- 1 week ago
Hailey visits the world’s manufacturing capital to find out how China is transitioning from making the West’s goods, to designing them.
This video was originally published by VICE in 2016.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Streets Of The Congo Turned-Fashion Show
https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
Is Style An Act Of Bravery In Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/ybQngyhGtZI
Fashion Defined By Borders In Palestine
https://youtu.be/IXZoWsuZYv0
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Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
This video was originally published by VICE in 2016.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Streets Of The Congo Turned-Fashion Show
https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
Is Style An Act Of Bravery In Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/ybQngyhGtZI
Fashion Defined By Borders In Palestine
https://youtu.be/IXZoWsuZYv0
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
Follow Somos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29somos/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
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LifestyleTranscript
00:04I've come to this very relaxing spa in order to partake in a beauty treatment involving them lighting me on
00:14fire.
00:18This is really close to my face. I'm scared, I'm scared.
00:22I'm scared.
00:27What's happening?
00:29Are my feet on fire? Wait, am I on fire?
00:33Oh my god, I hear it. You guys.
00:52I'm in Beijing.
00:53This beautiful lake made all the more cinematic by the smog here.
01:02China is a country intrinsically linked with the fashion industry, but not necessarily well known for its fashion week.
01:10Thanks to its cheap labor force, the country has become the largest global manufacturing power, producing 65% of the
01:18world's clothing.
01:19For decades, the Made in China label was associated with inexpensive and mass-produced clothing.
01:26But this is set to change, as China's economic model is beginning to show signs of weakness.
01:33As a response, the government is aiming to shift the focus of China's economy from manufacturing other countries' products to
01:42creating their own.
01:44Despite this move towards creativity, freedom of expression and human rights are still heavily suppressed, in order to maintain the
01:52communist one-party system.
02:00I'm curious how much China will have to adapt in order to foster the creativity that will drive its economy
02:07in the future.
02:08So, I'm here at China Fashion Week, which is put on by the government, so hopefully it will give me
02:14some insight into where China's at right now.
02:17And help me see if there is a disparity between what the government wants me to see and what's really
02:23going on here.
02:26There's this really funny trend here, where people are wearing these sprouts that come out of their heads.
02:34What do you think? Do you like my sprouts? What do you think? Do I look smarter?
02:44It's the first day of Fashion Week. Today, it is being held at a very regal hotel.
02:50There are these very intense security guards in front of the hotel.
02:59As I attempt to enter the show, I am greeted by airport-style security checks and a horde of guests
03:05waiting to get in.
03:09Okay, thank you.
03:13This is insane.
03:15It's like a military occupation in here.
03:19Today is the opening ceremony, and the show is put on by Chinese designer Any Tiger.
03:25I'm heading straight backstage to see if I can speak to anyone.
03:35This is not what I was expecting.
03:41I love your hat.
03:45It's traditional Chinese.
03:48Oh, okay.
03:50There we go.
03:53There's an opera?
04:10No expense was spared.
04:12The traditional Chinese opera performance felt like a grand opening ceremony.
04:18Proudly celebrating China's 5,000-year-old history, particularly its pre-Mao cultural heritage.
04:27And the fashion show followed suit.
04:32In order to learn more about the current fashion landscape in China,
04:36I secured an interview with the most important woman in Chinese fashion,
04:41Angelica Chung.
04:42Hi, I'm Hayley.
04:44It's so nice to meet you.
04:46She's been the editor-in-chief of Vogue China since its creation 10 years ago.
04:51And with 30 million monthly readers across all platforms, she beats Anna Wintour.
04:58How have you seen Chinese fashion change over the course of your time at Vogue?
05:03We've gone through quite a few stages.
05:05There was no fashion, you know, for decades.
05:09People were pretty much in uniform.
05:11So suddenly the door was opened because of the economic reforms.
05:15People were getting wealthier.
05:17Right.
05:17When they had a bit of money, they thought,
05:19Ah, my life can be better.
05:21Can I wear some nicer clothes?
05:22But where are those nicer clothes?
05:24What are nicer clothes?
05:25Because they knew little, they go for the things with symbols, which was the logos.
05:30Right.
05:31So there was this whole few years about people buying Louis Vuitton logo monogram bags.
05:37I mean, the Western world were talking about, you know, new money, people in China had no taste, only new
05:45logos.
05:45It was a very snobbish attitude.
05:50To be able to become discerning, you need knowledge first.
05:53If you want cheese, you know what cheese you want, you have to taste all the cheese, right, gradually.
05:58If you were only exposed to one cheese, cheddar cheese, you thought that was all you want.
06:03That's the only cheese.
06:03That is the hottest cheese, no? The coolest cheese.
06:07And so that was the stage Chinese were in.
06:11But look at what happened.
06:12A few years later, the Chinese consumers started travel abroad.
06:16Suddenly, they see and they get it.
06:19So now what we see is that there's a whole big part of population who are confident enough to just
06:27look at something that suits you.
06:29We should be proud of what we have achieved in such a short space of time.
06:34Absolutely.
06:35Coming from where we came from.
06:40Fashion and consumerism are still quite new to China.
06:45The West often derides the Chinese middle class for compulsively chasing Western luxury brands.
06:51This may become a thing of the past as an appetite to understand the culture associated with luxury consumerism has
06:58arisen.
06:59So I've come to a Western finishing school called Institute Sarita, which helps women from making faux pas, like mispronouncing
07:10Yves Saint Laurent, or when is the appropriate time to use truffle oil.
07:21Welcome to my Beijing school.
07:22You can see some of our students having lunch over there.
07:25They're practicing their Western table manners.
07:27Hi.
07:28This is Hailey.
07:31So are they encouraged to take pictures of their food?
07:33Everybody in China likes to take pictures of their food.
07:36Selfies.
07:37Yes, a lot of selfies.
07:39In the West, you know, it's very rude to be playing with your phone when you're having a meal.
07:42But in China, it's not considered offensive.
07:46What kind of products you bought before?
07:49What kind of products you bought before?
07:50What kind of products you bought before?
07:51Chanel?
07:52Chanel.
07:53Chanel.
07:53Louis Vuitton.
07:55Louis Vuitton.
07:56Cartier.
07:57Cartier.
07:58What kind of products you bought before?
08:00Prada.
08:01Prada.
08:01Prada.
08:02Prada.
08:02Yeah?
08:03Because it's Italian.
08:06And then we'll talk about the road.
08:08You don't have such a paper.
08:11Yes.
08:12So, you can put the book on your head and feel the balance.
08:19I just wanted to go through this class course.
08:23Intro to French cuisine, food and drink taboos.
08:27So, for example, escargot.
08:30Right.
08:31How do you pronounce it?
08:32Or foie gras, the different ways to eat it.
08:35Lingerie.
08:36Let's say in the last 30 to 40 years, you couldn't buy bras in China.
08:40There were no bras.
08:42Yeah.
08:43I mean, bra is a very Western concept.
08:45Wow.
08:47A very popular course is dress coats.
08:49Especially because a lot of brands are organizing events in China.
08:52And a lot of our students are consumers of those brands.
08:56Where they need to understand, okay, it's black tie.
08:58What should I be wearing?
08:59Oh, it's an eight course menu.
09:01How should I be using my coloring?
09:03It's not about what fork to use for your oyster.
09:06But more about how comfortable people are around you.
09:11This goes back to Confucius 2,000 years ago.
09:15We go for collective harmony.
09:16So the individual is suppressed for the well-being of the group.
09:23The classes at Sarita were about a coming together of cultures.
09:28A Chinese desire for harmony when faced with Western etiquette.
09:33This meeting of East and West will be increasingly important
09:37as China starts creating and exporting its own brands and ideas.
09:41One designer who has made a name for Chinese fashion internationally
09:47is Beijing-based Guo Pei.
09:52She captured global attention after designing Rihanna's iconic golden gown
09:58for the New York Met Gala in 2015.
10:01A dress that inspired countless pizza and omelet-based memes.
10:07The 55-pound dress took her team approximately 50,000 hours
10:12over two years to create.
10:15Nihao.
10:16Hi, I'm Hailey.
10:17Nice to meet you.
10:18Nice to meet you.
10:19Thank you so much for having me here.
10:20It's amazing.
10:21We often think of China as the heartland
10:24of fast fashion and cheap manufactured goods.
10:27But Guo Pei's workshop is a temple to traditional craftsmanship.
10:32Will you show me some of your designs?
10:34These clothes are designed for our daily customers.
10:39It's a very Chinese clothes.
10:41We have a traditional fashion.
10:44Wow, oh my God.
10:45So beautiful.
10:47We hope these traditional art-based art-based art-based art-based art-based art-based art-based art-based
10:52art-based art-based art-based art.
10:52Wow.
10:52It's a product, a product, a product.
10:55It's a product.
10:55How much is this?
10:56Can I afford this?
10:59It's a bit expensive.
11:01It's a bit expensive.
11:01It's only four people to do it for a month.
11:04Oh my God.
11:08How did this whole Rihanna thing come about?
11:14Did you see the pizza and the omelette memes?
11:19No.
11:20I saw it.
11:21Actually, at the first time, I saw it.
11:22And then he said,
11:23Hey, look, it's so funny.
11:24They're really like it.
11:26Like pizza.
11:27Like this egg.
11:28And then I thought,
11:29Hey, it's very interesting.
11:32Is it important to you that you are continuing with Chinese craftsmanship?
11:51I'm going to ask you the hardest part of it.
11:57I'm going to ask you the hardest part of it.
12:07I'm going to ask you the hardest question yet.
12:08Do you think I can try it on?
12:11Oh, yes.
12:11You can try it.
12:14Okay.
12:15Pull it.
12:16Pull it.
12:16Pull it.
12:17Pull it.
12:17Pull it.
12:18Oh my God.
12:18It's so heavy.
12:20What do you think?
12:22It's so beautiful.
12:23It's so beautiful.
12:23It's so beautiful.
12:24It's so beautiful.
12:27It's so beautiful.
12:28It's so beautiful.
12:38With China producing 65% of the world's clothing,
12:42I wanted to find out what goes on behind the Made in China label.
12:47I'm traveling to Guangdong province in the southern part of the country.
12:51The region is one of China's biggest manufacturing hubs,
12:55accounting for 12% of the nation's economy.
12:58Even the Chinese describe it as the world's factory.
13:02However, China's economy has seen a slowdown in recent years.
13:07With an average monthly salary of $620 for its factory workers,
13:12China can no longer compete with nearby countries like Vietnam,
13:16where factory labor is paid around $100 a month.
13:21Many factories in the region have recently closed down,
13:25leaving workers' livelihoods at risk.
13:28I'm meeting Zhang Ziyang, who recently lost her job.
13:40Is it hard to find work right now?
13:45It's hard to find workers for a lot.
13:49It's hard to find workers.
13:51It's hard to find workers.
13:51Because they're the技術 work.
13:52If you're the技術 work,
13:53the equipment in the US here is less than a single product.
13:55Would you prefer a job that's not in a factory?
13:59It's hard to find workers for the boss.
14:03It's hard to find workers.
14:04It's hard to find workers.
14:04It's hard to find workers.
14:04We have to pay for more employees.
14:05At the end, we need to get to 10 or 11.
14:10We have to pay for 5 days.
14:13It's hard to find workers.
14:14It's hard to find workers.
14:16It's hard to find workers.
14:17Do you have children?
14:22Do you think there's ever going to be a time
14:24where you can live with your son?
14:40In an attempt to reverse the economic downturn,
14:44the Chinese government have launched an initiative called Made in China 2025.
14:50This plan aims to upgrade Chinese industry by promoting creativity, innovation,
14:55and fostering homegrown brands.
14:58Many of the factories in this area have been closing down.
15:01I'm outside one that is still alive and kicking.
15:04It is called High Fashion.
15:08This factory challenges the stereotype of cheap, fast fashion production.
15:13And its innovative approach has gained it a variety of prestigious clients,
15:18including Marc Jacobs and Armani.
15:20Well Lam, the rather young-looking executive director of High Fashion,
15:25has agreed to show me around both the designing and the manufacturing parts of his factory.
15:30How long has this factory been open?
15:3220 years.
15:33And how many pieces do you make a year?
15:36Approximately 20 million pieces a year.
15:3820 million.
15:39And do you know about the government's Made in China 2025 plan?
15:44What we are doing, High Fashion is doing right now,
15:46actually is working in parallel, in line with the 2025.
15:50We are competing with the world.
15:52So we choose to go for a creativity direction.
15:56So we provide more value instead of just the cheap labor.
16:05So this is our accessory library.
16:07We also call it the trims library.
16:08This is really intricate stuff.
16:11This is a laser cut.
16:11Yeah, this is actually by laser, yeah.
16:12And so are these designs that you guys have come up with?
16:15We usually have a designer to work with designers.
16:18They sit down together and then they talk, they exchange ideas
16:21to make sure they can make something that they like.
16:26So this is the valve production workshop.
16:28So it's like an assembly line?
16:30Yes.
16:30Okay.
16:32How long have you been working here?
16:37And do you find that it's easier to work with the older generation of workers
16:44or the younger generation?
16:59How long have you worked at the factory?
17:02So how many dresses do you think that you've made in your life?
17:05Do you have a family?
17:17How often do you see them?
17:22So you don't see your kids very often?
17:24No way.
17:25No way.
17:26No way.
17:27No way.
17:27No way.
17:28No way.
17:28No way.
17:29No way.
17:30No way.
17:30No way.
17:30No way.
17:31No way.
17:31No way.
17:38Even if the manufacturing sector is getting an upgrade,
17:42the reality for factory workers remains difficult.
17:46However, the workforce is still heavily reliant on factory jobs,
17:50as Guangdong continues to produce a third of the world's shoes, clothes and toys.
17:57I'm on my way to Yenchen, one of the world's largest ports,
18:01to get a sense of the scale of this region's export power.
18:06Everything that's manufactured in southern China makes its way through this port.
18:10Probably a good percentage of what you own has made its way through here.
18:16It's a very intense portrait of consumption.
18:20When I walk into a Gap or even, you know, a Marc Jacobs,
18:27it feels distinctly American to me.
18:30I don't think about the place that these things are made in,
18:33or the people that made them.
18:34It seems like there's a lot of pressure on China to be creative about their industry
18:40and to foster the likes of these Chinese fashion designers
18:44who can make the ideas and the clothing that will fill these crates.
18:58I've come back to Fashion Week in Beijing to see if any of the government-approved designers
19:03have what it takes to spearhead China's creative initiative.
19:07Judging by the adventurous looks outside,
19:10the show seems to have attracted some of Beijing's hippest youth,
19:14and the usual army of security guards.
19:22The collection is by designer Hu Shiguang,
19:25who returned to China after spending some time in Holland.
19:34His fashion shows are immersive spectacles.
20:02The theme of this year's collection roughly translates to prohibition,
20:07and there is an oppressive feel to it.
20:11By mixing medical gowns, wounded models, and a heavy S&M influence,
20:16the collection clearly had a strong message.
20:19But I can't quite put my finger on what that is.
20:25I really enjoyed your show. It was really exciting.
20:28It seemed like the fabric was kind of like hospital gown fabric.
20:32It was like a hospital gown.
20:34On the 26th, it was like I said,
20:36it was completely talking about a story.
20:39It was about how I felt at the moment of society.
20:42And what is that personal story that you're telling?
20:45Maybe this show is not an answer to you.
20:48It's not an answer to you.
20:51Actually, this show is a question for you.
20:53And what is the question?
21:00And where does the danger come from?
21:11Is it dangerous to have such a political show at the Fashion Week?
21:25There is a precedent of Chinese creatives getting into trouble with the authorities
21:30for expressing their political views.
21:33Artists like the Gao Brothers have had their studio raided and artworks banned.
21:39The outspoken Ai Weiwei was imprisoned and charged with tax evasion.
21:44Events like these have instilled an atmosphere of fear amongst the creative class.
21:49Sorry, I can't.
21:50You can't talk.
21:52You're not allowed to talk.
21:53I'm on provisions.
21:55It's hard to tell where the line is drawn between what's acceptable and what isn't.
22:00And what the consequences are for those who cross that line.
22:04I've left the Fashion Week to travel to something called the Rose Castle,
22:09which is a residence of an artist named Kong Ning.
22:13Kong Ning is an internationally renowned artist who designs elaborate outfits made of unusual objects
22:21that she wears in public places as a way to protest against pollution, smog,
22:26and other environmental issues.
22:29She's invited me to join her in a performance she's doing the following morning.
22:34But given China's reputation for censorship,
22:37I'm a bit apprehensive about taking part in a political act here.
22:41Hello.
22:42Hello.
22:43Hello.
22:44Hello.
22:47Kong Ning has prepared dinner for our crew.
22:50Thank you so much for having us.
22:52Cheers.
22:52Welcome.
22:53Cheers.
22:54Can you tell me about your outfit?
22:56I love what you're wearing.
22:57I think you look so cool.
23:11Why do you like to wear this bulletproof vest?
23:21Will you take me over to see some of your art?
23:26Well, here's the first one this.
23:28I'll wear a mask.
23:30Thank you very much, I'm going to wear this.
23:37I want to wear this.
23:38Oh no.
23:38This is my outfit for the future.
23:39I'm going to wear the mask on now.
23:40I hope that I am wearing a mask on the nuke side of the mask on.
23:41If you look up there's a mask on the mask,
23:41But if you look like a mask on the mask.
23:44I'm going to wear the mask on the mask.
23:48Next week I'll dress it,
24:16So am I going to be your bridesmaid?
24:17I'll be your lady in waiting.
24:35We have to get up quite early tomorrow in order to begin her performance.
24:41China is famous for its censorship and I don't know if this is a dangerous situation to put myself in,
24:50being sort of complicit, carrying the train of her leaf gown.
24:53I don't really know at this point here, you know, what is crossing the line and what isn't.
25:07I'm not really sure what to expect for this day.
25:13But maybe we should go look at the dress.
25:21Wow, it got bigger.
25:23Yes, this is a dress.
25:29Okay, okay.
25:39What are people's reactions when you do these performances?
25:43Because in this era, especially in China, there are many people who don't understand me.
25:47People think I'm not normal.
25:49And can you talk to me about your choice of the wedding dress?
26:15Kong Ning was a criminal defense lawyer representing prisoners on death row.
26:20She has now devoted her life to creating art that expresses her feelings towards nature.
26:27We've arrived at the venue for Kong Ning's performance, the Olympic Stadium.
26:38This is really stressful.
26:42Oh my God.
26:43Oh my God.
26:55Should we carry the rest of this? Do you need help?
27:02She's walking really fast.
27:07As we approach the security gate, I'm not sure if we'll be let in.
27:14But to my surprise, the security guards just wave us through.
27:34It's funny to think that I was kind of nervous about this, but it seems like the security guards and
27:41policemen are taking photos.
27:43So it doesn't seem like anybody's really upset.
27:53Pollution is a great source of concern for many Chinese artists.
27:57It's a public health crisis that causes an estimated 400,000 premature deaths in China every year.
28:06Yet government censors seem to tolerate open criticism on this particular matter.
28:12And Kong Ning can probably operate freely because her protests stick to environmental issues only.
28:20Designer Lu Wei is another creative who has been vocal about the environment.
28:25However, it was reported that last year her show, Breathe, caused controversy.
28:30Her collection featured umbrellas covered in what appeared to be blood.
28:35Symbolism with unfortunate connections to Hong Kong's umbrella revolution.
28:39The 2014 pro-democracy protests were a thorn in the side of the Chinese government, who repressed the movement and
28:48any reference to it.
28:51Lu Wei maintains that her show was misinterpreted and that it only dealt with environmental issues.
28:57The use of umbrellas may have been just a coincidence.
29:00But her alleged disappearance after the show was enough to spark speculation that Lu Wei had been censored by the
29:07government.
29:08Claims the designer strongly denies.
29:21So can you tell me about your collection today?
29:36How is your collection this year different from your collection last year?
29:46How is your collection this year different from your collection last year?
30:09And how did this show compare to last year's show?
30:23Do you think it's risky for designers to be too political?
30:28Do you think it's risky for designers to be too political?
30:31Do you think it's risky for designers to be too political?
30:41What's the difference between a social and a political issue?
30:44The social issues are like the environment issues or the people of China currently exist.
30:51But the political issues may be used to be the leaders of our country.
30:59By all accounts, the show was very tame.
31:02After my conversation with the model CZ, I'm closer to understanding what is considered crossing the line for the creative
31:10class.
31:11But what is life like for those who are actively trying to change the status quo?
31:22If artistic expression in China is bound by an etiquette of not wanting to disturb social order,
31:29what does this mean for people who openly try to instigate political discussion?
31:34I'm on my way to meet a young woman who's been the victim of censorship here in China.
31:39It's been very difficult to secure this interview because I have to speak to her over an encrypted message application,
31:45which self-destructs our entire correspondence.
31:49The reason I have to speak to her in this way is because she's under surveillance.
31:53In March 2015, LGBTQ activist Maitse was a part of a group of feminists using social media to plan a
32:02protest against sexual harassment in public places.
32:06She was arrested and detained for 37 days for intent to cause public disturbance before the protest even took place.
32:16I can't really meet her in any public place.
32:21So we're going to do the interview in this car.
32:27Hey, I'm Hayley. How are you?
32:29I'm Hayley. Nice to meet you.
32:30Yeah, you too.
32:31Hey, you want to get in?
32:34So you were in jail for 37 days.
32:36How are you treated there?
32:57The police are trying to punish you for sticking up for women in sexual harassment cases.
33:05What are they so afraid of happening?
33:23Is it dangerous for you to speak this way about the government?
33:27Is it dangerous for you to speak this way about the government?
33:36I don't think the government is far from far away from us.
33:40If you want to make money, you can't judge the government.
33:45They will constantly be self-assisted, and reduce their borders.
33:51We have to drive very close to our office.
33:57Now it's shut down.
34:00Right.
34:03I have a lot of friends.
34:07But in that time, I was out there.
34:13Many friends don't have to work.
34:16I am a friend of mine.
34:19He is my friend of mine.
34:20He has lost 100 days.
34:23He has lost 100 days.
34:24He has lost 100 days.
34:25He has lost 100 days.
34:25He has lost 100 days.
34:28He has lost 100 days.
34:32Last night, Maitse mentioned to me that her defense lawyer has gone missing.
34:37Apparently, since the Hong Kong protest, this has become a more common occurrence.
34:41So I am waiting to meet a human rights lawyer.
34:46He recently was punished for trying to defend someone involved in the Hong Kong protest.
34:53Is this something that is a new trend within the government to arrest human rights lawyers?
35:25I came here to try to experience Chinese affairs.
35:30And I am wondering, in your opinion, what you think the sustained effect of this kind of censorship will have
35:37on self-expression?
35:39The government's government's government's power is mainly based on on two other sides of it.
35:43First, to use the gunshot weapon and the weapon.
35:47The weapon must preserve its right-wing power.
35:48The second, culture-musiastic doctrine is to use, such as a finger.
35:51So that they will be a better trial.
35:53It is clear that artists and artists can't be taken away from the United States.
36:01But I think that according to the modern society of this internetization,
36:07we have reached a very difficult way to control the advertising in the media.
36:12I believe China will always be able to implement
36:16the socialist, liberal, and legal rights of the people of the country.
36:22For the time being, the Internet in China is still heavily censored.
36:27Web platforms like Google and Facebook are inaccessible.
36:31And the Chinese equivalents, WeChat and Weibo, are policed by an army of two million government
36:37employees.
36:38Despite this, Chinese youth managed to express their creativity on social media, and this
36:45might have the potential to induce greater freedom in the future.
36:4925-year-old self-made designer Wang Shuying caught the attention of 200,000 followers on
36:57Chinese social media site Weibo for posting her surreal fashion creations made of anything
37:03she can lay her hands on.
37:05From her humble parents' house in a rural part of eastern China, she has become a web sensation
37:11and gained national recognition by modeling her own handmade designs.
37:16Wang Shuying has agreed to come meet me in Beijing to design a dress for my last day at Fashion
37:22Week.
37:24So we're on our way to find supplies for my dress tonight.
37:28How do you normally go about finding what you need?
37:36I'm following you.
37:37I know.
37:38You're the boss.
37:45Did I look good in that one or not so much?
37:47This one might be a bit difficult for you to put on your head.
37:49Okay.
37:53We'll have some flowers.
38:08What have you got there?
38:10It's like a trash bag, like classic black trash bag.
38:15We're drying sanitary pads right now.
38:21Spicy beef noodles.
38:27She's going to put the ramen on the sanitary pads on the basket.
38:38Chinese internet sensation Wang Shuying is making me a dress to wear on the closing night of
38:44China Fashion Week.
38:46Given the random nature of what we bought, I have no idea what to expect.
38:51The closing party is just three hours away, so we have to get to work.
38:55At what point did you realize that you were famous on the internet?
39:17Uh-oh, here comes the ramen.
39:20She's putting little bits of ramen on the double-stick tape in the middle of the pad where blood is
39:25meant to go.
39:27The ramen is the most attractive.
39:32I think it's a nice piece of ramen and a simple ramen.
39:37It has a nice and easy-to- Dunkin'.
39:40It's the most cute woman.
39:41I think you're more cute.
39:51I'm looking for a lot of paper.
39:52It's a nice piece of paper.
39:54You're cute.
39:56I'm not so cute.
39:57Should I put this on?
39:58Okay, I think I need help tying it.
40:01Oh, okay.
40:05I think I'm most concerned about the tampons.
40:08But then again, she's putting peanuts on my face.
40:12How do you think people are going to think of me in this outfit?
40:22Okay.
40:23I think it's better to wear this.
40:25If you want to wear this, it's definitely not.
40:28Okay, let's go.
40:33Wang has quickly gone back to her room to get ready,
40:36and we've agreed to meet downstairs.
40:38I have no idea what she'll be wearing.
40:41So we're really late to Fashion Week right now,
40:43so we're going to have to take the subway
40:44because there's way too much traffic.
40:46And Wang is just wearing a bathrobe like a thug,
40:49so that's cool.
40:50All right, let's go.
41:18All right.
41:21Tell me, what are you doing here?
41:23I'm invited.
41:34Attention-grabbing ensembles are quite common at Fashion Weeks.
41:38But here, Wang and I seem to be attracting all the wrong sort of attention.
41:45Including that of the organizers.
41:48Oh no, people are getting really upset.
41:52It's so cute.
41:54Wait, what?
41:55They said the clothes are too weird?
41:56Yeah, yeah.
42:01She said we need to get out.
42:11I've just been kicked out of the Fashion Week for what I'm wearing.
42:14The woman said it's inappropriate for this venue.
42:18It's too bizarre and she might influence people.
42:21How are you feeling, Wang?
42:24I don't feel.
42:26Why do you think they think it's so inappropriate?
42:29Because I've been working for people to use something with a bed.
42:35Have you ever gone through the замке?
42:39I think that I can't really encourage anyone to do anything.
42:41I think that you're more worried about theifiable.
42:43We'll sit down on it and have some help and have some help.
42:47So you still have to have a plan for it?
42:47I can't give any kind of problems if I can get off.
42:47But it's so hard, it's okay.
42:51It's okay.
42:52It's okay.
43:02It's the end of my trip.
43:04I've met a lot of people that have been truly inspiring.
43:09But I have to say there's a kind of fear
43:11that permeates everything here,
43:14this desire to not disturb social order.
43:17And while China's drive to become more creative
43:20is obviously a good thing,
43:21this is a difficult environment.
43:23But the good news is I've met some people
43:26that are willing to stick their necks out
43:27for what they believe.
43:28And I hope that they continue what they're doing
43:31and they can create an environment here
43:33in which creativity flourishes.
43:58And they also have a lot of people that want to know.
44:00And they're going to have to work.
44:00They're going to have to be a good thing.
44:01They're not going to have to be a good thing.
44:03And they're going to have to be a good thing.
44:06So let's go ahead and do it.
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