As I’ve been involved with the Li Xiaofeng/Lacoste project since the start, I take a keen interest in observing the media response, particularly from other websites. Jing Daily picked up my coverage of the story. Interview Magazine carried a more in-depth piece called “Li Xiaofeng for Lacoste: The Armored Crocodile” and Yatzer included an interview. The T Magazine blog also mentioned Li and soon Hypebeast, Trendhunter, Maison Chaplin, High Snobiety, Slamxhype, Dinosaurs and Robots and ulike.net carried the story. Next, I will put an update about coverage from the China and global print media.
The party to launch the Lacoste collaboration with Li Xiaofeng was Friday at the Musée des arts et Métiers. One of the many things Paris doesn’t lack for is good venues.
You never know who you will meet walking down the rue Saint-Honoré. A few paces away from Colette, Beijing-based fashion designer Xander Zhou was on his way back to drinks with friends after hitting Lanvin. He said he came more to shop than to see fashion week. The world is small.
There are quite a few editors from China here at Paris Fashion Week Men’s Spring-Summer 2011. Tang Le is a fashion editor at Men’s Bazaar (《芭莎男士》) was at Kris Van Assche and Comme des Garçons. I met him again at the Lacoste party for the Li Xiaofeng polos at the Musée des Arts et Métiers. His favorite show at fashion week was Louis Vuitton.
In addition to producing the porcelain polo, unlikely to be worn or re-produced, Lacoste asked Li Xiaofeng to design some cotton polos for the Holiday Collector’s Series 2010.
Amidst the countless details on the porcelain polo, the most centralis the point where the pheonix meets the crocodile above the collar. Li Xiaofeng points to this as a point where the emblems of East and West meet. The Lacoste logo represents the West and the pheonix is a traditional symbol of imperial China.
I think that when considering this piece - especially as a commentary on the Lacoste logo - it helps to remember its predecessor: last year’s super-limited edition Campana Brother’s polo, of which there are 24 in the world. As comentaries on branding and logos, how do these compare?
Here is most valuable Lacoste polo made to date. Specially commissioned for the Holiday Collector’s Series 2010, the porcelain polo by Li Xiaofeng will become a part of the history of Lacoste, cooperation between Western fashion brands and Chinese artists, and the commercialization of traditional Chinese motifs in contemporary global culture.
I just saw the porcelain shard sculpture that Li Xiaofeng created for Lacoste as part of the Holiday Collector’s Series 2010, and wil be posting photos here very soon. First – just in case readers have missed the links I have offered - here are a few examples of his earlier work.
Above is Clothes, 2008, Ming Periods Shards, 78x67x50cm
Yesterday evening, I spoke with artist Li Xiaofeng, creator of the Lacoste Holiday Collector’s Series 2010, over a bottle of Chablis in the courtyard of the Hôtel Costes. Following are his comments on a number of subjects.
Fashion: This is not about fashion design. The print of the cotton polos is entirely based on the porcelain shard sculpture created for Lacoste.
Lacoste: The brand has a long history and does a good job of preserving its traditions.
Less than two months ago, the work of Li Xiaofeng was seen in connection with another fashion brand. A Qipao made of pot shards is now on the second floor of the new Huaihai Road Louis Vuitton store in the most powerful megalopolis our world has ever seen.
Li Xiaofeng commented that the degree of cooperation with Lacoste makes the sale of an already existing piece of art to Louis Vuitton seem rather limited in comparison. The innovativeness of Lacoste is impressive, in his opinion. For the Holiday Collector’s Series 2010, they commissioned him to create a unique porcelain shard sculpture just for their brand. Then, together with Li, they created a series of shirts with prints based on this sculpture.
Artist Li Xiaofeng, his wife, and I arrived in Paris last night and were escorted to sumptuous, compact, famously pretentious Hôtel Costes, my home for the next week.
The 2010 Lacoste Collector’s Series is created by Li Xiaofeng. He wanted his favorite bracelet to be photographed alongside the invitation to the release event, which is this Friday in Paris.
The amount of black really shows off the pink to great advantage on this young architectural student. In her hand is a flier for her boyfriend’s VJ performance. This is among the first photos that appeared in the new street style section that I am doing for《VOGUE服饰与美容》. See the July issue at newstands now
In three hours, I will be boarding an Air France flight to Paris. There, I will attend the release of Lacoste’s 2010 Collector’s Series. The launch party is on June 25 at the Musée des Arts et Métiers (Museum of Arts and Industry).
Yesterday I had a special, somewhat amusing, street fashion assignment for China Auto Pictorial, China’s largest automobile magazine. My accomplice in this dark mission was this editor of the magazine’s lifestyle section.
Gutsy, funky, no-holds-barred Lin Lin seems eternally ready to be on a street style blog. Expert on all things imaginatively hip, she is creator of Jellymon. Her skirt in this pic is actually made out of a sweater that she bought in a London thrift store.
