Old Shanghai bicycle and sneaker brands back in the spotlight

While Shanghai is experiencing one of its hottest summers in decades, there is one topic hotter online than the scorching temperatures -- the rise of Shanghai’s traditional brands.

Chinese netizens went virtually wild on Douban.com -- a popular online creative site -- when Forever, Shanghai’s legendary bike brand, announced the launch of the latest model, Forever C. The news about Forever C coincided with tidings from Jerry Tian, the owner of Shanghai sneaker shop Culture Matters, that Feiyue and Warrior sneakers -- supposedly based on the shoes worn by the Shaolin monks -- will be at an upcoming European fashion week.

The Forever C fever 

My friends were all wearing Western brands like Nike. I was the only one wearing Feiyue.

— Adnan Teletovic, designer for Croatian Fashion Week

As China’s earliest bicycle producer, Forever and its classic models, referred to by many Shanghainese as “old tanks,” carried two generations of Chinese (literally) from the 1960s until the 1990s, when the brand fell out of favor. Forever is back though, making a play for modern Shanghai riders with the August 20 announcement that the old tanks from the 70-year-old brand would be revived in a modern bicycle series named Forever C. 

Forever C first appeared at this year’s Shanghai Bicycle Fair in April, causing a sensation among the post-1980s generation. This series, heavily based on Forever’s classic male and female models, is considered a crucial part of refreshing the brand's image. 

Despite Forever C’s popularity among Chinese netizens, little official information has been announced, and repeated requests for additional details to the company's brand promotion department revealed nothing new.

From the promotional photos, Forever C seems to be a new take on the Forever’s traditional models which dominated the Shanghai streets in the 1970s and 1980s -- with some much needed improvements. Both the male and female models are lighter and more streamlined with a selection of colors available instead of the dark, monotone ones formerly available. There's also a safety improvement all Shanghai bikers can appreciate: A headlight.

Even with little information on Forever C’s official page, people are getting excited, creating their own the Douban group, online since August 5. It attracted over 1,500 members in its first 10 days. According to this page, Forever C is scheduled to launch online in late August and people can find it in Shanghai shops in September. Retail venues and prices remain unknown and Forever C’s marketing representative declined to comment. 

[Forever] is back, making a play for modern Shanghai riders with the August 20 announcement that the old tanks from the 70-year-old brand would be revived in a modern bicycle series named Forever C.

— Nirut Krusuansombat

Online rumors are saying that the new bike will cost over RMB 1,000, pricing it well above its former standing as the bike of the masses. 

Culture Matters goes international

While waiting for Shanghai's favorite bikes to hit the street, another Shanghai traditional brand has released big news. Jerry Tian, owner of local sneaker boutique Culture Matters, writes on his blog that a European customer has purchased 15 pairs of hand-painted Feiyue and Warrior sneakers for an upcoming European fashion week.

We were lucky enough to spot the customer in Culture Matters when he came back to get his merchandise. The Croatian customer, named Adnan Teletovic, is bringing all these kicks back to Croatia for the Fashion Week of Croatia, starting October 15 in the country's capital Zagreb.

Teletovic’s plans to pair these sneakers with embroidered jeans he had purchased in Shanghai and silk shirts from Suzhou.

When asked about his reason of choosing sneakers from Culture Matters, Teletovic explains that “My mother bought me these shoes to wear when I was young. In former Yugoslavia, there was a company that produced the same shoes as Feiyue. I think they bought the copyright from the Chinese.

"My friends were all wearing Western brands like Nike. I was the only one wearing Feiyue. When I saw them in Shanghai, all of my childhood memories came back. At was an amazing feeling to find these shoes and I wanted to put them on my runway.”

Tracy You is a bilingual culture and lifestyle journalist based in Shanghai. She is a fan of history, British TV and Wii Guitar Hero. She is the Shanghai editor at CNNGo.

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