Tat's the way I like it
- Source: Global Times
- [23:39 February 02 2010]
- Comments
By Zhang Hui
Yo, homes! Whatcha doing, esse? Sorry if I sound as if I've swallowed an Ebonics dictionary, but I've just come from TPLUS, the new tattoo clothing store in Solana, and let's just say that they're quite into hip-hop over there.
Overseas, there's no telling who will have a tattoo hidden under their clothes; sorority girls, hipsters, gangsters and rappers can all be caught sporting tats. But not everyone in China is ready to get permanently inked. For that crowd, TPLUS offers a range of attire with more commercialized, less menacing tattoo designs to appeal to China's youth.
Conservative China
Many young people in China are still fairly conservative, and even those who are willing to get themselves a tattoo are normally reluctant to take on anything too large. You might see a small tattoo on the waist or hand of some more rebellious youngsters but that's generally it. TPLUS (the "T" stands for "Teenage"), which opened in Beijing on Christmas Eve, is obviously hoping to change that.
"We created the TPLUS brand in China because we noticed tattoos are really well-re-ceived internationally, for example the brand Ed Hardy. We want to build a Chinese tattoo brand integrating international trends with Chinese elements," Zhao Xing, manager of TPLUS, told Lifestyle.
Browsing the 100-square-meter store, one can see quite how TPLUS has absorbed the "international tattoo" vibe. US hip-hop thumps from the speakers, and shoppers are surrounded by framed pictures of the likes of Usher, Britney Spears and Ewan McGregor displaying their tattoo style clothing, as well as boards decorated with tattoo art. One, depicting a tiger leaping out of a fire-red background, occupies a whole wall. Silver jewelry like bracelets, necklaces and rings, run from a none-too-cheap 400 yuan to prices worthy of Jay-Z at 3,000 yuan.
Clothes have tats, too
Men's and women's T-shirts, sweaters, hoodies, jeans and down jackets are available, and they all have tats too. The techniques used include hot fix rhinestones, bronz-ing, flocking, hanging dye, cloth-, leather- and velvet-paste embroidery, computer embroidery, printing (watermark) and discharge printing (pull printing), according to sales assistant Su Tiannan. "One of the distinguishing features of our tattoo wear is that you can get several superb, different styles in one item," Su boasted to Lifestyle.
She demonstrated with an orange T-shirt for women, which showed two lively-looking carp splashing around a diamond-studded cross in the sea: "The hanging dye used in the orange has different shades, the carp's rhinestones are hot-fixed, and velvet-paste embroidery was used for the carps' tails, which gives them a 3D effect." On another T-shirt with a dragon tattoo, Su pointed out the craftsmanship involved, saying that "due to the complicated design, the hundreds of white, black, blue and red rhinestones must be fixed by hand." All this means the T-shirts certainly aren't cheap; with a 30 percent sale on to promote their opening, the shirts still cost 718 yuan.
Computer embroidery is used for denim items, with one vividly embroiderd dragon catching Lifestyle's eye; it covers both sides of the legs, and creates a desirable slimming effect. The manufacturers had to ensure an exact join for the two legs; the jeans normally cost between 1,188-1,588 yuan but the sale discount still currently applies.
Hoodies cost 1,388 yuan and jackets around 2,000, featuring images like eagles, lions, flowers, tigers, dragons, phoenix, butterflies, Chinese unicorns or skulls. "People usually choose tattoos to display their unique taste and a kind of rebellious personality, so unique, creative and exquisite images are very important," Zhao said. "All our tattoos are specially created by our designers, and each design is usually used just once. New ones are introduced constantly," he added. According to Su, new tattoo designs will likely only last two or three months after their introduction before they're "out of print."
Influences
And of course, there's the other TPLUS selling point: the Chinese influence. "We're different from Western brands. To cater to Chinese customers' needs, we add Chinese elements in the tattoo compositions, like carp, phoenix, the Chinese unicorn and peonies. We avoid using those extremely terrifying tattoos, considering the Chinese psychology," Zhao said, referring to the Eastern preference for auspicious or harmonious images like the phoenix or dragon over some Western tendencies toward intimidating images. So, no Eminem-style "Rot in Pieces" or vampire bat designs, but then again, far fewer anchors with "MOM" written across them.
Seeking more international elements and wishing to stir the creative juices, they are seeking cooperation with "the tattoo masters of Hollywood in 2010," according to Zhao. There's no details on this yet, nor even word on whether they have bought the boxset of Miami Ink for research.
Address: SMM-66, Floor M, Solana Mall, 6 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳公园路6号 蓝色港湾国际商区1号楼M层SMM-66
Tel: 5905-6719
