Thread of creativity

A work, "Tangxindan in Shanghai", in the showroom, was created by Wu, with the brand's name embroidered and representative sights in Shanghai made by fashionable materials like sequin, showing the integration of traditional handicraft and modern design.

The process of running a startup is not always smooth.

According to Xie, the young design group lacked an understanding of traditional handicrafts and merely concentrated on innovation in materials and skills. However, embroidery craftspeople who have worked for decades did not agree with those new ideas that ran counter to their experience.

"Conflicts happened a lot but got solved because trust was built. Young people showed respect to craftsmen, and craftsmen in return appreciated the foresight and creative thinking," Xie says.

Although the team works hard to promote the handicrafts and brand, Xie is still concerned that intangible cultures in China have a common challenge in finding successors because of a prejudice that it is pointless to make a life for things that might not make a lot of money.

Apart from support from the government, Xie says it is necessary to make intangible cultural heritage a brand or an industry to guarantee people working for it have income and gain acknowledgment from society, especially the younger generations.

"Having them in a team is the key to helping intangible cultural heritage live longer and better," Xie says.

To attract more young people, the brand is also working with the young celebrity group TF Boys by providing the members with costumes.

Recently, its second showroom was launched in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. According to Xie, the brand will focus on accessories, handbags and lifestyle products, as well as open showrooms overseas for brand promotion in the future.

Wang Jingyi contributed to this story.