Richard Lucas

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Interview with Yan - Chinese blogger

Introduction (and why the Chinese?) 

是一位记者和时尚博主。她在自己的时尚博客(http://aeccrnticgirl.blog.163.com/)发布最时髦的衣着.
This post is a translated Interview with Yan- a professional journalist and editor, amateur fashion blogger in China.
With Marlena and Krzysztof Achinger we have launched a blog about European fashion for Chinese speakers.  Our main blog is here 

Marlena and Krzysztof are also the founders of  Bohan  Bohan Online is a free Chinese-Polish and Polish-Chinese dictionary.

Special thanks  to Yan for giving the interview  and Marlena for doing the translation - (Chinese into English) how many people do you know who can do that?) 

Interview with Yan- professional journalist and editor, amateur fashion blogger (http://aeccrnticgirl.blog.163.com/) 

Please, introduce yourself in a few words.

My name is Yan and I come from Guangzhou in China. I am a journalist and an editor. I am also an amateur fashion blogger.

How did you start your adventure with blogging?

In September, 2008 I set up my fashion blog. Earlier I followed some foreign fashion bloggers and thought that I would like to find some way to show my own style and inspirations as well. Some place where I could express myself.

What do your family and friends think about your blogging?

My family is very supportive, especially my mum who likes my mix of style. Very often she shares her opinion and suggestions with me. My friends also encourage me.  They are very happy to help me with taking pictures and creating new dressups.

 

What has been your biggest achievement so far?

 

I have never been very diligent student, but I was lucky enough to become a journalist and editor just after I graduated. Some people think that I am not professional journalist and I got my job in the fashion industry only because I was very lucky. But I think that I have been working very hard to seize the opportunity to express myself.

 

What was your biggest failure? And what have you learnt?

 

When I was still in the high school, my whole class failed an exam. Then my mother attended parents meeting only to find out about my failed exam. It was the first time my mom was very disappointed. That evening she called my dad to tell him about it. Then I felt like I made them very upset.  Since then I have decided not to disappoint my parents anymore.

 

What was the most surprising thing in your life?

14 years ago, my husband had a crush on me, 3 years ago we fell in love and now we have been married for over a year.  I think that the fate brings people around us.  I haven't kept in touch with my husband for over 10 years, but then we fell in love with each other.  I think this is the most surprising thing in my entire life.

What are your biggest challenges?

 

My biggest challenges is lack of time. During the week I work as an editor and in the weekends the most time consuming things are related to my blog and fashion: I participate in fashion shows, take pictures for my blog, create new dressups, etc.  Every night I go to sleep thinking that this day was definitely too short.

 

In what way are your ambitions similar to people of your age,  and in what way different?

In fact, my ambitions are not that different from the ambitions of people in my age. Since I got married, I have appreciated stability. Earlier only two things were important to me: working and writing my blog. Now my life is divided into three parts: work, blog and my husband. Maybe I am not so worried about the money matter compared to people in my age. I think there's always some way to earn money. If I do it in a right way, I will never have to worry about work and money.

 

Where do you find inspirations for your dressups?

 

I don't have any particular source of my inspiration. But the most inspiration for my dressups I find in microblogs, magazines, people met on the street and even my friends.

 

Where do you think we can find the most interesting style?

Definitely in Sweden. In the past few years, I paid particular attention to the Scandinavian design, especially Stockholm.  Many of my favorite brands are from Scandinavia. Moreover, on the streets of Stockholm you can spot many Swedish girls with great ideas for their dressups.

 

Is fashion meant only for wealthy people?

Fashion is the way to express yourself. In China, there was a girl called Wang Shouying. Her family was rather poor and she couldn't afford to buy branded clothes. That's why she started using stuff found at home to create her own dressups, clothes, hats etc. Many people were laughing at her because of that, but I think this kind of imagination gives people the power which can't be ignored.

 

In which direction does the Chinese fashion follow?

I very rarely follow fashion. I think people should create fashion, not follow it.

 

Who are your role models on Chinese internet? And why?

When it comes to China, I particularly like Zhou Xun. She is also rather short and her dressups are very feminine and stylish.

Which foreign blogs do you follow?

Too many to mention all of them. I don't have favorite group of blogs I follow. I follow blogs which present great ideas and nice pictures.

 

Over 2 billion people have watched Psy's Gangnam Style which is a backlash against popular culture in Korea. Will there be a Chinese Psy?

Haha, I think it will be difficult to find a Chinese Psy. Psy comes from a very wealthy family and he had opportunity to study in Berklee College of Music in the United States. His "Gangnam style" is very nuanced and using auto-irony he shows how it is necessary to have a great knowledge to express life's reflections in the funny way.

 

What do you think about American and European fashion?  Do you have your favorite western designers?

American fashion follows the needs of the market, therefore designs are rather useful. Whereas, European designers have artistic souls and their designs are very ornamental. I particularly like European designers like Ann Demeulemeester, Raf Simons and Christophe Lemaire.

 

What do you think about Baltic amber and style based on it?

I don't know much about this style but I would love to find out more.

 

In that case, what polish designers should do to succeed in the Chinese fashion market?

In order to succeed in China, you have to understand and use marketing tools. In fact, Western countries can easily  reach Chinese clients. The best way is to co-operate with fashion bloggers. Moreover, organizing fashion shows can help to promote the brand and style.

 

Where will you be in a few years time if things go well?

I will be on the stage of my life where both me and my husband can succeed.

an是一位记者和时尚博主。她在自己的时尚博客(http://aeccrnticgirl.blog.163.com/)发布最时髦的衣着.

Marlena: 请简单介绍一下你自己。

Yan: 我是Yan,来自中国广州,职业是记者和编辑,业余是时尚博主。

你是怎么开始对博客感兴趣的?

2008年9月开始我自己的时装博客,其实就是之前看到国外很多博主,因此自己也想有一个空间去记录自己的搭配、时尚灵感,有一个给我自己抒发对时尚对搭配想法的地方。

你的家人和朋友对你从事博客怎么看?

我家人其实很支持,特别是我妈妈,她很喜欢穿衣搭配,也会给我很多博客上的意见和建议。朋友都支持,她们都很乐意给我拍照,让我记录每一天的衣着。

你最自豪的事情是什么?

我不是一个学习好的人,但我很幸运能在大学毕业后能成为时尚编辑和时尚记者,对于很多人来说,我不是新闻专业科班出身,但能进入媒体行业是很有运气的事,而且有很多工作和表现自我的机会一次又一次地出现在我面前,而我都抓住了。

你犯过的最大错误是什么?并从中学到了什么?

高中时,一次考试考了全班倒数,直到妈妈到学校参加家长会才知道我考试的事,这次是妈妈第一次在我面前表现出伤心的表情。当晚妈妈给在外地工作的爸爸打电话,我当时觉得令他们失望了。从此之后,我不会轻易让父母伤心。

你曾经发生过的最有趣和最奇怪的事情是什么?

我的丈夫14年前曾暗恋过我,3年前我们恋爱,现在我们已经结婚一年了。身边的人,对我来说就是缘分驱使的,我和丈夫没联系十年都可以重逢、相爱,我想这就是目前我人生中最有趣最奇怪的事。

你的最大的挑战是什么?

时间不够用,平日要上班,休息日大多时间都用来做与当博主有关的事:参加时尚活动、拍街拍、给别人做造型师拍时装片等,而且我每到晚上就很烦恼一天实在太短了。

你的雄心壮志与你的同龄人相比有什么相似之处,又有什么不同之处呢?

我其实不是一个特别有野心的人,自从结婚后,就喜欢上安定,原本心思分两份:工作和写博客,现在心思分三份:工作、写博客和丈夫。我可能要比很多同龄人少了点烦恼吧,毕竟金钱对于我来说,并不是需要过于紧张的事情,总有办法赚到钱的嘛,当然是以正当途径,所以我也不太担心工作的问题。 

你的衣着的灵感从哪里来?

没有固定的灵感来源,微博、杂志、街拍网站、时尚博主,甚至是身边的朋友,第一能给我灵感。

哪个国家有最有意思的时尚新潮,为什么?

瑞典吧,近几年一直很关注北欧风格,以斯德哥尔摩为主,很多我喜欢的品牌都是来自那里,而且从街拍就能看出,那里的女孩子都很有想法。

时尚是关于品牌和金钱吗?还是有别的什么?

时尚是自我展现吧,国内有位名叫王守英的女孩,她家境并不富裕,买不起名牌,但她用家里各种东西做成衣服、帽子,虽然很多人嘲笑她,但那种天马行空的想像力运用在时尚上,能制造出让人无法忽略的力量。

中国接着几年的时尚趋势将是什么?

我很少去预测趋势,毕竟人不能总跟着趋势走,人是创造趋势的主体。

在中国的网络上,谁是你的偶像?为什么?

其实中国的话,我特别喜欢周迅的着装,她一样是小个子,搭配很精致,而且总是保持很精神的状态。

你关注了哪些外国人的博客,为什么?

太多了,我也没有特定喜欢的类型,只要是有想法的,或是照片拍得美的,都是我关注的。

有超过20亿人观看了鸟叔Psy的江南Style,而江南Style与韩国的流行文化有着强烈的冲撞。中国将会有一个中国Psy吗?

哈哈,中国很难出这样的人,Psy看起来好像很滑稽,也因如此才大受欢迎,他表面像小丑一般,也有点低俗,但他却曾在美国伯克利音乐学院读书,也是富家子弟,穿着其实也很讲究、讲求细节,他的《江南style》就是用自嘲的态度去展示自我,有时候,一个人需要很有学识,对生活很有思考才能搞笑起来。

你对美国和欧洲的时尚怎么看?谁是你最喜欢的欧洲时尚设计师?

他们正是创造潮流的人,美国设计师很会考虑市场需求,因此他们的设计都很实穿;欧洲设计师大多带点艺术感,还有建筑感,观赏性更强。我比较喜欢的欧洲设计师有Ann Demeulemeester、Raf Simons、Christophe Lemaire等。

你对波兰/波罗的海的琥珀风格怎么看?

比较少了解这种风格,希望有波兰的朋友能介绍一下。

波兰的欧洲时尚设计师应该如何做才能获得中国市场的关注?

进入中国后,最重要是了解这里的市场推广手段,其实已经和欧美国家很接近了,无非都是通过网络去实现,比如找博主试穿,或是举行时装秀,请时尚界人士去看秀和推广。

如果几年后你的事业发展顺利,你将会在哪儿? 

我丈夫去哪我就去哪,哪里都能成就事业。