Li Xiaofeng at Hôtel Costes

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.

昨晚，我有幸与2010年Lacoste 假期收藏品的设计师李晓峰在巴黎的Hôtel Costes 共饮了一瓶夏布利葡萄酒，并讨论了以下的话题。

时尚：这次的设计不是一个时尚服饰的设计。这一次为Lacoste设计的马球衫的花纹全部都会是陶瓷碎片的拼图搭配。

Historical Precedents: Some Chinese might think of jade burial suits from the Han Dynasty when they see the porcelain shard sculptures. The jade burial suits were thought to prevent decay of the body and they used thousands of pieces of jade, which were sewn together with gold thread. Hopefully no one will think of the burial suits when they see the cotton polos, which are based on sculptures using porcelain and not jade.

Wearability: The porcelain sculpture itself is made for someone slim. The samples of the Collector’s Series 2010 shirts are also cut quite slim so they will be worn by models. The designs are likely to appeal more to Westerners than Chinese though it is difficult to say. Chinese might find them to be too familiar.Commerce and Art: This project represents a very successful and innovative fusing of art and commerce. The artwork itself contains subtle commentary on this process.

East and West: This is a very interesting pairing of art that is strongly related to and constantly commenting on Chinese tradition and a Western multinational fashion brand.

Paris: Impressionism came as much from the colors of this city and its surroundings as from the minds of the artists. The city seems more culturally-inclined and less commercial than New York.

Hôtel Costes: The rooms are very small but there is great attention to detail. The prices at the restaurant are exorbitant.

Jacques Chirac: (The former Prime Minister and his wife were dining not far from us) He seems quite old.

Tomorrow I will be formally interviewing Li Xiaofeng about the artwork and shirts he has created for Lacoste. Hopefully I will also get a sneak peak at these items. Everything I find will be posted here.

历史先例：很多中国人第一次看到这些陶瓷碎片搭建的雕塑时就会想到韩朝时期的金缕玉衣。

在韩朝，金缕玉衣的用处是为了防止埋葬后的身体的腐蚀。做一件玉衣需要几千甚至几万块碎玉，再用金丝线把它们缝制在一起。当然希望看到这一期的马球衫时，大家不会想到玉衣。其实应该也不会想到，因为这次的设计灵感来自陶瓷花纹。

可穿性：陶瓷碎片搭配的雕塑是为了较苗条的人而设计的。这一次为Lacoste设计的马球衫也是比较细长的；所以模特们穿起来不会有任何问题。这款设计对于外国人，尤其是西方人的吸引力应该比中国人要多，因为很多中国人可能会觉得这样的设计对他们来说太熟悉了。

商业与艺术：这一次的展示品是一个商业与艺术的联合品。这件艺术品本身就是一个见证这种关系的好例子。

东方与西方：这一次的合作就是一个西方与东方的集合，把中国传统艺术与西方跨国时尚品牌相结合的作品。

巴黎：印象主义的来源不仅仅包含了艺术家们的思维，也来自于这个城市所带给他们的灵感。这个城市比纽约多了些文艺感，也少了些商业气息。

Hôtel Costes：房间虽然小，但是每个细节都很独特与精致。饭店的价钱有点儿过高了。

Jacques Chirac：前任法国总理与妻子在我们不远处就餐。 他看上去有点儿老了。

明天我将会对李晓峰和他为Lacoste的设计做一次专访。希望我也可以得到偷看他的成品的机会，无论看到什么，我都会把它传上来的。

Photos by Miko He