Atelier: Ed Hung

NLGX Design Store started out as a coffee shop that happened to sell T-shirts. Now nearly four years later, the local brand has evolved into a full-fledged apparel and design community. This month, they launch a much-awaited new store at the airport, as well as a new line (Kommute) designed specifically for Beijing’s bicycle commuter lifestyle. We spoke with co-founder Ed Hung about spandex, and the good and bad of a gentrified Nanluogu Xiang.

On the early days of NLGX Design
“We always thought: We’re in China, so it should be really cheap to make a nice garment. But it was a lot of work to find manufacturers that would produce good quality in small quantities. There was a lot of trial and error, but we modeled our brand after what represented the neighborhood at the time: the clash between East and West, the young urban professionals and the local Chinese.”

On the development of Nanluogu Xiang
“After the debacle at Houhai, lots of foreigners and local Chinese alike were ripping on the area – it was unregulated, the bars were open till 3-4am, the neighbors were always complaining and there was trash everywhere. Nanluogu Xiang was the first hutong area that was closely managed.

“ There’s good and bad. The good is that the Chinese view it as a success, and they’re applying the same model to lots of other parts of Beijing. It gave birth to Wudaoying and Guozijian. It’s not like Qianmen, where all the original residents were pushed out. Generally, I think it’s been quite successful.”

On the concept behind Kommute
“It’s become cool again to ride a bicycle. [Co-founder] Michele and I both bike to work everyday. Beijing is the bicycle kingdom. Although the trend kind of shifted to cars and, more recently, e-bikes, I think a lot of young urban professionals are going back to bicycles.

“You don’t want to look like you’ve just been riding a bike when you stroll into the office or a bar. You don’t want to be wearing spandex or a helmet. With Kommute, you don’t have to. Functionality with style is at the forefront of our debut collection.”

Kommute will be sold at NLGX Design’s stores (in Nanluogu Xiang and at Beijing Capital International Airport), UCCA and BNC. For more info, visit www.nlgx.com/online-store.

Click here to see the January issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Sui