Zhang was instrumental in bringing Chinese design to the world of evening dress with the launch of the "Lady" series in 2003, and NE?TIGER's flagship store was established at its current home, the Oriental Plaza in Beijing. By now the company had its sights firmly set on the international scene, moving its headquarters to Shanghai, and becoming a member of Copenhagen's Purple Club, an association of the world's most influential fur design and marketing companies.
Zhang's status in the fashion world was confirmed by the welcoming words of a representative of Kopenhavn Fur, the founders of the group: "Mr. Zhang Zhifeng is an incomparable fur designer in Asia. We are honored that NE?TIGER has become a Member of the Purple Club." Equally important is the fact that membership of the club gives NE?TIGER access to the high-quality pelts of Kobenhavn Fur, a key factor in the high-profile and top-of-the-range reputation of his garments.
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NE?TIGER – a unique 'sensual de luxe' style
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Over the years Zhang had taken advantage of the opportunity to remedy the educational disadvantages of his early years, becoming one of the first students to take his MBA at the prestigious Changjiang Business School, and a founder member of the school's Alumni Club. But he does not believe in unearned privilege – his own children will be expected to make their way based on their talents, not his. His daughter now studies art in the UK. "I always tell my daughter to accept the responsibility for building her own career – NE?TIGER only works with established artists and designers," he says with a smile.
With the increasing popularity of "western-style" weddings in China, Zhang also launched his first line of Designer Wedding Gowns in 2005. He reversed the process in 2006, offering a range of Chinese-style wedding dresses to an international fashion audience in the Opening Show of the 2006 China Fashion Week.
In 2007 Zhang confirmed his place on the international scene when NE?TIGER was invited to participate in world-ranked luxury brand events in London and Amsterdam, and the Copenhagen link proved its worth when His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark accepted a personal invitation from Zhang to attend a banquet in his honour on December 8 and receive an exclusive preview of NE?TIGER's new Hua Fu collection.
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Hua Fu – a blending of ancient and modern, Chinese and Western…
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This series is clearly inspired by a deep and genuine passion for China's history and culture, a theme that is recurrent and emphasized in Zhang's written and spoken word. In the Hua Fu line Zhang has produced his chef d'oeuvre – work that blends ancient and modern, Chinese and Western, to create the brand's unique "sensual de luxe" style. His philosophy is best captured in the words that he wrote in a publication titled A New Era of Civilization:
"I have been engaged in the luxury industry for nearly 20 years, I set up a Chinese luxury brand almost 25 years ago, and I have been intoxicated by the luxuries of China's ancient civilizations for many years. In order better to understand their history I spent a year visiting some of the world's great capitals, but it was the glories of the Western Renaissance and the re-emergence of its civilization that struck me to the core of my being, not the glory of their luxury goods. This was what inspired me in 2006 to write my 'Declaration on Revival and Emergence of Chinese Luxuries' with its firmly expressed belief that 'revival leads to blossoming, and blossoming is a process of revival'.
"The emergence of China's new luxury goods market is based on a revival of Chinese culture, not merely a copying of ancient styles bearing some simplistic reference to earlier symbols of civilization. China's ancient luxuries were once splendid, and at the forefront of Chinese culture. China's new luxuries must form a seamless blend with historical tradition, and we must take inspiration from the history and the essence of Chinese culture in reviving and recreating this new era."
(China.org.cn November 4, 2008)
