One of the hospital theme party held in Fee Café.

Alice works at a gothic-themed hangout tucked into a quiet street in Shanghai. We were keen to share her impressions of the sub-culture and understand how the cafe helps to build a community.

The Bergstrom Group: What products and services do you offer besides coffee and drinks?

Alice: We also sell Gothic style clothes, do Tarot cards readings, organize themed events, and host a weekly movie night.

TBG: Could you tell us more about the Gothic style clothes? Who are the designers or brands?

Alice: There are more and more original Goth or Gothic Lolita brands, such as 表面咒语(Surfacespell), 第69部门(The 69^th Department), Kred Lanrete, and le Flacon. Some of the brands have 7-9 years of history, they are sold online, some even internationally. The designers and most of the customers are Chinese youth. These indie brands belong to an underground culture, we just provide a platform for them.

TBG: Describe your events.
Alice: We have organized regular events focused on a theme. Sometimes, the focus is general Goth, cult or Tim Burton movies, Tarot cards, Otaku, or Halloween. Event notices are posted on Douban and after the event, we report back to our audience with notes and pictures from the party.

Alice: The founder of the café and his friends help select the music. We usually choose songs from Dark Wave and some local indie brands like Dying Art. We hold Gothic music appreciation activities and let Goth culture fans play music they have in their own collections. We also help promote dark music bands from Shanghai and abroad to perform at Yuyintang and Mao Livehouse.

Alice: I would say that in the last two years, the Yangtze River Delta Area has gotten more active in growing a fan base that appreciates dark music. In that area, you can find more than 100 participants at each event. Some people who go know and love Goth, some people are interested or even just curious. Some customers used to be “Cosers” (AKA Costume Players) and, over time, they get more specific to become Cosers and Goth lovers or Cosers and Lolita lovers. We are glad to help in spreading and sharing people’s knowledge of subcultures.

Alice: Non-mainstream exists in other countries but in China, it’s in the developing phases. It’s never too late to start if one sets his mind to something! At our cafe, we’d like to grow with young Goth fans and become an important platform for them.

Jack & Jones experience show (on the left), gothic style (in the middle), Jack & Jones promotional photograph on its international site (on the right)

Danish menswear brand Jack & Jones’ gothic-themed tour came to an end in Shanghai this December. The tour was named “Gothicise Your Wardrobe 2011, Jack & Jones Brand Experience Show” and hit many cities across China including Dalian, Beijing, and Jinan.

On the site of the event, Jack & Jones lured attendees with stickers of a human skeleton, virtual fitting rooms, free installation of Jack & Jones smart phone applications, and interactive games. According to a spokesman, Jack & Jones interpretation of gothic fashion was made more modern, energetic, and powerful by trading in traditionally dark colors for less dramatic grey, white, and blue.

I don’t know much about Gothic style. My first impression will be black and red colors, heavy make-up, and manga characters. Jack & Jones is more of a casual apparel brand for 20-30 year old consumers in my opinion. I have some clothes from Jack & Jones but I think their designs have been lacking in creativity in recent years. However, I am curious to see what the gothic series look like this time. H&M’ is known for its collaborations with top designer brands. This time, Jack & Jones is introducing a style of gothic fashion to Chinese people. I don’t think the gothic style is misplaced in Jack & Jones brand image; it actually may attract a different kind of customer.

- Eric, 25, male, Shanghai

Yuerong (in the middle) and the model with her design on (on the left)

Creating a collection to be sent down the runway, students got a taste of what pursuing a career in fashion would be like. 

In her junior year as a fashion design major, our trendspotter Yuerong was enthusiastic to share her experience with us:

This is the first time that students in our year held a fashion show by ourselves. The theme is Tibet and my inspiration is Tibetan patterns, prayer wheel, and garments made from llama. We all took it very seriously but because we don’t have very much experience, the show might look a little immature. It’s worth mentioning that a lot of students got inspiration from international fashion designers like Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, and Marc Jacobs.

- Yuerong, 19, female, Shanghai, Fashion Design student

Other designs from the fashion show:

Mid-November marked the height of online shopping in Shanghai with the rise of “social” shopping websites, such as Mogujie, Meilishuo, and Duitang. This new breed of online shopping sites combines e-commerce and social networking by allowing users to share fashion photos. Users can sign up via a Sina Weibo or a QQ account, which makes it easier for them to share new fashion and fashion items they like on Sina or Tencent Weibo or Qzone.

These “social” online shopping communities facilitate the online shopping experience for their users by including item sharing and recommendation features. Each recommendation from other users comes with a Taobao link so a user can buy the recommended item instantly after viewing it. Users upload photos of fashion items they bought or they like and offer personal style guides. As these websites develop, we expect to see a dramatic surge in online sales this holiday season.

E-commerce boom was particularly notable on this year’s Singles Day. (This is a Chinese holiday that celebrates single men and women. The idea comes from the fact that the numbers of the date looks like a person standing alone). On 11/11/11, many merchants on online shopping malls gave a 50% discount on their sales items, which caused hikes in revenue. Just over 16 hours, Tmall received two billion RMB worth of online orders, while the sales number for same day last year was 936 million RMB.

An “eco-friendly” concept is being introduced by fashion brand Me&City (a brand launched by Metersbonwe to target Chinese consumers at a higher end). The line claims to be made from recyclable material – right down to the label!

We spotted some fun new vending machines for magazines in Shanghai metro stations – an easy and fun way to grab a read before a commute.

The machines are well lit and include titles such as Marie Claire, Elle and Elle Men. We’re interested to see if this kicks in elsewhere. For previous reports on vending machines: crab, fresh fruit and subway souvenirs, and fresh fruit juice.

Once upon a time, 80s youth used to pay 19 RMB to play at Be For Time tea houses with an all-you-can-drink menu. Recently, we checked out one of the popular spots in the Zhongshan Park area of Shanghai to see how game bars have changed. Located in a normal apartment on the opposite side of Cloud Nine shopping mall, the bar was full of young people playing Killer of Three Kingdoms (aka KTK or 三国杀 in Chinese). Entrance and drinks is now 35 RMB but – as you can see – cups are also printed with characters from KTK.

Beijing recently hosted Red Pagoda’s Startup Weekend, where new business ideas that have not yet launched were presented and discussed. One of the ideas presented was Hupeng, alternatively called an online dating organizer. The idea has roots in group dating, AKA gokon, but integrates with group buying and coupons. Similar to the function of the websites GrubWithUs and IgNighter, Hupeng offers deals and discounts for groups of people who don’t know each other to arrange online to go out together offline. Unlike similar already-established websites, Hupeng is targeted directly to the Chinese market.

Group dating sites became a popular trend in China a few years ago, followed by group purchasing. Hupeng, by combining a group dating site with a group purchasing site, allows single men and women to potentially meet their match - or just make some friends - on a budget. With thousands of group buying sites in China not making much profit, Hupeng’s concept of integrating group dating with group buying might renew some interest, as reported on PennOlsen.

From the article:

Of course, it’s unlikely that group buy will remain unprofitable forever if Chinese consumers are interested in it. But according to some, consumer interest in group buy sites is already dwindling. The Economic Observer quotes a disappointed Xu Lei, the CMO of Yougo (a group buy site), as saying that “group buying has already undergone a fundamental shift, consumer interest is weakening, and the sale attained by group buy sites have yet to reach half of what was predicted.”

FreeCondom is Beijing’s newest hit app – financed and launched by the National Population and Family Planning Research Institute. As a sexual health initiative, FreeCondom does exactly what the name implies: offers a selection of free condoms. Users can select up to three packs (each holding ten condoms) delivered once every two months for a 1-2 RMB delivery fee.

The free choices offered are from ten domestic condom brands normally priced at around 12 RMB. While some netizens are skeptical of the quality of the condom options, others are enthusiastic to try the new app and take advantage of the service it provides. The app is similar to other e-commerce apps and websites, and also provides information on sexual health and where to find support. Although the application is currently only available to Beijing residents (registration and ID confirmation is required), there is potential for the service to spread to other areas in China, according to the Global Times.

From the article:

People can get the condoms delivered by ordering on the phone or online at yaoju.bj.e-health.org.cn, but the free app is the latest way, and is found in the Android Market or the iPhone App Store.

Last week The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) issued a circular in which they placed a ban on television and radio advertisements related to sex. Basically, SARFT wants television channels to broadcast less sex-related advertising and more ads geared to public health and service. More about SARFT’s ban on China Daily.

SARFT had previously placed a ban on sexy ads in 2007 but that ban was far more specific,specifically prohibiting ads for sex toys and sex related health supplements. Commercials for things like women’s underwear and breast enhancements were also forbidden. But this time around, the definition seems less precise.

We asked some young Chinese women what they thought made an ad sexy. Cao Yue, a 21 year-old college student, described a sexy ad as one that “boasts vivid colors and exemplifies the vigor of life.” Another 21 year-old, Liu Jinwen said, “It’s hard to specify, perfume ads for J’adore by Dior are super sexy, I guess because the women are so confident.”

Recent J’Adore by Dior ad: