohra: China's fashion should be shown to the international community. Some countries support young designers, specializing in creative salon exhibitions in Paris, and recommending local designers.

Now Chinese designers are a little bit alone and always do their own exhibitions.

If we get government support, it will be more effective to do international exhibitions of Chinese designers themselves.

Nowadays, Japanese fashion is in a state of decline. Chinese fashion is on the rise. China should seize the opportunity to do more international design.