Designed to a Tee

Born in Germany to Indonesian parents of Chinese descent, Michel Sutyadi's background is as diverse as his talents. Along with partners Ed Hung and Ray Walintukan, the 33-year-old designer and entrepreneur is the co-founder of NLGX, a Nanluogu Xiang store selling locally designed clothing and accessories. We spoke with him recently about NLGX’s best designs, his affinity for Nanluogu Xiang and plans for the future.

Where did you learn design, and when did you arrive in Beijing?
I went to school and studied graphic design in Germany, where I worked in advertising design. I arrived in Beijing in 2003 to study Chinese at Beijing Language and Culture University. Back then I hardly spoke any Chinese. I also worked in advertising here before starting NLGX with Ed Hung and Ray Walintukan in late 2007.

Whose idea was it to open NLGX?
What’s the basic concept of the store? My friend and business partner Ed Hung and I originally planned to create a blog and directory for the Nanluogu Xiang area. We really enjoyed hanging out in the area, and wanted to share our experience with others. What originally began as a website quickly evolved into a coffee shop and design store concept (editor’s note: the coffee shop element has now been dropped) when we found an ideal space to open up a shop on Nanluogu Xiang. That’s when we got our third partner, Ray Walintukan, on board to help with operations and sourcing. In March 2009 we went full-on retail.

NLGX is an urban street brand born out of the hutongs of Beijing. Our designs embody the fusion of old and new Beijing by taking a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese icons and colors. Our store concept is to have our NLGX brand and NLGX Design Store act as a platform for original Chinese design. The local design talent in China is developing as the market develops a taste for original designed products. At NLGX we support the development of the Chinese design market via design collaborations, retail partnerships, event sponsorships and various co-marketing and co-branding campaigns.

Who designs your products, and what typifies them?
I am the lead designer at NLGX. I take ideas coming from our mostly in-house creative team and translate the idea concept into a graphic suitable for printing onto T-shirts and other apparel. We also collaborate with local Chinese designers and social organizations. The 60th Anniversary Tee, for example, is a collaboration between NLGX and ZJ Design. Wang Zhijun, designer at ZJ Design, is a good friend and ex-colleague of mine from my advertising days. We also have upcoming collaboration designs with social organizations and venues such as Salud, Clubzone.cn, and fashion magazine 1626.

It seems that a host of businesses in the Nanluogu Xiang and Gulou area, including NLGX, have helped spawn a distinctly Beijing design scene – what do you make of this?
I am happy to see that we are not the only ones using Beijing as a playground to come up with creative ideas and designs. I think the Beijing design scene has taken a great leap forward in the last few years.

When was the first time you came across Nanluogu Xiang, and how have you seen it change over the years?
The first time I heard about Nanluogu Xiang was maybe in 2005. If I remember right, the only Western restaurant there was Pass By Bar. Nanluogu Xiang has come a long way from being an old and dusty hutong alley to becoming a historical site for the government and a favorite spot for local hipsters, musicians and artists.

What are your favorite items at NLGX? What’s your best-selling item?
The “bu chai” (不拆) and “Beijing Bicycle” (爱北京骑自行车) T-shirt designs are already classics! We had them from the start and they are still among our bestsellers. Really popular designs from this season are the “Blue Sky Day” (万里晴空), the “Made in Beijing” (北京产) and the “PEK” T-shirts.

We put a lot of effort into extending our recycled bag line. We now have stylish recycled bags for almost every occasion made out of recycled newspapers, advertising tarp or used rice bags.

Who are your customers?
Our clientele is a good mix of local Chinese and foreigners who share a similar appreciation for the history and evolution of Beijing into an international center for design, style and creative arts.

NLGX often works with local NGOs – can you tell us a bit more about these initiatives?
At NLGX, we believe in integrating style with social conscience. We are active in our community and continuously looking for like-minded groups and organizations to partner up with. We have successfully organized events with the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, the Rural China Education Foundation (RCEF), Free The Wax (a Shanghai-based events and music promoter) and Yugong Yishan, among others.

What plans do you have for the store’s future?
Our plan for NLGX is to become a nationwide design and retail platform for Chinese designers and artists. We just started distributing our products at Novo Concept Stores in Shanghai, Kunming, Dalian and Harbin, and have a revamped Taobao store for domestic marketing and sales. We’re also working on our own e-commerce shop for international sales, which will hopefully go online by the end of this year.

As the reach of our distribution channel increases, our design team is working hard to extend our product line to include even more creative ways of telling the story of NLGX and of the developing Chinese design market.

What other places do you frequent in town?
I live in the Dongzhimen area, so I frequently go to Sanlitun for dinner and drinks – I go to bars like Punk and Xiu, but I also like quieter places like Guozijian, which is close to our office at Fangjia Hutong.

Salud
Mon-Fri 3pm-late, Sat-Sun noon-late. 66 Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District. (6402 5086) 老伍，东城区南锣鼓巷66号

Pass By Bar
Daily 9.30am-2am. 108 Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District. (8403 8004) 过客，东城区南锣鼓巷108号

Punk
Tue-Sat 8pm-3am. B1/F, The Opposite House, Bldg 1, The Village at Sanlitun, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District. (6410 5222, info@barpunk.com) 朝阳区三里屯路11号三里屯Village1号楼瑜舍地下1层

Xiu
Mon-Wed 5pm-2am, Thu-Sat 5pm-3am. Park Hyatt (entrance across from the hotel lobby), 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District. (5867 1108) 秀, 朝阳区朝阳区建国门外大街2号

NLGX
Dongcheng District. (6404 8088) www.nlgx.org 东城区南锣鼓巷33号