I am honored and proud to have been chosen to work for one of the world’s biggest fashion brands – Burberry. It was a two-day fashion show event held in Guangzhou to promote the new autumn/winter 2022 clothing collection. To see the these shows in live as a guest, only the brand’s biggest and most important buyers from all over China were invited.
FIRST TIME IN GUANGZHOU
The city of Guangzhou is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China with a population of just over 15 million. It is located along the Pearl River about 120 kilometers northwest of Hong Kong and 145 kilometers north of Macau. It is a port city and one of the three largest cities in China. This was the first time I’ve been to Guangzhou since I’ve been in China, which is surprising considering that’s where most of the fashion world takes place, followed by Hangzhou and Shanghai.
The event was extremely professionally organized and lasted a total of three days. The first day was devoted to rehearsing, trying on clothes and mastering choreography, so that at the end of the preparations everything was as it should be – (nearly) perfect. Besides me, there were eight other models: a black model from Russia, 2 Chinese men and 5 female models. All Chinese models are from the renowned agency Longteng – one of the biggest fashion agencies in China – all of them are already very established models, not only in China, but also internationally, as they are represented by several famous fashion agencies around the world. This also made me aware of the importance of this event. The second and third days were reserved for fashion shows in front of an audience, with four shows in total. The first day was the most demanding and tiring of them all, only the pressure was less compared to the other two days – when the shows were on, there was no more room for mistakes. I will not describe the event itself in detail, as there is not much to add. What I can mention more is: it was another very special experience for me, which will stay with me forever. At the very end of the post, I’ll include some behind-the-scenes videos and pictures to give you a better visual idea of how it all looked like.
In this post, I will focus more on how I experienced Guangzhou outside the “catwalks”. This time not so much with words, but more with pictures and videos. The hotel, where we were accommodated, and the facility, where the shows were held, were located on a very special place. Actually, it was all happening on a small island in the middle of Guangzhou city – on an island called Shamian Island.
SHAMIAN ISLAND
Shamian is a sandbank island in the Liwan District of Guangzhou. Shamian literally means “sandy surface” in Chinese. Shamian Island is not a true island, it is now connected to the rest of the city by a series of bridges. The island covers an area of 24.000 square meters at the side of the Pearl River – 900 meters from east to west and 300 meters from north to south. The island was an important port for Guangzhou’s foreign trade from the Song to the Qing dynasty. The territory was divided into two concessions given to France and the United Kingdom by the Qing government in the 19th century (1859 to 1943). Shamian was the only place, where foreign merchants were allowed to live in Guangzhou. The island is a gazetted historical area that serves as a tranquil reminder of the colonial European period. The large old villas and shady tree lined avenues, that were constructed then, have a faded charm and create a contrasting atmosphere to much of the the city. While most of Guangzhou is battling along at “breakneck” pace, Shamian is merely ambling. Along the river, the park area is a great place for people relaxing and drinking tea, walking along the wide sidewalks and dine in the open-air under the old trees.
*Sandbank is a landform consisting of cohesive or non-cohesive sediments. It is a large deposit of sand in the sea or river forming a mound, hillside, bar or shoal. Natural sandbanks are generally formed by sediment transport by tidal currents and waves.
ME & THE ISLAND
Our hotel and the event venue were right in the heart of the Shamian Island. Due to our busy schedule, we were confined to the island only, so I spent all my free time there. I could only see the rest of Guangzhou from the taxi window on my way to and from the airport. Despite Shamian Island small size it can offer you many things – there is a lot to see and experience. As mentioned before, the past influence of France and Great Britain have left a huge mark on the island’s architecture and spatial planning, so it really felt like I was in one of European capitals and not in China. Besides two Catholic Churches, a small park and many beautiful old historical buildings, nice river-view, statues and restaurants, I was also impressed by the old, nearly 200 hundred years old, Banyan trees, the roots of which climb high into the sky along the trunk of the tree. I noticed these types of trees in Hanoi (Vietnam) too. We had beautiful, warm, sunny weather all days there. The sun attracted many to the island and the atmosphere was just fantastic. People were relaxing, socializing, singing, dancing, exercising, dong sport, fishing, etc. With all the beauty the island has to offer, it is a paradise for the photographers – many go there to take photos of newlyweds, fashion bloggers and influencers and it was no different, when I was there. While walking, I myself caught some scenes through the camera of my mobile phone. In the gallery below you can take a look, how I experienced this magical island.
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SOME BACKSTAGE HIGHLIGHTS OF BURBERRY SHOW (videos & gallery)
