Transcript Confessions of a TextileHolic

CONFESSIONS of a
TEXTILEHOLIC
Niki Collier in ShangHai
CONFESSIONS OF A TEXTILEHOLIC
ribbon lords, silk kings, textile emperors
cocoons, tools, ropes
beaded zips, metal treads, signature scissors
silk, Chinese merino, pearls
MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS? A TEXT TO SHEILA

We are staying in a huge apartment next to a small but
ingenuous Market on the street( sells live frogs fish and
all sorts of snails:-). there is a fish stall down the road
that have been washing squid , bras(!) and onions in the
same bucket. In this order. You have to see it to believe
it.
Maglev 450 km per h
SHANG HAI

Shanghai is the most populous city in China. The city is
located in eastern China, at the middle portion of the
Chinese coast, and sits at the mouth of the Yangtze
River. Due to its rapid growth in the last two decades, it
has again become one of the world's leading cities,
exerting influence over finance, commerce, fashion, and
culture.
The Yu ‘An Gardens
HABERDASHERY!
Not too far from Gu Cheng Gardens [古城公园] I
stumbled into a HUGE haberdashery market called
Shanghai Tan Mall [Shanghai Tan Shangsha
 It's at 388 RenMing Road, HuangPu District

HABERDASHERY!

The Ground and first floor are full of little stalls selling all
kinds of buttons, straps, elastic, thread, leather, feathers
and loads of the rhinestone things to stick on to fabric.
The odd stall sold a bit of cloth and webbing or reflective
strips for safety gear and some selling packaging.
Shanghai Tan Mall
Shanghai Tan Mall
Shanghai Tan Mall
Shanghai Tan Mall
Shanghai Tan Mall
Shanghai Tan Mall
So from the time that I
have ordered10 different
types of bag accessories
and the time they arrived at
the shop it was 24 hours.
The price- well a fraction of
what I would pay in Dublin,
although arguably what I
could pay if I search hard
and long on the web. The
difference- I could see and
touch and also- I bumped
into things that I would
never consider as I was not
aware that existed.
In Shanghai everybody is a
designer, from the nanny
that knits a sweater for her
beloved grandchildren, to
the shop assistant who
puts a few boxes together
and wraps a scrap wood in
several towels to fix herself
a chair, everybody is
resolute to give it its best
shot
Nanjing Suho Felting Co
MEETING THE SILK KING
The factory produces textile which are used in the
manufacturing of D&G; LV and Prada
 The factory was established by Mr. Wang, the father.
 His two twins studied business in Australia and then
retuned home to take over the factory. His son on
completion of his studies suggested that they should
expand to the continent of Australia .His father looked in
disbelief: ‘Why would I bother with a place of only 40
million?’
 They hire 4,000 workers.

CHINA : SHANGHAI SOUTH BUND SOFT-SPINNINGTHE NEW SITE FOR CLOTH MARKET APRIL 3, 2006

Dongjiadu Road textile market was a favourite destination for those seeking textiles,
apparel or garments in innumerable varieties from silk, satin or cashmere to cotton and
handicraft.
An average silk dealer at this market earned around 10000-10500 yuan or US $1,2351,300 in a single day.
Silk fabrics at these stores are priced between 30-100yuan per meter, which is almost 30
percent less than the price in chief silk stores.
However, this market has been moved to an enclosed facility, Shanghai South Bund SoftSpinning Material Market, almost 500 metres away from the earlier location.
The new location is more modern and trendy although many regulars and foreigners
believe that the old site represented the traditional and conventional Shanghai.
Traders are offering discounts and have lowered the prices so as to attract the customers
and encourage them to look for the new market.
Sources informed that the new stores have a 20 percent higher rent than the old shop.
The new market officially opened 2006.
Shanghai South Bund Soft-Spinning
Shanghai South Bund Soft-Spinning
Shanghai South Bund Soft-Spinning
Shanghai South Bund Soft-Spinning
Shanghai South Bund Soft-Spinning
The Old New Tweed
Design: Niki Collier
Part One: cashmere, wool
and silk hand felted
sleeves ( designed and
made by Niki Collier)
Part two sleevles wool
bespoke jacket, old metal
buttons, silk lining (Niki
Collier Design, produced at
the Shanghai Tailor
market)
A coat inspired by the
felted patches that are
sometimes found on
elbows. Each part stands
alone makes a comfortable
functional wear which
understated luxury finish
makes it suitable for both
everyday and formal wear.