Sought out and requested by a Shanghai International School to plan an “Arts & Fashion” themed tour for 19 eager high school students venturing to China’s capital, The Hutong jumped at the opportunity to link up some of Beijing’s most respected entrepreneurs, professionals and an inter-connected web of pioneering, innovative minds in the city’s creative industries.
First days, the arts: from the more commercialized 798 Art District to the up-and-coming Caochangdi District. Both areas are recognized as Beijing’s art hubs, home to contemporary galleries, artist studios and independent creative and educational ventures in art, design and architecture.The 798 tour was guided by Contemporary Arts Professional Sophie McKinnon. While in Caochangdi students experienced interactive activities, e.g. at The Three Shadows Gallery they were given the opportunity to get in front and behind the camera and carry out their own fashion photo shoots.
The following days, the students were introduced to the creative hands that are integral aspects of the Beijing’s fashion industry. They attended a panel discussion with Alice McInerney, fashion editor for Time Out magazine, and Nathan Zhang, founder of Brand Nü, a boutique clothing shop that serves as an ethical trade network for rural artisans. Then went to D:FUSE headquarters, one of the fastest growing Scandinavian shoe companies in China, and learned about the importance of marketing, visual merchandising and the intricate processes and various components that go into planning behind a professional photoshoot.
Students were then taken into Beijing’s winding hutongs where they visited NC Style, the first PR, Marketing and Brand Management Consulting Agency in China and learned about market penetration, dynamic branding, distribution and image creation. They carried out an interactive activity based around the concept of utilizing Social Media for Digital Marketing. They also learned how email marketing helps businesses reach and connect their target audience.
At the headquarters of P1.cn, a lifestyle, luxury and fashion website connecting China’s social elite in a private member’s network, P1 co-founder Svante Jerling explained the company’s business model. Students then traveled to a popular shopping destination together with P1′s fashion street photographers to tag along and witness them in action.
Continuing on the creative theme, the program culminated in a community service visit to a Migrant School on the outskirts of Beijing. Working in conjunction with our friends at Migrant Children’s Foundation (www.mcfchina.org) students were paired up with local migrant children and tasked with decorating a classroom and corridors with the theme of ‘Four Seasons’. The artistic results of their cooperation was fresh and imaginative and as importantly any cultural barriers between the students were truly torn down.
