Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 57 - 54 Father-Daughter Disagreement_2

"I still don’t get what you want to do. Are you saying that after graduation, you plan to travel around for a year and then return to the country with your cousin to deal with this so-called European brand? Your mom and I don’t need to emigrate anymore, we’ll just continue to stay in Wenzhou, and keep Yanlu Machinery running until you come back?" Yan Dabang asked somewhat puzzled.

"No, haven’t you always said you wanted to retire?

I think after working at the factory for over twenty years, it’s time for you both to rest, maybe go traveling.

If you decide to emigrate, that’s fine, but don’t just pick Melbourne because of me; go wherever you like.

I definitely won’t return to the country to start a brand. If I were to create a brand, I would first need to be well-known in Europe and America, then properly enter the domestic and other international markets.

Just like the Japanese designer brands from the sixties and seventies of the last century.

Otherwise, even if it’s not a local brand that struggles to successfully enter the international market, it would only be a gold-plated fake foreign brand.

We don’t have the same historical context as Aokang and Kangnai, nor can we succeed in the same way," Yan Yan explained.

"You’ve been abroad for a few years, and I, your old dad, can hardly keep up with your pace. You’re talking about Japan one minute, Europe and America the next, isn’t your vision a bit too grand?

I said I wanted to retire because I didn’t want to leave the company behind for you to endure the hardships of the real industry.

These past few years, times have been tough; a lot of companies started by people we knew have gone under.

But the brand you just mentioned sounds even more laborious than doing real business. Or else, why don’t you come back to Yanlu Shoe Machine? The company is doing pretty well now.

If you really want to go to Europe and don’t feel like returning to the country for a while, you could take over our branch in Italy.

If you want to sell machines to the United States later on, I won’t stop you," Yan Dabang offered his own suggestions.

"Ha-ha, Dad, just take it as if I’m making it up as I go along.

I think working with machinery probably isn’t going to be my calling.

Actually, I’ve just barely started learning about fashion, and I’m aware that my current thoughts are still immature.

I plan to visit fashion colleges and the fashion circles in Europe and the United States after graduation.

The most important thing is to gain a deeper understanding of the industry.

Then, I’ll consider where exactly I should start.

What I mean is, you keep the sales channels in Europe for me.

As for Yanlu Machinery, it’s up to you and mom when you want to retire.

Whether you sell the company or hire professional managers to continue, I have no opinion.

It just depends on whether you can bear to let go of the technical team you personally built up," Yan Yan also shared her current truest thoughts with her dad.

"Now, I’m starting to wonder if we were right or wrong to let you have your way with your future," Yan Dabang said with a hint of emotion.

"How come in the time it took me to wash my face, you father and daughter have started talking about life and aspirations? Is your dad preparing to start doubting his life? Isn’t letting things take their course a good thing?" Lu Bingran joined the conversation after coming out of the bathroom.

"It’s not to the point where I doubt life, but your daughter says she wants to go to Europe to make a brand," Yan Dabang summed up the contents of their conversation.

"Starting a brand, huh? That’s good, you don’t have to make money like we do in real industry, only for it not to end up in your own pocket," Yan Yan’s mom had a completely different attitude towards the brand than her dad.

Lu Bingran was tormented by accounts receivable every Chinese New Year.

Everyone came to Melbourne this year, but deep down, it was impossible to completely let go.

note 1:

[Xiao Mo’s class]

~A primer on fashion for the domestic market~ those uninterested in fashion need not read~

Xiao Mo’s fans like to search for Xiao Mo’s writings, and Xiao Mo is very gratified by this. Thank you all for recognizing Xiao Mo’s attitude toward their own content.

If you look it up on Baidu Baike, though, some of the content Xiao Mo wrote can’t be found.

For example, neither Mark Fairwhale nor Seven Wolves would write about their relationship to each other.

When Seven Wolves acquired Mark Fairwhale, it wasn’t really a corporate action. Simply put, the boss used his own money to buy a brand as an adult gift for his son.

The relationship between Seven Wolves and Mark Fairwhale didn’t become known to some people until after the gift recipient graduated and joined the board because the relevant information about a public company is open and transparent.

There aren’t many fathers who would give a brand as an 18th birthday gift, so from the perspective of fashion alone, Xiao Mo is particularly optimistic about the future of Seven Wolves, this Jinjiang brand that doesn’t sound the least bit fashionable.

In the text, when Yan Yan and Yan Dabang discussed Seven Wolves in 2011, it still wasn’t apparent what Seven Wolves’ fashion ambitions were.

But by the time Xiao Mo wrote this book, Seven Wolves’ "wolf’s ambition" had already been clearly revealed.

A few days ago, (August 22, 2017), Seven Wolves did something earth-shattering in the fashion industry.

Seven Wolves spent 320 million yuan to take control of Karl Lagerfeld’s brand and channel operations in the Greater China region, holding as much as an 80% stake.

Seven Wolves owns 100% of Mark Fairwhale, so what’s so earth-shattering about acquiring another brand at 80%?

If that’s what you’re thinking, you most certainly have never understood the fashion circle.

How could a brand like Mark Fairwhale be mentioned in the same breath as Karl Lagerfeld?

If you’re not familiar with the English name Karl Lagerfeld, then the Chinese name Karl Lagerfeld should be recognized by anyone who likes fashion.

If you still don’t know who that is, think of Chanel’s white-haired brand director or the man who revitalized FENDI—does that jog your memory?

There’s more than one biographic film about Karl Lagerfeld. For someone who is still very much alive and continuously creative, this is incredibly rare.

If the director of these two brands still hasn’t jogged your memory, have you heard of fashion’s "Old Buddha"?

In the fashion world, Karl Lagerfeld’s name rings much louder than that of someone like Bill Gates.

The status of the wealthiest people can change, but Karl Lagerfeld’s position as the king of the global fashion scene hasn’t been shaken for decades.

What Seven Wolves acquired a few days ago was the very Karl Lagerfeld’s own brand’s Greater China operational rights.

Like the people of Wenzhou, those from Jinjiang are recognized as the best businesspeople in the country.

Usually, it’s the Wenzhou people who lead the way, but there’s one thing where Jinjiang people are streets ahead of Wenzhou people, and that’s stock market listing.

The proliferation of private lending in Wenzhou has led many brands to feel no need to go public, which is not good for the brands.

Of course, Seven Wolves’ acquisition of the Greater China operational rights for Karl Lagerfeld wasn’t just about opening a few more Karl Lagerfeld stores, but about creating what is currently the height of global high-fashion popularity—luxury brand hotels. (For example, LV’s White Horse Hotel and Dubai’s Armani Hotel)