{"id":1033,"date":"2023-10-24T03:59:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/2023\/10\/24\/this-is-made-in-china\/"},"modified":"2023-10-24T03:59:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-23T19:59:06","slug":"this-is-made-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiredchina.com\/articles\/this-is-made-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is Made In China!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe have to keep knowing and bringing what\u2019s good for the next 10 to 50 years or however long it takes for our brand to step up to the plate. We already are trained in offering quality level products and quality level thinking not judged on the level of w<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cWe have to keep knowing and bringing what\u2019s good for the next 10 to 50 years or however long it takes for our brand to step up to the plate. We already are trained in offering quality level products and quality level thinking not judged on the level of what\u2019s good in China. This everything has to be good on an international level. And only then will we able to be standing proud and say: \u201cthis is Chinese made.”<\/p>\n

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Edison Chen Spoke at New York University in September 2017 Photo:Forbes<\/p>\n

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Ten years ago Edison Chen was one of the most popular entertainment stars in Hong Kong and mainland China, then he dropped off his laptop at a computer shop for repairs. A technician found more than 1,300 intimate photos and video clips of Chen and various female Asian celebrities–and soon leaked them to the press. The sex scandal went viral, of course. Overwhelmed and widely condemned by the media and public, he issued a public apology. \u201cI will be away from Hong Kong entertainment indefinitely, and there is no time frame [for a return].\u201d<\/p>\n

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Edison Chen in the movie Photo:myzaker<\/p>\n

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He moved to Los Angeles after the 2007 media onslaught. \u201cThat\u2019s the most regretful thing I\u2019ve done in life,\u201d he says, referring to the shooting and storage of the hundreds of X-rated photos and videos. He says he believed to have deleted them before turning over his laptop to the computer store. The technician was convicted in court and jailed for 8 months for stealing and distributing the photos.<\/p>\n

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For a time after the scandal, Chen says he was afraid of being in front of the camera. Throughout the dark years, the thoughts that ran through his head were filled with frustration. \u201cGod, why are you always doubting me? Why can\u2019t you  trust me. I swear to the sky, I have changed, I have changed my bad manners. God, how could you forgive me?\u201d<\/p>\n

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Edison Chen holds up a baby girl, flanked by Chinese-born model Shu Pei Qin, his parents and his two older sisters. PHOTO: INSTAGRAM<\/p>\n

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Now Chen, 37, is back, this time as an entrepreneur. He\u2019s refocusing on the fashion retailer that he co-founded 14 years ago. That was at the height of his acting and hip-hop singing career, when he worked with Cantopop star Andy Lau in the movie Infernal Affairs and was always in the media spotlight. But he was irritated that he was often treated as an expensive bargaining chip between management companies, so the free spirit started Clot with his childhood friend Kevin Poon to gain some independence.<\/p>\n

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The Hong Kong-based streetwear company started with a \u201cclotted\u201d selection of lifestyle brands that were unfamiliar to Chinese consumers. A year later, it launched its own line of products. The business took off and in 2006 it brought American rapper Kanye West to Hong Kong for his only stop in Asia. \u201cWe started out with an initiative to bridge between East and West, China and America,\u201d says Chen.<\/p>\n

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Edison Chen with his father Photo:myzaker<\/p>\n

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Chen was such a bridge himself. He was born into a wealthy family in Vancouver, Canada, and moved to Hong Kong when he was 10. His father was the chairman of Hong Kong-listed Massive Resources International Corp. and was heavily involved in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

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Dressed in a blue \u201cInner Peace\u201d plaid shirt from his fashion brand and baggy jeans, Chen recently spoke at a China-U.S. forum held by Global Students Development Association on entrepreneurship at New York University. Speaking to an academic audience was a different experience for the ex-playboy. \u201cWhen I started Clot years ago, I said we\u2019re made in China. Everyone was like: \u2018That\u2019s horrible.\u2019 \u201d He didn\u2019t expect to be labeled \u201cthe Chinese brand\u201d and be tarnished by the poor reputation then of products made in China. But he\u2019s clearly overcome that. He says that with Clot, he\u2019s been doing something that\u2019s made in China, created in China–everything\u2019s from a Chinese perspective.<\/p>\n

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Photo: highsnobiety<\/p>\n

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Clot was the first Hong Kong partner for sneakers of sportswear giant Nike, which also led to considerable clothing sales. \u201cWhen I first went to speak to Nike, they were like: \u2018You are on the China team.\u2019 \u201d With a significant number of Nike shoes made in China, he said \u201cyou rely on our people to make half of your products.\u201d Now, 10 years later, Clot is still designing shoes for Nike. It uses but does not rely on Chinese elements in the designs. Chen wants to make his \u201cChina team\u201d a world-class creative company. \u201cI have to be aware of everything I do, so if someone from an international level is looking at the products we are making, we can be proud to say that \u2018yes. it\u2019s made in China,\u2019 \u201d he says, \u201cA good product will sell itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Clot with Converse Photo:myzaker<\/span><\/p>\n

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Clot boasts nine \u201cfashion and lifestyle\u201d stores, in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, Chengdu and Changsha. It also has a pop-up store in Los Angeles, under the banner Juice and side businesses that include event planning and a design service. It\u2019s collaborated with Levi\u2019s, Converse, Adidas, Coach and Disney. Revenue last year is estimated at between $18 million and $20 million.<\/p>\n

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While the global apparel market is slowing down, the Chinese apparel market saw growth of 11% in the past year. Chinese consumers spend more than double on clothes than what Americans spend, in terms of the fraction of their income. \u201cIt\u2019s an exciting time,\u201d he says. Early next year, Clot is planning to open a pop-up store in New York to \u201ctest the temperature.\u201d \u201cIf it turns out well, a store will follow,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m always very cautious and trying not to be overconfident.\u201d<\/p>\n


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\u201cEven if you are looking at the situations where nine things are bad and only one thing\u2019s right, you can turn to a very positive thing,\u201d he says, \u201cMy father told me if I sing pop songs [rather than hip-hop], dress certain ways and talk certain ways, I\u2019d be a lot more rich. I\u2019m already richer than most people. But money can\u2019t buy happiness. Money can\u2019t buy lifestyle. \u201cChen says.<\/p>\n

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Source: Forbes, Straitstimes, Highsnobiety<\/p>\n

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