About me
The New "Made In China"
Growing up in 1980s Antwerp, Belgium, I was exposed to colorful pop culture icons such as Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, etc., who had taken fashion into cutting edge new directions. The ways in which they played with their clothing fascinated me from the start and inspires me to this day. My modish interests gradually developed as the years went on.
Decades went by (slightly exaggerating here) and through my studies in Sinology, I came in touch with up-and-coming Chinese designers such as Xander Zhou, whose innovative ideas triggered an intense interest for the pioneering fashion scene within China. The interest was sparked and the decision made. Fashion journalism and all it entails would hold my future.
With inspirations such as Diana Vreeland and Carine Roitfeld, I aspire to one day run a hard-hitting global fashion publication or even found one myself. Yet for now, I am taking baby-steps with Temper Magazine, offering readers a look at China through a fashion-focused lens.
I aim to educate myself and incessantly up the editorial/artistic/ publishing/everything editorial experience ante.
“Education” is also the underlying reason for my running a Zindigo fashion webshop. Whereas advertising is the lifeline of any publication, online media have yet another option: E-commerce. Fashion publishing in the 21st Century stretches far beyond “mere” ink on paper.
“You know the greatest thing is passion, without it what have you got? I mean if you love someone you can love them as much as you can love them but if it isn’t a passion, it isn’t burning, it isn’t on fire, you haven’t lived.” Empress Vreeland.
Projects
- https://www.temper-magazine.comTemper Magazine offers a look at contemporary China through a fashion-focused lens. The term “Made in China” is undergoing the ultimate 21st Century makeover — with a subversive twist. This rapidly changing landscape is a unique phenomenon which goes beyond the mere Summer/Winter collections; it waves the flag for the changes vibrating within China’s society-at-large today. Escorted by the increasingly strong influence of a new thinking among China’s younger generations regarding individuality a
- LaWo Mobile Fashion AppI write a weekly column for LaWo (??), China’s first mobile fashion app. LaWo is a new social fashion app designed exclusively for the Chinese market that is purposed to help its users become more fashionable, popular, self-confident, and happy. It provides its users with fashion inspirations obtained from fashion blogs and news as well as hot daily item feeds from other user closets. Users are able to solicit feedback from friends, other users, specialty fashion pros, and upcoming celebrities, all the while making new social contacts, friends, and fans. There are fun aspects as well such as entering fashion contests to win cool prizes and bragging rights, receiving app and retailer e-coupons, and even having the chance at real fame by becoming a LAWO Fashion Pro or even Upcoming Celebrity.
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Work history
Freelance Fashion JournalistTemper Magazine
(Copy-)Editing&Writing.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Temper Magazine
Columnist at LaWo (??), China’s first mobile fashion app
UK Yahoo! Style Network Official Fashion Blogger
Freelance editorial projects at SIX Magazine, Format Magazine, Whatsonweibo.com,…
Zindigo Fashion Ambassador running a Zindigo webshop: Shop Design Online
China Account Executive
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The particular one-year project I was hired for required me to act primarily as Account Executive, but also as the designated on-site translator, belonged to the Yurun Group. To be more specific: Weihai Outlet Project located in Shandong Province.
The project provided an excellent opportunity to witness first-hand the business side of China fashion and required me to take on across-the-board tasks. Key duties included Sales and Marketing, Public Relations, Client Relations Management and Translation/on-site Interpreting DUTCH/ENG<->CHIN. In sum:
-Achieve strategic objectives set by the Head of Weihai Outlet;
-Monitor progress and effectively use tools & reporting to forecast and measure performance;
-Develop personal relationships with partners and identify areas for partner growth;
-Generate excitement, demand, and interest in the Yurun project within the supplier (i.e. international clothing brands) community.
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Skills
- Fashion
- Author
- Copywriting
- Editing
- Journalism
- Blogs
- Blogging
- Creative
- Proofreading
- Web Content
- Popular Culture
- Excel
- Photoshop
- Powerpoint
- Word
Education
Sinology
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Sinology is the academic study of China primarily through Chinese language, literature, and history,
Awards
Scholarship
Under a cultural agreement between the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, I was granted a one-year scholarship by Nuffic Office (The Hague, NL) to study at Beijing Language and Culture University in order to help improve my level of (mainly) spoken as well as written (Mandarin) Chinese.
http://www.blcu.com