Syndicated from The Black Renaissance
China typically maintains a reputation as a harem of mindlessly expansive shopping malls and a wealth of luxury consumers. When money is indicative of power, it’s therefore no surprise that one of the first tier cities, Shanghai, prides itself on its ability to provide sleek commercial efficiency and modern skyscrapers.That said, a counter-culture has been brewing away over the past few years that counteracts such a trend: namely a much humbler, cooler, quieter design and indie movement. Shanghai is home to this growing crop of creative professionals, as young and hip professionals in the areas of music, art, fashion and design are starting to gain prominence. This is a new wave of predominantly young and small business, still not quite up to par in comparison to international cities, but certainly a force who are looking to propel the image of China as a future hub of design-conscious trendsetters. Cue in the Design, Art and Fashion Fair (DAFF), a biannual event where the menagerie of China’s finest creative rebels descend together for a grand lifestyle fair. Open to the general public, DAFF will be hosting an event this month that hopes to bring together some of China’s most stylish and brightest.
DAFF was conceived by The Ice Cream Truck Company, a full-service creative agency with the aim of promoting the talent of local designers that deserve greater recognition for their work. David Lin and Cynthia Fernandez, two of the pioneers of the event, noticed that there were only one or two creative markets that catered towards local brands in the city. And even then the scale of these pre-existing markets were at best average and did not place Shanghai’s local designers in the best light. Seeing the challenges and deficiencies that small businesses faced, they seized the opportunity and set up DAFF. “We really wanted to create a bigger platform for these designers to get the recognition they deserved,” Lin notes. “It’s quite difficult for someone who is designing and producing everything themselves to really successfully market and sell their products too.” Ultimately, by bringing everyone together, from media channels, to a bountiful bevy of local brands, to a large chunk of the general public, the event becomes a centralized place for exposure, recognition and ultimately, sales for these vendors.
DAFF had its humble beginnings back in 2011. Before its constitution however, the event started off as informal ad hoc gatherings organized on random rooftops and gardens. As things eventually evolved, the parties soon evolved into music festivals on beaches, before reaching its current branded state. It’s formalized nature took flight when the organizers were approached by Wharf 1846, a cool entertainment district close to the prestigious Bund area. This is where history began. To this day, each DAFF event still takes place there. Fernandez reminisces about the very first formalized event that took place and the challenges the ensued. With zero budget, and no historical benchmark as to public reception, participants and sponsors were hesitant to take part. Yet despite the huge risk, things paid off. The event organizers were blown away by the wealth of positive feedback, with a turnout of 1,500 attendees that day. The number of attendants that have visited the event has increased each time round since then (the latest being over 5000), along with the growth in sponsorship, media coverage and participant interest.
The latest DAFF to take place will occur this weekend on 25th – 26th May 2013. It’s their biggest expansion to date. Most notably, there will be a new 2-day format, several workshops, a revamped layout to accommodate a larger variety of participants as well as greater interest from high-end brands. Cheap Mondays, one of their latest secured sponsors, will be hosting a sample sale along their food concept of Swedish fare, “Cheap Eats”. Other notable exhibitors include DLF design, a purveyor of quirky lifestyle products including lamps made from bicycle rims and speakers reminiscent of Pac Man. POLO & BIKE is also organizing a collective bike ride to the event on both days of the fair, so that as Lin remarks, “everyone can show off their sweet rides” in typical hipster fashion.
Yet despite all the uproar and positive energy that has characterized the event, DAFF is not a money-maker by any means. Fernandez points out that the company is extremely lucky if they break even. Rather, the ritual of organizing the fair is a passion project, one which consumes more of the company’s team and time than everything else. In her words, “we continue running this event despite financial stability, never-ending obstacles and headaches, and sleepless nights, in order to push the creative community forward here. It is a concept we believe in, and one which we have very high hopes for over the next few years.” Time will certainly tell what the future holds for Shanghai’s creative community, but for now DAFF is certainly a central DNA of the city’s rising trajectory.
To learn more about DAFF and attend their upcoming fair, please visit their website here. Thanks to Davide for organizing this interview.
Image Source: Smart Shanghai