Blanc de Chine — a brand where none existed
For nearly twenty years we had a client for whom we worked on a series of projects - most of them architectural and real estate driven. The owner of this company was Chinese and based in Hong Kong. We met in America at his New York offices about four times a year.
He asked us to help him develop a concept that would bring his ideas of Zen-like simplicity to the West in ways that were enlightening, pleasurable, and life-enhancing. We considered the development of a retail store as well as a wholesale line and fully developed the business plans to support investments in both. We began work on a line of home furnishing products with a Chinese idea of simplicity and sensuality. We got close many times to finalizing our plans, but my client was never certain that home furnishings would sustain his interest.
One day he flew into New York from Hong Kong wearing a version of the traditional Chinese down quilted jacket in a matte silk twill. It was at once sleek, soft, warm, modern, simple, elegant, traditional, transitional, gender limitless, beautiful and - quite simply - just perfect. I knew he had his answer—the concept that would become Blanc de Chine. Here is just a sampling of their simple, clean, styling.
Photo Credit: Diego Uchatel