China Diaries Pt.2

Our days spent at the factory inspecting prints and patterns turned out to be lots of fun, within one of our printing mills we discovered their wholesale scarf shop. We excitedly set about buying as many scarves as we could fit into our hand luggage.

Daniella's selection

Wall of scarves

After a successful sweep of the scarf shop, were off to the warehouse to hunt through the Issa print archive. It's quite overwhelming seeing a hundreds of fabric rolls charting the whole print history of Issa, it brought back lots of memories of us working on the prints. We pulled out a few gems to re-work and also some of our favourites to make one-off dresses for ourselves.

Rolls of archive Issa prints

Joyce measuring a roll of archive print

I love the night markets in China you can find an array of silly trinkets, jewellery and a very thriving business in fake designer hand bags, I personally do not believe in buying fakes only the real thing does it for me.

Me and Daniella outside the Night Market

I purchased these Nerdy spectacles for just the equivalent of £2.50 in the market and on my return to London fell in love with a pair of leather specs by Cutler and Gross just like my Chinese pair, how luxe to have a pair of leather covered specs.

My Chinese Nerdy Spectacles

Cutler and Gross Leather Spec's

I think we're all obsessed with specs at the moment, Maggie picked up a pair of blinging crystal covered specs, only her and Dame Edna can pull those off.

The rest of the night was a buying frenzy of belts, hats and jewellery. I seriously have to weigh my luggage when I get back to the hotel.

Overweight again!

China diaries Pt.1

I made the bi-annual pilgrimage to China, Hangzhou to be exact.  As Creative Consultant for ISSA London it is important for me to see the samples and prints before our fashion show in London on 21st September, 7.30pm @ Somerset House. Hangzhou is where the label manufactures prints and fabrics for the jersey, chiffon and cotton styles in the collection.

Me inspecting the printed fabric

The screens to print the fabric

Maggie with a pattern cutter

The sample room

It's such a fascinating country especially travelling through mainland China and visiting the smaller cities. Hangzhou is a surprising hub of luxury shops and car dealerships, not the run of the mill car manufacturer's only the luxury high end ones, Maserati, Ferrari and Bentley of which the showroom was next to my hotel the Hyatt Regency. I saw a Bentley parked outside the hotel and was told that the number on the plate was extremely lucky and auspicious it would have cost the owner 1,000,000 yuan (around £100,000).   

Bentley number plate

I had my eye on another vehicle parked outside the hotel a beautiful new Rolls Royce Phantom coupe. I would definitely spend my hard earned yuan on this vehicle and feel extremely lucky without the need of the auspicious number plate. 

Rolls Royce Phantom coupe