With a newly opened Shanghai office and a strong showing of upcoming releases at this year’s YO’ HOOD streetwear trade show, Herschel Supply appears ready to take the Middle Kingdom by storm. The Vancouver-based brand, founded by brothers Lyndon and Jamie Cormack, has been producing quintessential bags and accessories for North American urbanites since 2009. Herschel’s foray into China is an opportunity for the brothers to introduce their products and share the brand’s spirit of exploration and thoughtful designs to a new, massive audience.
Herschel Supply先是在上海开设新办公室，又在刚结束的YO’HOOD世界顶尖潮流品牌新品展上亮相品牌新品，看来，这个加拿大包袋品牌已经准备好大举进军中国。品牌由Lyndon Cormack和Jamie Cormack两兄弟成立，总部位于温哥华，自2009年以来，品牌包袋已经成为北美都市潮人的必备配饰，今年，他们进军中国也将标志着品牌一个全新的开始。这也会为两兄弟提供一个机会，向全然不同的消费者分享他们的探索精神与设计美学。
What sets Herschel apart from all the other brands entering China is its open-mindedness and ambition – the brothers aren’t merely interested in introducing a Western aesthetic into China. Chatting with Lyndon, he shared some plans of upcoming collaborations with local Chinese designers and brands. Speaking passionately, Lyndon says, “Being a global brand is about collaborating with artists around the world and bringing their stories to the global audiences. It’s not enough to bring North American stories to China, we want to bring stories from China back to North America.” Taking into account Herschel’s recent collaboration with Japanese streetwear brand WTAPS, the brand appears genuinely keen on facilitating creative collaborations in not only China but throughout Asia and the rest of the world.
或许，Herschel Supply最有别于其它进入中国的品牌的一点是他们的开放性和抱负——他们可不仅仅是想将西方美学引入中国。最近，我们与Lyndon聊了一下，他充满热情地介绍了他与中国当地艺术家和品牌在接下来的合作计划。Lyndon说：“我们希望透过与世界各地的设计师合作，把品牌打造成为一个全球品牌，将设计师的故事分享到世界各地。不仅仅是把北美的故事带到中国，同时也要把中国的故事带回北美地区。”考虑到他们最近与日本服饰品牌WTAPS的合作，Herschel似乎确实很急切地希望能有更多创意合作，不仅是中国，而是在全球范围内。
Beyond an interest in the cross-pollination of cultures, Lyndon places great importance on respecting and understanding cultural nuances from region to region. When releasing new collections, the brand carefully considers the needs of different regions in terms of both functionality and aesthetics. Hinting at features of upcoming designs, Lyndon shared his observations of Chinese cities: “Sometimes when you leave home for the day, you won’t return until late at night. In North America, most people rely on cars so they can leave things there and bring more with them. For China, people have to be more thoughtful with what they’re bringing with them every day.”
除了跨文化地域的合作，Herschel也明白到尊重和充分理解不同地区在文化上的细微差异的重要性。他们在新品中就考虑到了不同地区在功能和美学方面的潜在需求。Lyndon分享了他对中国城市的一些观察——当然，这些观察很可能会成为新品的设计特点。“有时，当人们离开家后，可能就要到深夜才会再回家。在北美，大多数人都很依赖汽车，他们可以把物件放在车上，所以也能带更多物件出门。但在中国，人们必须在平日随身带什么物件上考虑更多。”
One of the most surprising aspects of Herschel might be where its products are manufactured. Even though its design aesthetics are firmly rooted in North American heritage, much of Herschel’s products are manufactured in China, a matter that the brand has happily maintained transparency around. “The factories and the amount of technologies in China they’ve been investing in to ensure they’re cutting-edge and leading is far superior to what we’ve seen in other countries,” Lyndon beams. “We want to make our products in the best place we can and it happens to be right here in China.”
虽然他们的设计和美学风格都源自北美，但是Herschel的产品大部分都是在中国制造的，这一点令很多人大感意外。但是，对于这一点，品牌一直保持完全的透明度。Lyndon骄傲地说：“中国的工厂和他们为了保持先进地位、引领行业而对技术的投资远远超过了我们在其它国家找到的工厂。我们想要找最好的工厂来制造我们的产品，而这个工厂恰巧就在中国。”
As our conversation came to an end, Lyndon optimistically commented on China’s fast-developing fashion scene, “Before, Chinese kids might’ve wanted to be like American kids. Now, Chinese kids want to dress like Chinese kids. I think it’s going to come full circle. What’s going on here is going to influence everything in North America and Europe as well.”
在我们的谈话最后，Lyndon谈及中国的时尚行业，他乐观地说：“之前，中国的年轻人可能会想追随美国年轻人的潮流。但现在，中国的年轻人只想要穿出中国的风格。我觉得这就像是一个循环。现在，在中国发生的变化也会影响到北美和欧洲。”
Website: www.herschelsupply.co
Weibo: ~/HerschelSupply
Instagram: @herschelsupply
Contributor: David Yen
Images Courtesy of Herschel Supply
网站: www.herschelsupply.co
微博: ~/HerschelSupply
Instagram: @herschelsupply
供稿人: David Yen
图片由Herschel Supply提供
