Goodbye boring diaper bag, we’re never looking back. You know the one I’m talking about. The one with the bright Disney characters plastered all over it, made with generic plastic canvas material, dull in color. That one with the zippers that always break, and all sorts of gross matter spilled on the inside which you can never seem to get quite sanitary enough.

Today’s Moms are going Nankeen. Our big bags and totes make perfect baby bags. Diapers, accessories, toys and personal items easily fit into the ample sized bags and the multi-zippered pockets make hard to find items one less headache.

Plus, their durability has endured the test of multiple Moms. They have been proven to withstand a good daily beating. When they get dirty, they are just as easy to care for, you can toss them right in the washing machine. And with Nankeen, Moms love that they don’t have to sacrifice their fashionable style when kids become a part of their life. Plus, the bright colored linings are a fun, jubilant relief to any stressful day and kid friendly.

Happy Mother’s Day Nankeen Moms, we celebrate you.

I was over visiting one of our favorite design/fashion sites, Cool Hunting, the other day, and I came across our indigo brethren. The site was discussing an upcoming show who’s products were made using Japan’s version of the Nankeen indigo dyeing process. Many cultures have their own methods and tradition for this indigo art form and it is great to see Japan’s version making its way back into modern fashion. Great find Cool Hunting! Check out the post here.

When I think of the color blue, the first thing that comes to mind is blue jeans. Jeans are a classic blue, made from dye of the indigo plant–thus the new catch phrase of blue as “the new green.” Lately, indigo isn’t used as often as it once was, but it appears to be securing its place in history. Indigo, which also produces the natural dye from which all Nankeen fabrics are made, is a sustainable, durable dye that has been used for centuries. But more recently textile producers have been shying away from utilizing it as it is more expensive to produce than the synthetic version.

Indigo and its rich past is beautifully reflected through the works of artists contributing to the new exhibition “Blue” at Washington D.C.’s Textile Museum. “Blue” which opened April 4, 2008 features artists like Hiroyuki Shindo, and American Rowland Ricketts. Ricketts raises his own indigo plants, and Shindo explores the historical aspect of the indigo traditions in the East and the West.

Though blue comes in many shades including “baby blue” which is produced from only one or two dippings as demonstrated on our former “peony” bag, the exhibition mainly focuses on the “true blue” which is the multiple dipped navy blue seen on the majority of our new Spring bags. However no matter the shade, there is no question “Blue” is the color of 2008. Pantone which sponsors the show named Blue Iris as its color of the year. Miranda wears the color for Carrie’s wedding in the new “Sex & the City” movie, and has been dubbed “..easier to find this season than a pot of gold..” by InStyle Magazine.

So it is now official, what we at Nankeen have believed all along, blue IS the new black. Watch out!

Juliska’s tagline on their web site states “possibly the most beautiful tableware in the world” and we could not agree more. Their store in Stamford, CT is beautifully put together and we are proud to now have Nankeen pillows and totes in their store. If you are in the area, please check out the store or you can find Juliska’ products in stores throughout the country.

This photo was taken at our last visit to one of the Nankeen fabric workshops. At this stage of the process, the cotton fabric is being dipped in and out of the dye tanks in order to get the right color blue. Once this stage is completed, the paste over the actual design is removed, creating the white portions of the fabric designs.

Lisa and I were recently featured on a local Shanghai channel on the show Shanghai Quest.

This is a great glimpse into our lives out here in Shanghai. You can see how our Nankeen cotton fabric is made and watch me struggle to learn Chinese. There are some beautiful shots in here, have a look…

Click here to view.

One common question I receive from readers and customers is, what other Chinese traditional elements are being used in fashion and design today? As you all know, we are working with one common art form in China–Blue Nankeen–but there are many others with equally fascinating histories. There are some famous examples, such as Shanghai Tang but other efforts are less well known or slowly emerging. Being on the ground here in Shanghai, I am constantly speaking with local designers about which items are being reincorporated into their design. While traditionally these designers have looked to the west for inspiration, this appears to be changing…slowly.

My friend here in Shanghai, Sean, recently wrote about some major brands adding traditional Chinese elements into the designs they sell in China and abroad. Brands such as Nike and Adidas are starting to recognize the renewed interest in more traditional Chinese elements. This is a delicate balance as China design elements are often valued as unique and fashionable in the west, while in China they are seen as old and antiquated. Many western designers have found their China inspired designs popular around the world, and then negated in China. I think this is slowly changing as noted in the IHT article above.

More to come on this, I am having dinner with two Shanghainese designers (one actually works for Nike) on Saturday and will bring up this very issue.

If you have been following China fashion and/or design recently, you probably have noticed much anticipation over the China Design Now Exhibit currently being hosted at the V&A Museum in London. If you have yet to hear about it, you can read more here.

China Design Now is showcasing China’s “contemporary cultural scene” and its potential future implications. The exhibit showcases architects, graphic designers, photographers, publishers, bloggers and “style trendsetters.” Just as we have been sharing a traditional art form with all of you, we are excited about this exhibits wide publicity as it features a more positive and creative side of China.

While I wish I could be at this exhibit, everyday, on the streets of Shanghai, I experience many of the changes this exhibit showcases. I am lucky to see this first hand and meet many of the local designers and companies involved in the fledgling Chinese creative community. I am in the process of writing a post on the changes (both good and bad) I am experiencing on the ground based on my daily interactions with both expats and locals.

Let me know if there is anything specific you would like to hear about in regards to China design or in general about living and working in Shanghai. Also, click here to check out a great photo from an innovative marketing campaign for the Exhibit.

As most of you know we have embraced the Internet as the main gateway to our customers since day 1. Although often challenging to convey the actual look and feel of a product online, it appears that more and more consumers are heading to the Internet to research and purchase the latest fashion. As online shopping comfort levels increase and technology allows for greater innovation, we believe this will become a major staple of the shopping experience.  This article documents the change in this space very well.

As Nankeen continues to grow and innovate, we are always looking for new and better ways to display our cotton accessories online. There are a number of changes we are working on to enhance the online user experience, including improved produce pages, videos of the unique Nankeen fabric dyeing process, and an Outfit of the Week segment based on submissions by our customers…stay tuned and please feel free to post suggestions as well!

As you probably know by now, Nankeen fabrics have been in production for thousands of years in China. But do you know what the fabric was originally used for? They were commonly used as beautiful bed curtains to dress up the decor of Chinese homes as well as table clothes, bedding, and wall hangings. The fabrics also have been used for clothing, and more recently for our contemporary cotton bags, totes, and other accessories. As time progresses the tradition of the blue Nankeen art form has been disappearing, as the world is advancing and becoming more westernized. However, if you look closely in regions outside of Shanghai, such as the one pictured here, you can still see the history come to life in the present.

At Nankeen, we value keeping the history alive and we aim to save the beauty that is blue Nankeen. Our goal is to put a contemporary vibe back into the tradition–we want to make it timeless. We also like to share with you the history of this amazing hand-dyed fabric as it has a rich and deep history in Chinese culture.