东行记:年轻 Ruffians 的东方冒险
La Vie En Ruffian:向东走 年轻的 Ruffians
那些总是忙碌的人 Ruffian 的 Brian Wolk 和 Claude Morais 最近的一次冒险是去中国旅行。
他们在最新一期的《痞子生活》中讲述了他们参加成都时装周的史诗般的旅程。
“能够前往东方展示我们的作品一直是我们的梦想。我们所说的东方指的是亚洲,而不是汉普顿。中国一直是我们作为设计师的灵感之国,所以当我们接到 New Look Fashion Management 的电话,将我们的 2013 春季系列带到成都时装周时,我们的梦想成真了。成都是中国最大的发展城市之一,以其丰富的纺织历史而闻名。如果你将成都与意大利的一座城市进行比较,它会是一个梦想。设计和时尚之都米兰 解决完所有的后勤和日程安排后,我们开始准备旅行,包括去中国领事馆办理签证。
重要的日子终于到来了;收藏品、珠宝、配饰和40双Converse都装满了。我们前往肯尼迪国际机场,开始了16个小时的成都之旅。我们常说,一个国家的航空公司是一个国家文化的体现,国航也没有让人失望。其丰富的东西方菜单以及丰富的葡萄酒选择让航班很快就过去了。在北京快速转机后,中国的时间突然变为午夜,我们入住了成都隆堡幻想曲酒店。当我们安顿进套房后,我们浏览了第二天的日程安排。上午 8 点开始,首先参观展示空间,然后是下午的员工会议、新闻发布会和试衣。疲惫不堪的人无法休息,我们在 Lucy 和 Ricky Ricardo 两张单人床上睡觉(参见图库中的照片)。
第二天早上,我们前往早餐室,友好的酒店工作人员迎接我们,并传来熟悉的美国圣诞颂歌的声音。一股东西方美食的混合香味也扑鼻而来。当我们的成都实习生拆开系列时,我们前往参观展示空间并会见我们的模特。一整天都按计划顺利进行。还没等我们喘口气,我们就收到了接下来几天的日程安排,其中包括与零售商和制造商的激动人心的会议。
In a large room filled with photographers, we were introduced to the press, government officials and Chinese industry leaders. Photos were taken, handshakes were exchanged, and Jie Gao, president of New Look Fashion Management, introduced us to the who’s who of the group. After many exciting meetings, we were invited to visit a premiere luxury apparel factory just outside the city of Guangzhou, China’s third-largest city. We, of course, accepted and were swiftly back on Air China the next day flying two hours south to China’s most important manufacturing region on the Pearl River Delta. It was all a bit of a dream. Our hosts were kind and generous, giving us a tour of their incredible workshops. Lunch followed, which would prove to be our most memorable meal in China. In a private dining room filled with Chinese antiquities, we heard the glissando of the grand piano as we laid out plans for our future in China. It was only 48 hours into our trip and it felt as though we were in a bio-epic about Ruffian. After lunch and many cups of Jasmine tea, we headed to the airport and two hours later, as the clock struck midnight, arrived back at The Rhombus Fantasia, our home in Chengdu.
周日,我们还是有点倒时差,醒来后决定在唯一的休息日去街上逛逛。我们前往成都购物区的著名精品店和豪华购物中心。重要的是要知道,奢华在成都是一种生活方式,而购物实际上是一种宗教。我们已经很长时间没有看到各个社会经济层面的消费热情如此高了。 From the 12-story wholesale discount center to luxury staples such as Prada and Louis Vuitton, the Chengdu-ese are experienced shoppers and the city’s extraordinary double-digit economic growth is evident on every corner. As the sun set, we made our way back to the hotel where the concierge arranged tickets for the Shu Feng Ya Yun Sichuan Opera. Sichuan Opera is a nationally celebrated art form and its fabulous costumes, face changing acts of illusion, and death-defying acrobatics make for an edge-of-your-seat performance.我们非常感激能够将这场精彩的演出纳入我们的日程安排;它确实让我们对中国戏剧的丰富历史有了一个很好的了解。 After the Opera, we stopped by a 7-11, picked up a couple of Jack and Cokes (pre-made in a bottle, why don’t they import these to the U.S.?) and headed back to the hotel for a good night’s rest before our big show.
第二天早上,经过几次最后的试衣后,我们前往秀场,模特们已经开始做头发和化妆。我们被告知人们要开车两个小时才能来看我们的演出。当空间爆满时,后台工作人员的技术人员热情而兴奋。演出开始后,我们真切地感受到了中国新合作伙伴和观众的喜爱。他们对时尚的热爱是真诚的,原创性是真正受到珍视、尊重和崇敬的。演出结束后这一点表现得尤为明显,观众一一耐心地排队等候,并逐一感谢我们的到来。那天晚上,我们的实习生们都回到了我们的套房,我们打包了藏品,并享用了客房服务披萨。我们非常荣幸能受中国邀请展示我们的系列,并期待我们下一次春天的东方冒险!”——布莱恩·沃尔克和克劳德·莫赖斯
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