Jenny Ji: When East-meets-West becomes a lifestyle fashion brand

It has been eight years since native Shanghainese designer Jenny Ji launched her fashion label La Vie in Tianzifang, the city’s creative hub at Taikang Road. We catch up with the popular fashion pioneer and mother-to-be, to discuss runway trends (and disregarding them), her signature cosmopolitan style and fusing Chinese tradition with a Western aesthetic.

CNNGo: Describe the La Vie look.

We’re creating not only fashion, but also a modern Chinese lifestyle brand. We’ve set up a bridal line, and we’re launching lingerie in March and homeware a bit after that. We want to bring out more things with Chinese culture and modern design that are wearable, fashionable and designed for Chinese people’s lives.

CNNGo: So how big will La Vie become?

It doesn’t matter how big we’re going to be, but the important thing is we want to design this kind of lifestyle brand. It’s my personal passion.

Every time we recreate our design concepts, our inspiration comes from a piece of Chinese culture. This year’s winter fashion collection was based on peacock feathers, which are used in many Shanghai homes for decoration.

CNNGo: Unlike many Shanghai designers, your label is popular not only in Shanghai, but also in international markets like Paris and Stockholm. What’s the secret?

We’ve insisted on having our own style. Journalists always ask me about what’s popular for next season, and I say I don’t know because I don’t really care. [Laughs.] We pick colors based on the symbols we use in China, not what everyone else thinks is popular.

CNNGo: What inspired your wedding collection that created such a buzz during October’s Shanghai Fashion Week?

The idea fror the collection came about because a lot of my customers asked me, “Jenny I really like your dresses, why don’t you make a wedding gown for my wedding?” I said “Okay, let me try.” The problem is, I don’t like most wedding gowns. In China, girls wear dresses with huge, shiny skirts, and most brides end up looking the same. You can’t remember who wore what; the dresses don’t show the girls’ personality. I wanted to design something that’s simple, and lets you show your own style.

CNNGo: You’re also known as an ethical fashion label and designer. Are eco-friendly fabrics used for the wedding collection as well?

Yes, they are. When I started this label, I insisted on eco-friendly materials because not many Chinese designers were using organic fabric. It’s very comfortable and you can feel the difference. We want La Vie to be an environmentally friendly brand, but from the business side, we also think this is the future.

CNNGo: What is Shanghai style to you?

Shanghai was a fashion center at the beginning of 1920s, and it’s still a very fashionable city. People can accept a lot of things -- it doesn’t matter if it’s from the West or East, or from other Asian cities which is great. Shanghai also has more and more influence on provinces near it. It’s a leader in fashion.

CNNGo: What’s next for Jenny Ji?

I’m having a baby in soon and we’re designing a limited-edition mother and baby set next spring summer. It will be based on a "blue tiger" China design.

getting there

Jenny Ji: Le Vie
Courtyard 7, Lane 210, Taikang Lu, near Sinan Lu
泰康路201弄7号, 近思南路
tel +86 21 6445 3585

306 Changle Lu, near Ruijin Lu
长乐路306号, 近瑞金一路
tel +86 21 6384 7378

102, Zone C7, Red Town, 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Kaixuan Lu
红坊国际文化艺术社区, 淮海西路570号C7地带102室, 近凯旋路
tel +86 21 6282 5036