Tu Hongyan, chairwoman of Wensli Group, suggests the word "silk" or 丝绸,as the best short descriptor for Zhejiang province, at Wensli headquarter, in Hangzhou. (Photo by Wang Zhen / China Daily)
"You see, China exports high quality fabrics, not brands, partly because companies here haven't paid enough attention to R&D, and to building self-run brands," said Tu in an interview with China National Radio. "We've done the bulk of the work but earned the least of the money."
Tu and her management team have set two ambitious goals -- to make the world love Chinese silk and to make Wensli a leading brand in China. They recently took a significant step forward.
In 2013, just one year after Tu took over the business from her mother, Wensli purchased Marc Rozier, an old established French silk firm located in Lyon, a historically renowned base for silk weaving. "We bought it to find out how the French make the world's best luxury goods," said Tu in an interview with China National Radio.
But that acquisition stumbled until the former owner of Marc Rozier, at the urging of Tu's French friends, finally agreed to pay a visit to Wensli headquarters in Hangzhou.
"Marc Rozier had a history of 126 years, but the late owner decided he didn't want to run the business anymore. So now we have injected new blood into it," said Tu. Wensli's supply-chain expertise and cash are helping the French company expand globally.
"I hope the acquisition is helping us improve quality and develop a global brand in turn," she added.
Making new interpretation of silk
Chinese silk fabrics were one of the major products traded along extensive transcontinental routes under one overarching umbrella, the Silk Road, beginning during the Han Dynasty (206 BC -220 AD).
Silk fabric, particularly in garments, was for years exclusively for royal families and noble classes in China due to the scarcity of materials and sophisticated silk waving techniques.
"You see the silk velvet garment, made of a type of woven tufted fabric," said Tong Yuge, an English interpreter in the Wensli Silk Cultural Museum. "That was for Emperor Qianlong to keep warm in winter time; feel how dense it is."
Despite that history and the fabric's aura of nobility and luxury, silk clothes and related products are now common.
"Actually, our understanding of silk has been changing," said Li Jianhua, speaking with CCTV news. "It comes up with lifestyle, more than fabric. We happen to have the opportunity to send the message to our consumers worldwide through world leaders and dignities during the G20 Hangzhou summit."
As a major silk souvenir supplier, Wensli spared no efforts to publicize its silk-made items, including wallpaper, artistic works, bed items, invitations, and of course, its classic -- scarves.
"All women love scarves, doesn't matter from the west or east," said Tu. Scarves were chosen as gifts for B20 guests and G20 summit guest's spouses. "You'll see lots of silk elements, as we've reinterpreted silk in many different ways for the G20 summit."
And, the company is developing more lifestyle products, like silk masks, mulberry tea, and wedding items, because the fabric itself is a natural product with no harmful chemicals. It does not deteriorate over time.
"We used to regard silk as a fabric, and material only, but now we see silk as a lifestyle, a combination of Chinese traditional culture with the pursuit of a healthy life," said Tong Yuge, a project manager in Wensli's financial department.
"As long as we constantly explore the value of silk, its healthy elements, its cultural aspects, we can go faster.
But, we need to be bold, and to make it real," said Tu.
