Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 244 - 239: Forming a Closed Loop

The most devastating thing is when you have your eye on a piece of Haute Couture, and something delays you, not allowing you to pick it up immediately. In just that brief moment, the garment is borrowed by a female star.

If you truly love that piece, you might still buy it, even purchasing it outright.

But once a big-name star borrows it to wear to a major event, it gets photographed under the spotlight by various fashion media.

If you wear that garment again, people will say you’re wearing the same outfit as someone else.

Even if you later purchase the copyright to that garment and even if the brand has to consult you for permission to borrow it for a retrospective design exhibition,

your garment has already been branded by someone else much earlier.

A fashion clash with like-minded people is a minor issue, but clashing with a female star is a major problem.

So, here’s the question:

As a client, if you and a top superstar like the same piece of clothing, does it make any difference if the obscure client went to the showroom first?

The answer, of course, is yes.

Haute Couture should definitely prioritize the buyer. Would it consider the borrower’s preferences first?

Is that still called Haute Couture?

The purpose of letting a female star borrow is to find the real buyer. If it’s already sold, why lend it out?

But on the other hand, real big-name stars usually aren’t short on money. If they are willing to pay, then it boils down to first-come, first-served.

In the world of Haute Couture, it’s rare to see major conflicts over clothing, but it’s not unheard of.

Hence, there is a sequence in picking clothes in the showroom. For successful Haute Couture, whether one is a member of the Haute Couture Club or a brand VIP makes a big difference too.

When Yan Yan shopped for daywear, Allegro, who is always seen sitting next to her, shopped as well and bought evening dresses.

However, this season at the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, "regular client" Allegro restrained themselves and didn’t overshadow Yan Yan.

The "not short on money" Yan siblings and the familiar face of Allegro in Haute Couture formed a very bizarre, and to others incomprehensible, marketing strategy.

Yan Yan continued to play her mute role; Ling Yan’s presence, from beginning to end, was even more invisible.

Allegro, the only one who could speak for Yan Yan, would clam up whenever asked about Yan Yan’s background.

Initially, the rumors about Yan Yan’s background were inadvertently started by Allegro.

And the "mysterious" level of Yan Yan had risen to its current state intentionally by Allegro.

To outsiders, Yan Yan had a very pleasant time getting measured and trying on clothes during the second half of 2012.

But in reality, Yan Yan had never been busier.

The world of Haute Couture is just like that.

The best tailors are at Chanel, and the best materials are also at Chanel.

Whether it’s antiques or rare finds, fabric merchants will definitely prioritize supply to temple-like establishments like Chanel Haute Couture.

Selling to a newbie is short-sighted; a business with no tomorrow after today is not viable.

In the most traditional and orthodox Paris Haute Couture circles, even the craftsmen have their own traditions.

If a newbie wants to enter the circle of Haute Couture, they must be hands-on.

If you can’t find craftsmen with better skills or tailors capable of Haute Couture-level work, then the designers have to do every stitch themselves.

The work on Yan Yan’s previous graduation designs was minimal if they were to be displayed at the London Graduate Fashion Week as they were already completed.

However, if aiming for Haute Couture, the craftsmanship and choice of materials from the graduation designs would certainly not suffice.

Through the "preferred customer" route, Yan Yan found two tailors with exquisite skills and a design assistant.

But the preparation period was too short, and there was too much to learn. Two assistants were like a drop in the ocean.

Yan Yan ended up overwhelmed, frequently working 20-hour days, and even dreamed of designs and sewing.

Finally, unable to watch further, Yan Ling took two actions beyond the norm.

The first action was an impromptu decision by Ling Yan.

Yan Ling had the grandchildren and granddaughter of the Qipao master, who Yan Yan was studying Su Embroidery Qipao patterns with, come to France to study.

He also arranged for the Qipao master to come to France to accompany his grandchildren when convenient and brought his apprentices for a tour and exchange.

The master stayed in France for three months. After six apprentices arrived in France, they were brainwashed by Ye Mo, who joined the team later. Four of them decided to stay and work in France, including one of the master’s daughters, a direct disciple.

Compared to the truly exquisite Chinese embroidery craftsmen, French embroidery skills were definitely not up to par.

Back home, the preservation of manual skills had not been managed well.

Ling Yan’s move was brilliant; with his daughter, grandson, and granddaughter all in Paris, why wouldn’t the master come to visit often?

This resolved the issue with tailoring and embroidery work.

For the less-skilled French technicians recruited, they could be trained over time. If led by someone experienced, hiring more junior staff was feasible.

The regulations from the French Ministry of Industry mainly solved unemployment for the French. There wasn’t a clear rule about the level of technical skills required for the positions offered.

The second action had been prepared by Yan Ling much earlier.

When Yan Ling had just taken over Lingyan Shoe Industry, he had the foreign trade manager, Qin Shaohua, help him poach talent.

Initially, Qin Shaohua wasn’t very dedicated to the task.

After more interactions with Yan Ling, he was slowly inspired by Yan Ling’s dream of making Chinese brands global.

Qin Shaohua helped Yan Ling find suitable designers for Lingyan Shoe Industry from Italy; though he didn’t find designers, he ended up poaching two master Italian shoemakers.

Due to the economic downturn in Europe, their own established shoemaking shop was facing closure.

Then, Yan Ling swiftly and smoothly purchased the shoemaking shop in Italy.

Everything Yan Yan and Yan Ling did at the top of the pyramid was all for the base of the pyramid—Lingyan Shoe Industry, the Chinese shoes.

Fashion design is important, but without significant highlights in footwear, half of Yan Yan’s Haute Couture studio’s significance would be lost.

Lingyan Shoe Industry had very strong capabilities in mechanized shoemaking, but was absolutely lacking in handcrafted shoemaking.

The inclusion of the shoemaking shop helped the Yan siblings’ dream to come full circle.

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