Friday, February 27, 2015

Travel: Shanghai, China

Hello Hauties!

This past December, I went to Shanghai to visit my factory (and luckily had enough time to do some touristy activities too). I just wanted to share my trip and give you guys a behind the scenes tour. 


Production is not the most glamorous part of the fashion industry, and maybe sharing details about it takes a bit away from the "magic" of it all. Garments don't come out of thin air though, production is obviously very important. So if you're curious, read on*! Or, if you only read my blog for pretty pictures of models in dresses, there will be more of that later, so stay tuned! 

The cutting table. They stack the fabric and cut so many pieces at once that it requires a saw. It takes a lot of skill to do this neatly and accurately!
Seamstresses at their sewing tables. 
I spent months sending prototypes, patterns, and samples back and forth with the factory. I visited the factory to inspect the bulk order before they shipped it, so they were finished producing my order before I got there. I was very happy to see the employees in action though -- they were such a happy and talented group!

Haute Holly dresses on a rack and ready to go!
My favorite part of the trip was the food. The factory manager and sales representative were such gracious hosts. I ate a lot of hot pot, noodles, and seafood -- yum!

Factory's owner, his wife, and my sales representative at Japanese BBQ restaurant.
Hot pot lunch with Fiona, my sales representative.
Everything was great at the factory, and Haute Holly dresses were going in their boxes. I went to downtown Shanghai to explore for a couple of days. Here are a few of my favorite sights!

Longhua Temple. Beautiful, ornate temple. Bonus: they give you free incense with your admission ticket! 
Yuyuan Garden. Built during the Ming Dynasty. Gorgeous buildings, bridges, and landscapes. I wandered this garden for hours. 
1933 Shanghai. A Bauhaus building with Escheresque ramps and staircases. I had to include an image of this place because I found it to be so inspiring.
Thanks for reading babes! Hope you enjoyed. Let me know if there is anything else you'd like to see on my blog.

xoH

*Semi-off topic: I love watching videos about how they manufacture crayons, macaroni, etc. I know I can't be the only one. The precision of an assembly line is so satisfying to watch.

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