“I am
going to redefine the concept Made in China, so one day they’re going to say-
eeet’s good”
Fancy delving into the freshest crop of
movers and shakers? Well, BBC Arts Editor Will Gompertz is here sorting the
chaff from the wheat. The current Radio 4 series Zeigeisters follows the man himself as he presents a cultural exposé
of the most influential figures in the art world today. The label “Zeigeisters” will
attempt to categorize the few outstanding visionaries. Those who are constantly
encapsulating the spirit of our age, and shaping the modern world.
Despite such talents their names are
shamefully under acknowledged, so the program signals a call for widespread
recognition. Opening the program Gompertz laments the “cultural impresarios
standing quietly in the wings… the Andy Warhols, Coco Chanels and Steve Jobs of
today. The people we should know all
about.”
First up was the turn of Angelica Cheung,
style-maker and business impresario, one who till now has been firmly off
radar. It was in 2005 she claims “fate just picked me” for the daunting role of
creating a Chinese edition of Vogue. Although a complete contrast to the law
profession she was intent on returning to, it was offer she couldn’t refuse.
Everyone knew it was a risky start up, but with instant sell-out success the
lady is consistently proving “style has substance”. 
With an unlimited luxury market at her well-manicured
fingertips, her voice as editor-in-chief Vogue China is becoming of increasing
interest to the western world. “For western fashion houses- it’s a gateway to
China’s booming domestic market”. Cheung has been instrumental to the success
of our luxury brands in China. However, as we follow her doing the rounds at Paris
Fashion Week, something she calls “community service”, there is a noticeable
air of futility even frustration, which perhaps hints there is a little more in
it for them than Vogue China.
It is evident that her primary ambition at
Vogue is far from the aggrandizement of big established fashion labels, but to
nurture surrounding creativity. For China’s emerging designers Vogue could
offer a global promotional platform, and she immediately saw the importance of
launching a column to showcase fresh Chinese design talent. Entitled, somewhat
ironically, MADE IN CHINA. The innovation and modernity gracing these pages is
the very antithesis of the plastic, mass-manufactured gaudiness this term has
come to represent.
Cheung believes Vogue is a valuable
instrument to make women think, dream and aspire. She fondly pictures her readers
as those “who want it all” and sincerely believes they can have it all. As she willingly accepts that “fashion is
political”, we must see that in China this takes on an even greater
significance. With all areas of publishing being subject to strict censorship,
each page must be severely scrutinised before the paper can even contemplate
hitting the printers. However, she seems very positive and accepting of this,
viewing it as a necessity of the job. When pushed she can only cite one
previous dispute with the authorities, and she humourously describes feuding
with the Chinese government over the query “indecent” exposure of Ms Moss’s
nips.
Is Angelica Cheung really the most powerful
woman in fashion? Quite possibly, however one thing is certain her power is not
just a reflection of the vast consumer market but a testament to her creative
and pioneering mind.
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