User:FrostFairBlade/sandbox/Shanghai Tang

History

Shanghai Tang was founded by Hong Kong businessman David Tang. Before Shanghai Tang, he had previously opened a retro style club and restaurant called China Club in 1991, which featured aesthetic influences like art deco in its decor. Tang's decision to open Shanghai Tang was based on his desire to create a global brand that represented "something that is quintessentially Chinese". Frustrated with the perception that "made in China" clothing was cheaply made, he envisioned a department store that sold high-quality Chinese consumer goods. In an interview with The Asian Wall Street Journal, Tang remarked:

"If you tried to think of a Chinese label, you couldn't [...] The Western label is what commands the most premium. Well, we want to lift that label off, syringe out the Western premium, and produce a department store full of stuff under one brand name which will become synonymous with good quality and value for money."

After reportedly receiving $20 million in funding from investors, including local businessman Simon Murray,

Products

Shanghai Tang's influences are rooted in 1930s-1940s Shanghai. When his first store opened in 1994, Tang focused on bespoke tailoring, hiring Shanghainese tailors to create both ready-to-wear suits, as well as ones with custom patterns like the Superman logo. Shanghai Tang later sold a ready-to-wear collection, Chinese dresses, and giftware under the "Imperial Tailoring" brand.

As Tang rolled out the next phase of Shanghai Tang, he worked on expanding the product line beyond clothing. Tang wanted his brand to be playful and colorful, stating, "the world needs a little humor". To fulfill this wish, Shanghai Tang stocked items like their signature Tangzhuang in unconventionally bright colours like green and hot pink. They further exuded playfulness through sociopolitical irreverence, whether it was referencing the handover of Hong Kong (shirts emblazoned with the British Hong Kong flag and the tagline "Use before July 1st 1997"), or a watch bearing the likeness of Mao Zedong, which the South China Morning Post described as "an especially fun and cheap gift for a wacky friend". In addition to Mao, Shanghai Tang also made Deng Xiaoping watches, which sold out after his death.

Shanghai Tang

Victoria Tang's direction

Joanne Ooi's thoughts on Shanghai Tang's direction

‘Designing through the Chinese lens’ – Shanghai Tang builds momentum in travel retail

Potential Links

Books

The Trendmakers: Behind the Scenes of the Global Fashion Industry - By Jenny Lantz - https://books.google.com/books?id=q6KKCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA178&dq=%22shanghai+tang%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjzlMjo4LjvAhUUP30KHSpyDzgQ6AEwCnoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=%22shanghai%20tang%22&f=false

• Tang started a tailoring shop on Pedder Street in 1994 featuring Shanghainese tailors
• Under the Imperial Tailoring brand, exclusive Chinese dresses, ready-to-wear collection and a gift range were introduced
• Products - Company's "first signature item was the Tang jacket, silk with a mandarin collar, frog buttons on the front and with a rather loose fit"
  • To differentiate from how the jacket was worn in the 1970s (blue, dark green, grey), Shanghai Tang made their Tang jackets in bright colors like hot pink, turquoise, orange, and lime green
  • "Preserving the traditional shape and silhouette of a Chinese garment while modernizing it in color was a new concept, and Shanghai Tang is still famous for its hot pink, turquoise, orange and lime green colors."

Articles

June 16, 1994 - "Tang's mystery team to launch US$20m Chinese super-store" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/tangs-mystery-team-launch-us-20m-chinese-super/docview/1524195098/se-2?accountid=196403 - Heath, Ray. South China Morning Post; Hong Kong [Hong Kong]16 June 1994: 1.

• First mention of Shanghai Tang
• Reason for creation - "Mr Tang is not impressed with what is available. His concept is an old- fashioned store, drawing down on the international fascination with all things Chinese, but with the sort of modern hardline brand [...]"
• $20 million of funding
• Already has the name, location (Pedder Building on Pedder Street), logos, labels, carrier bags
• Future plans - First stage "will be launched in a matter of weeks and will be a tailor's shop"; second stage to open at the end of the year

July 8, 1994 - "Chinoiserie Chic: Hong Kong Socialite Wants To Sell Chinese Way of Life" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/chinoiserie-chic-hong-kong-socialite-wants-sell/docview/315713976/se-2?accountid=196403 - By Sally D. Goll. Asian Wall Street Journal; Victoria, Hong Kong [Victoria, Hong Kong]08 July 1994: PAGE 1.

• Current plans - "In August, he will unveil the first phase of a planned 11,000-square-foot department store in Hong Kong [...]"
• Future plans - "Within a year, he hopes to have 25,000 square feet of Shanghai Tang retail space in one or more locations in Hong Kong. By next year, Mr. Tang wants to franchise the stores in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia, and eventually China."
• Products - "He says the stores will carry clothes, housewares and other items traditionally found in department stores, but all easily identifiable as Chinese in origin."
• Investors - "He says he will retain a controlling interest in the venture, dividing the rest among his business partner, Mr. Tsui; Indonesia's First Pacific Group; Simon Murray, the well-connected head of Deutsche Bank AG's Asian-Pacific operations; and other private investors from the U.S., South America and Europe."

July 21, 1994 - "Midnight shopping trip suits film-maker Stone just fine" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/midnight-shopping-trip-suits-film-maker-stone/docview/1523921797/se-2?accountid=196403 - South China Morning Post; Hong Kong [Hong Kong]21 July 1994: 4.

• Shanghai Tang has its soft opening yesterday
• 2,000 sq-ft shop is just 10% of the 20,000 sq-ft expansion later on
• Future plans - "By October the suits will take over the 9,000 square foot basement of the Pedder Building, and he is also negotiating with the building's owners for an expansion upwards and sideways."

March 7, 1995 - "Hong Kong returns to its silken roots" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/hong-kong-returns-silken-roots/docview/353215014/se-2?accountid=196403 - Field, Catherine. Kingston Whig - Standard; Kingston, Ont. [Kingston, Ont]07 Mar 1995: 23.

• Products - "[...] silver chopsticks, tailored suits, silk pyjamas and traditional "duan pao" - silk jackets filled with silk floss. A handmade duan pao sells for $580 US, an off-the-peg silk dressing gown is $360, and silk pyjamas are a snip at $100."
  • David Tang: "With 1997 approaching, people have suddenly decided on this trend to go back to being Chinese."
• Current plans - "Next month, Tang will open a second, larger outlet, selling 500 types of traditional Chinese-made goods, and later this year he plans to expand the store, doubling the range of products."

May 2, 1995 - "WORLD REPORT PROFILE : David Tang : HONG KONG'S FLAMBOYANT 'EMPEROR' : 'I want to be an honest broker between China and the West,' says the businessman, who runs the elegant China Club and a clothing emporium" - https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-05-02-wr-61276-story.html - Maggie Farley

• "[...] Tang has a talent for synthesizing East and West, then playing them off each other."
• Products - "[...] Tang has opened Shanghai Tang, an emporium selling Chinese styles with a twist. There are Mao jackets in velvet, Mongolian cashmere sweaters in lime green and orange, watches with Mao’s waving arm as the second hand. And Tang is his own best advertisement."
  • "[...] The store’s name reveals both his marketing strategy and the fundamental paradox behind it: A traditional Chinese suit will seem novel in the West. And only after the fashion has been embraced overseas, he says, will it sell well in China. His ultimate goal is a club and store smack dab on its namesake Shanghai riverfront."
  • "[...] The Mao-mocking paintings at the China Club would not go over at the genteel British club across the square. Who else could send out invitations for a shop’s launch commanding: “Joyful store opening. . .you come!” Neon-colored T-shirts at Shanghai Tang declare: “Confucius say: Foreign tiger not as powerful as local worm” and “No two tigresses in one cave.”"

August 5, 1996 - "Allegiance Shows With Patriotic Chic --- Everything From T-Shirts to Toy Soldiers Ready to Mark '97 Change" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/allegiance-shows-with-patriotic-chic-everything-t/docview/995070846/se-2?accountid=196403 - Chang, Yi-Hsin. Asian Wall Street Journal; Victoria, Hong Kong [Victoria, Hong Kong]05 Aug 1996: 10.

• "[...] Well-known for its Mao suits and silk cheong sams, the colorful boutique also sells PLA-style caps, baseball caps and cotton sweaters emblazoned with the mainland's red and gold flag, and T-shirts plastered with images of Mao Tse-tung taken from Chinese paintings. Each item in the store bears a tag proudly proclaiming "Made by Chinese," although Tangs Department Stores Ltd. is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands."
• "The mainland-related items are "good business. It's something that's fun," says Lily Yau, marketing and sales manager at Tangs Department Stores. But there's nothing political about them, she says. "We are a business. We're not interested in politics.""
• Products - "The army-style caps, decorated with five red stars, come in army green, blue, gray and black, and cost HK$65. The baseball caps, which come in such audacious hues as electric orange and chartreuse, are HK$80. The cotton sweaters cost HK$550. The T-shirts, which also are available in children's sizes, are HK$160. The most eyecatching T-shirt shows Mao applauding next to American pop star Whitney Houston, and it's signed "With love, Whitney.""

November 1, 1995 - "Swiss Arm of Rembrandt Group Lifts Its Stake in Shanghai Tang" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/swiss-arm-rembrandt-group-lifts-stake-shanghai/docview/315644625/se-2?accountid=196403 - By Adam S. Najberg. Asian Wall Street Journal; Victoria, Hong Kong [Victoria, Hong Kong]01 Nov 1995: 3.

• Company change - "Shanghai Tang has sold a majority stake to a unit of Rembrandt Group Ltd. of South Africa for US$13.1 million"
  • The Swiss arm of the company, Richemont, took a larger minority stake "several weeks ago" and "on Monday agreed to lift its stake above 50%"
• Future plans - company plans to expand into franchising and direct-mail, e.g. plans to open a store in the Shanghai Museum, and a location in London
  • Also plans to expand Hong Kong store to 15,000 sq-ft soon
  • "Shanghai Tang recently hit a break-even point and turned its first profit in October"

November 11, 1995 - "Hong Kong: Changing the party line" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/magazines/hong-kong-changing-party-line/docview/224120641/se-2?accountid=196403 - Anonymous. The Economist; London Vol. 337, Iss. 7940,  (Nov 11, 1995): 86-88.

• Article talks about cultural transition regarding the British-Hong Kong handover; lists Shanghai Tang as one of the many stores leaning on retro styling to draw on nostalgia for 1930s-1940s "rich China"
• Products - "[...] traditional Chinese silk jackets in incandescent colours, Pu Yi sunglasses (as immortalised in "The Last Emperor", a film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci) and watches with such communist symbols as People's Liberation Army stars and an image of Deng Xiaoping waving."
  • "The shop also claims to have rediscovered sayings of Confucius, China's renowned sage of social and personal ethics. Next to a display of cufflinks, for example, there is this sign: "Confucius say: 'Other people cufflinks HK$900, Shanghai Tang HK$480'." Both Confucius and Chairman Mao must be turning in their graves."

March 8, 1996 - "Authentic Tang of China is set to conquer world" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/authentic-tang-china-is-set-conquer-world/docview/295003660/se-2?accountid=196403 - Confino, Jonathan. The Guardian (pre-1997 Fulltext); Manchester (UK) [Manchester (UK)]08 Mar 1996: 021.

• Reason for creation - "I thought that if I invented a brand first, it would always be in front of any that follow and it will be able to ride on the much greater recognition of China over the next few years."
• Products - "All the products are labelled "made by Chinese" because Mr Tang acknowledges that he cannot change people's perceptions that anything made in China is "a bit crappy"."
• Workforce - "Mr Tang has brought in some heavyweight retailing expertise in the shape of Johann Rupert, the Rothmans tobacco heir. Mr Rupert, who helped build the Dunhill, Cartier and Mont Blanc brands, has bought a 40 per cent stake in the venture."
• Company profile - "The walls of the stylish Hong Kong store, designed to resemble a 1930s Shanghai art deco building, are adorned with framed photographs of supermodels who have been through its doors, including Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, as well as politicians such as Margaret Thatcher."
• Future plans - "In order to make the brand more authentic, Mr Tang intends to open a store in Shanghai and wants to add to the merchandise range which already includes curios such as art deco ashtrays and Red Army watches."
• "Under consideration are exotic clothes from other parts of China such as Tibet and Mongolia, and the eventual introduction of a range of imperial porcelain."

March 17, 1996 - "Contain or Tame A Waking Giant? Region Sees China's Growth As a Double-Edged Sword Series: ASIA'S DRAGON: NEIGHBORS CONFRONT CHINA'S POWER Series Number: 1/3: [FINAL Edition]" - Richburg, Keith B. The Washington Post (pre-1997 Fulltext); Washington, D.C. [Washington, D.C]17 Mar 1996: A.01.

• Article talks about the economic growth of China, and the pros and cons of it from an American perspective; David Tang is quoted as being part of the businessmen looking to capitalize on the increased interest in Chinese culture
• David Tang - "China is huge. Gigantic. A part of Asia. And something rather chic," said David Tang, the founder of the department store, Shanghai Tang's. Wearing a black silk Chinese pajama suit for an interview in his office, which is lined with more than 300 books, family pictures and a large porcelain statue of a Chinese soldier, Tang declared, "It's chic to wear a cloth cap with a star on it, or a Mao jacket."

October 15, 1996 - "Global goals for Chinese-made goods" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/global-goals-chinese-made-goods/docview/265322246/se-2?accountid=196403 - Campbell, Al. South China Morning Post; Hong Kong [Hong Kong]15 Oct 1996: 1.

• Products - "Shanghai Tang's main product lines are men's, women's and children's wear, home furnishings, soft and hard goods and gift items. Everything is designed and manufactured in-house."
• Current plans - "To capitalise on 1997 and the interest in Chinese products, the company this month launched a catalogue for the Hong Kong and Japanese markets. Ms Butler said a global version was being planned."
• Future plans - "The plans include shops for Beijing, Shanghai, London, New York and at least one more Hong Kong location, probably in Kowloon. [...] Maria Butler, company marketing executive, said it was likely all the shops would be open by 1998."

December 21, 1996 - "Hong Kong's new pride in things Chinese: [FINAL Edition]" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/hong-kongs-new-pride-things-chinese/docview/242995003/se-2?accountid=196403 - Daphne Bramham, Sun Asia-Pacific Reporter. The Vancouver Sun; Vancouver, B.C. [Vancouver, B.C]21 Dec 1996: C.11.

• "There's the campy Shanghai Tang department store that celebrates the decadence of pre-Communist era and the optimism of the early Mao era in its expensive made-in-China clothes and knickknacks. [...] Shanghai Tang fashion followers turn up at black-tie parties in traditional Chinese clothes that for both men and women are called cheongsam. For men, it's a long silk coat with a Mandarin collar and frog closures. For women, it's slinky silk dresses slit to the thigh that were made popular by the movie, The World of Suzie Wong."

February 21, 1997 - "Shoppers snap up memorabilia" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/shoppers-snap-up-memorabilia/docview/265365933/se-2?accountid=196403 - Lo, Alex. South China Morning Post; Hong Kong [Hong Kong]21 Feb 1997: 12.

• Products - "Andrea Yip, manager of the upmarket Central boutique Shanghai Tang said leather-strapped Deng watches sold out on Monday. [...] But she reassured those still hoping to get one of the $390 timepieces, with an image of the late leader waving his hand on the face, that new stock would soon be in."

February 23, 1997 - "Souvenir shops caught short by death of paramount leader" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/souvenir-shops-caught-short-death-paramount/docview/265331181/se-2?accountid=196403 - South China Morning Post; Hong Kong [Hong Kong]23 Feb 1997: 1.

• Products - "Shanghai Tang in Central saw its stock of watches with a picture of Deng waving depleted by the close on Thursday. They are now having to replace them. [...] David Tang Wing-cheung's upmarket shop now plans to sell Deng T-shirts, biographies and a batch of limited edition watches in the next two months. [...] "We've been planning a limited edition Deng watch for the higher-end buyer for a year, but in the past couple of days we've speeded up the process," Gemma Choi, general manager of merchandising, said."

March 10, 1997 - "Marketing Deng" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/marketing-deng/docview/315629243/se-2?accountid=196403 - By Yi-Hsin Chang. Asian Wall Street Journal; Victoria, Hong Kong [Victoria, Hong Kong]10 Mar 1997: 10.

• Products - "Not to be outdone, trendy Shanghai Tang, perhaps better known for its luscious silks and elegant "cheong sams," rushed a new shipment of Deng and Mao Tse-tung "limited issue" waving-arm watches from its factory in China. The kitschy mechanical timepieces now sell for HK$590, compared with HK$390 before Mr. Deng's death. [...] "We realized it's more of a collector's item now, so the price went up," store manager Andrea Yip explains."
  • "Shanghai Tang had actually run out of its Deng watches a few days before the leader's death. After getting a flurry of inquires about the watch, the store rushed in 200 Deng watches and 150 Mao watches from its factory in Shenzhen. Some 36 hours later, the Deng watches were again out of stock as the diminutive statesman suddenly began outselling the Great Helmsman."
  • "Another shipment has arrived, and Shanghai Tang is selling 50 to 60 Deng watches a day, compared with the usual 30 to 40 a day, says Ms. Yip, adding that her store in Central normally sells 40 to 50 Mao watches daily."
  • "Shanghai Tang, which opened in mid1994, started carrying the Mao waving-arm watch in November of that year. The watch was an instant best-seller and the store came out with a companion Deng watch in June 1995."
  • "Gemma Choi, merchandising manager at Shanghai Tang, figures the store has sold nearly 30,500 Mao and Deng watches. They are among the most popular items in the store, she says. But overall, "Mao is more popular than Deng," she says."

May 5, 1997 - "Fashion Staple" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/fashion-staple/docview/315618110/se-2?accountid=196403 - By Connie Ling. Asian Wall Street Journal; Victoria, Hong Kong [Victoria, Hong Kong]05 May 1997: 10.

• Products - "Custom-made cheong sam at Shanghai Tang start at around HK$5,000 and go up to HK$12,000, depending on the fabric and labor required."

May 31, 1997 - "Full of eastern promise: Fashion: Victoria Mather indulges herself at Shanghai Tang, a cornucopia for the occidental tourist" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/full-eastern-promise-fashion-victoria-mather/docview/248530979/se-2?accountid=196403 - Mather, Victoria. Financial Times; London (UK) [London (UK)]31 May 1997: 09.

• Products - "The shop reflects the same vivacity and style. Shanghai Tang explodes with colour in the drab fashion universe of black and navy blue. Hot pink, sizzling tangerine, deep yellows and lime greens, little sweaters in Chenille, those touchy-feely cashmere jackets, the sinuous velvets which, back in England, become a girl's perfect smoking jacket in chill country houses. And, above all, the willowy cheong sans, always so elegant on the oriental figure but hitherto unwearable by the occidental tourist."
  • "Prices for jackets range from £350 to £450, the scarves are about £75 and the luggage starts at £130."
  • "[...] He saw designers such as Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan having their designs made over the border under strict quality control and thought he could have some of that. The trick was to make the clothes designer- Chinese, then sell them to an adoring public in glorious colours with marvellous packaging, the actress Gong Li as his house model and photographs of all Tang's glittering acquaintances on the shop walls."
  • "The cornucopia of Shanghai Tang now includes glass, china and luggage. The store has only been open a year and is very of-the-moment with the approaching handover."
• Current plans - "[...] Chinese medicine - so acutely, fashionably alternative - will be his next new line and Shanghai Tang is to open in New York, with a 75ft long bar and plans for drinking and shopping until 11pm. What could be better for the city that never sleeps? Next stops are Milan and London."

June 23, 1997 - "Shanghai express" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/trade-journals/shanghai-express/docview/219138734/se-2?accountid=196403 - Gault, Ylonda. Crain's New York Business; New York Vol. 13, Iss. 25,  (Jun 23, 1997): 1.

• Products - "Mr. Tang's theatrics are on full display at Shanghai Tang, his Hong Kong-based specialty store that sells everything from fine Chinese porcelain and silk apparel to campy Mao Zedong alarm clocks that say, "Wake up. Don't be alarmed in 1997.""
• Sales - "The store reportedly reaps sales of $1,700 per square foot."
• Current plans - Plans to open New York store on Madison Avenue in the fall, and further expand throughout the US and Europe
  • "The dramatic space [of the New York location] was hotly pursued and awarded to Mr. Tang after he bid $2 million in annual rent, besting competing offers from Cerruti and Nautica."
  • "In addition to fine porcelain, silver home furnishings and suede Mao jackets, Mr. Tang will mix in tchotchkes like novelty wristwatches, T-shirts and home accessories."
  • "Mr. Tang says his goal is not simply to bring China to American shoppers, but make it accessible."
• Future plans - "Once the Madison Avenue flagship is up and running, Mr. Tang plans to take Shanghai to other cities, including London, Milan, Beverly Hills."
• Investors - "[...David Tang's] landed Vendome Group, which owns Cartier and Mont Blanc, as a primary investor."

June 23, 1997 - "Hong Kong's handover souvenir sellers see cash in kitsch" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/trade-journals/hong-kongs-handover-souvenir-sellers-see-cash/docview/227196401/se-2?accountid=196403 - Ajello, Robin. Marketing Magazine; Toronto Vol. 102, Iss. 24,  (Jun 23, 1997): 6.

• Article talking about how the handover of Hong Kong is creating unique selling opportunities of mainland Chinese culture
• "No one got on the mainland marketing express earlier than David Tang, a cigar-smoking socialite who launched a boutique that sells Chinese fashion as well as kitsch from Mao's revolutionary China."
• Products - "[...] luring passersby into an elegant emporium stuffed with Shanghai antiques, where linen-draped staff glide between racks of Mao suits in fluorescent hot pink and lime green."
  • "The hottest sellers are the Mao and Deng watches; they show the late leaders waving to the masses. Tang is as shrewd a capitalist as he is a packager: after Deng died he upped the price for a Deng watch to $90 from $60, though the watches often lose minutes a day."
  • "On Shanghai Tang shelves, T-shirts blare such slogans as: "One Country 1997 Systems" and "The Great Hangover." A $20 mug is inscribed with "The Communist Party.""
• Marketing - "To flog the East-West appeal, he hired the ultimate spokesperson: internationally famous mainland movie star Gong Li (Farewell My Concubine), who appears in print ads wearing updated cheong-sams."
  • "Tang says that on July 3, the first working day after the handover, his store will participate in a Dress Chinese Day. "It's easy to be a part of this exciting and historical event!" reads a quarter-page ad in the local dailies. "Donate a minimum of HK$50. Then dress Chinese on July 3." Even as the shadow legislature that will replace the elected one debated the severity of punishments to be imposed for burning the Chinese flag, stores across town were selling them in all sizes."

June 24, 1997 - "Handover anxiety sparks Hong Kong shopping spree Retailers peddle Chinese chic to a people with identity crisis" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/handover-anxiety-sparks-hong-kong-shopping-spree/docview/384682100/se-2?accountid=196403 - Wong, Jan. The Globe and Mail; Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]24 June 1997: A.1.

• "[David Tang's] store on Pedder Street offers Chinese-flavoured clothes, accessories, home furnishings and Communist kitsch, all made to his specifications in mainland China."
• Products - " Mao suits cost $330 and come in purple, lime green and hot pink."
  • "One Red Guard designer watch ($100) shows the late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping marking the seconds by incessantly flicking his cigarette ash. Another shows chairman Mao waving to the masses. It comes gift-boxed in something resembling his Little Red Book. Still another watch ($50) has miniature dim sum instead of numbers and nestles in a fuchsia bamboo steamer basket."
• Sales - "Last year, its first full year of business, the store had sales of $33-million."
• Company info - "The store replicates a 1930s Shanghai club, with its Chinese blackwood antiques, fresh orchids, aluminum spitoons and handsome sales clerks in beige linen Mao suits standing at attention."
• Marketing - "Film star Gong Li (Farewell My Concubine , Raise the Red Lantern ) is the store's in-house model. An advertising campaign of her in a persimmon velvet slit-to-the-thigh cheongsam has helped the $200 dresses fly off the racks. Made-to-order ones cost $600 and up."
  • "Unlike Ralph Lauren shops, which are humourless, Shanghai Tang is tongue in cheek. Coolie outfits come with slim silk pants or miniskirts. Their colours -- neon orange, electric blue and chartreuse -- are inspired by vivid Tibetan prayer scrolls. Mao caps are made of embroidered velvet. Mugs are emblazoned with "Most-Flavoured Nation." T-shirts ($45) are printed: "The Chinese Empire Strikes Back" or "The Great Hangover.""
  • "To celebrate the handover, and presumably drum up more business, he is sponsoring Hong Kong's first Dress Chinese Day. Those who donate at least $10 to the local Community Chest and wear traditional Chinese garb to the office on July 3, the first work day after the handover, get a 10-per-cent discount at Shanghai Tang."
  • "While Ralph Lauren literally festoons his designs with the stars and stripes, Shanghai Tang wraps itself, literally and figuratively, in the Chinese flag. It sells sweaters of which the entire front is a Chinese flag. And all its labels say, archly, "Made by Chinese.""
• Future plans - "Shanghai Tang plans to open a store in New York in late November and another in Shanghai by the end of the year."

June 26, 1997 - "Shanghai Tang Will Put Out Shingle On Madison Avenue" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/shanghai-tang-will-put-out-shingle-on-madison/docview/315618655/se-2?accountid=196403 - Asian Wall Street Journal; Victoria, Hong Kong [Victoria, Hong Kong]26 June 1997: 8.

• "Shanghai Tang is renowned in Hong Kong for its silk clothes, which draw on 1930's Chinese styles."
• Current plans - Shanghai Tang to open its first US store on Madison Avenue at 60th Street on November 22
• Future plans - expansion to Europe

June 27, 1997 - "Asian Marketing" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/asian-marketing/docview/315617157/se-2?accountid=196403 - By Fara Warner and Diane Brady. Asian Wall Street Journal; Victoria, Hong Kong [Victoria, Hong Kong]27 June 1997: 8.

• Marketing - "Dress Chinese Day" - "The event was conceived and is sponsored by Shanghai Tang, one of the territory's leading retailers of -- you guessed it -- Chinese-style clothes."
  • "Those sporting Chinese gear are supposed to donate HK$50 (US$6.45) to the Community Chest, which then distributes the money to 140 Hong Kong social-welfare agencies."
  • "To foster that charitable spirit, Shanghai Tang is giving donors 10% discount coupons to use in the store before Thursday. The company also says it will spend HK$1 million (US$129,100) to advertise the event and is guaranteeing HK$2 million will be raised -- or the store will make up the difference."

June 29, 1997 - "The shape of things to come Series: HONG KONG HANDOVER: [0 SOUTH PINELLAS Edition]" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/shape-things-come-series-hong-kong-handover/docview/263223010/se-2?accountid=196403 - SUSAN TAYLOR MARTIN. St. Petersburg Times; St. Petersburg, Fla. [St. Petersburg, Fla]29 June 1997: 1.F.

• "Shanghai Tang has won a loyal and growing clientele by updating the traditional look in trendier colors and cooler materials like linen and cotton."
• Company info - "The club [China Club] has "an East-meets-West theme and the concept came from that," says merchandising director Gemma Choi."
• Products - "Among the most popular fashions for women are the chi pao, the high-collared, form-fitting dress worn by the kind-hearted prostitute in Suzie Wong. The chi pao, considered bourgeois, disappeared in China during the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution but has been pushed by the garment trade as a comely uniform for mainland hotel and restaurant employees."
  • "Shanghai Tang makes all its fabrics in China, and retails them at prices ranging from $23 a yard for silk in a basic color and pattern to $1,938 a yard for material with elaborate beading, sequins or embroidery. The average cost for a full-length formal dress, including labor, runs about $1,033)."
  • "For the Hong Kong handover, Shanghai Tang is also stocking several souvenir items, including velvet Mao caps with a red star, and T-shirts emblazoned with such slogans as "Year of the Cow - Milked by China.""
• Sales - "About 30 percent of Shanghai Tang's customers are male. Westerners make up about a fourth of the clientele, a percentage likely to increase."
• Current plans - "The first foreign store will open on New York's Madison Avenue in November, and there are plans to expand to London, Japan and Milan in the next few years."

June 30, 1997 - "Hong Kong 1842 - 1997: Chinese chic back in style What they will be wearing" - - MARTHA HUANG IN HONG KONG. The Guardian; London (UK) [London (UK)]30 June 1997: 1, 11:7.

• Products - "[...] the cheomsams are skintight, a riot of fluorescent brocade, velvet and lace. Style here is relentlessly ironic: a sexy Mao suit, a traditional frogged jacket in chartreuse suede. But Mr Tang also insists Hong Kong must "bring back things that are quintessentially Chinese.""
• "At the launch of his collection, Mr Tang said: "I hope this is the beginning of a very good consciousness - Chinese wearing Chinese clothes and even non-Chinese in Hong Kong wearing Chinese clothes.""

July 2, 1997 - "Hong Kong fashion turns to traditional" - https://search-proquest-com.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/newspapers/hong-kong-fashion-turns-traditional/docview/259998422/se-2?accountid=196403 - Associated Press. Las Vegas Review - Journal; Las Vegas, Nev. [Las Vegas, Nev]02 July 1997: 11.A.

• Context - "In the months leading up to the end of British rule, Chinese fashion has become increasingly trendy [in Hong Kong]. Sexy figure-hugging Suzy Wong dresses with thigh-high slits are a favorite of the young. Tailors are whipping up traditional cheongsams for the older crowd."
  • "In China today, the hottest fashions aren't Chinese but Western, from leather micro-minis worn with stiletto heels to conservative silk business suits. But this has had no effect on Hong Kong - at least not yet."

September 16, 1997 - "Look Homeward: A New Twist in Hong Kong Shopping" - https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/16/style/IHT-look-homeward-a-new-twist-in-hong-kong-shopping.html - By Suzy Menkes, International Herald Tribune

• Last year (1996), over one million customers walked into Shanghai Tang
• Current plans - opening a New York location on Madison Avenue in November
• Products - "New Yorkers will see the eye-popping lime green, pink and orange that create a hallucinatory revision of Chairman Mao's drab uniforms. The Hong Kong Central store offers velvet cheongsams and brightly lined Chinese jackets, as well as silk photo albums, Day-Glo towels and irreverent gifts, among traditional bales of silk for made-to-order tailoring."
• "The Tang concept is about cheap and cheerful marketing, not a fashion revolution [...]"

September 17, 1997 - "Recasting Chinoiserie As Modern-Day Chic" - https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/17/news/recasting-chinoiserie-as-modernday-chic.html - By Jenni Meili Lau, International Herald Tribune

• Concept - ""Nostalgia was our starting point — the look of Shanghai in the '30s and '40s. But you can't sell nostalgia all the time. So we pay particular attention to being contemporary," said David Tang, founder of the Shanghai Tang label which specializes in souped-up versions of traditional Chinese fashions."
  • ""What we're doing is similar to chinoiserie," said Tang, referring to the 17th-century European design movement that took a romanticized view of the Orient and used Chinese or pseudo-Chinese motifs on everything from textiles to furniture. "Our underlying principle is to combine East and West, old and new. And to give interpretation to these two tenets with a sense of zest.""
• Products - "[...] Mao jackets in blazing red velvet, lime-green Mongolian cashmere sweaters and hip-hugging Suzie Wong-style cheongsams in flashy Chinese prints."
  • "[...] Mainland Chinese workers manufacture the bulk of Shanghai Tang's ready-to-wear line, while a handful of Shanghai tailors custom-craft fashions in Hong Kong."
  • "[...] Tang has also moved into the lifestyle business. Shanghai Tang's inventory includes such tongue-in-cheek goods as Fu Man Chu silver bookends, coffee cups emblazoned with Chairman Mao's rosy grinning face and table linens embroidered with coolie figures."
• Current plans - "This November Tang will open a store on Madison Avenue in New York, where he hopes his "exotic" clothes and kitschy household goods will be warmly embraced. Only then will he pursue the elusive China market."
• Marketing - Gong Li signed a three-year contract to represent Shanghai Tang
• Future plans - Plans to open Shanghai store early next year