"This is the simplest!" Qu Wei listened and breathed a sigh of relief. "I know quite a few designers in the Hanfu community. Although they don't reach my level, they're at about seventy to eighty percent of my skill, which should be enough to handle the light luxury version of Caiwei!"
"Do they have any special characteristics?" Huang He asked, squinting his eyes.
"What special characteristics? What special characteristics do you want?" Qu Wei asked, somewhat bewildered.
"There are many special characteristics. For instance, being exceptionally beautiful. Even if not as beautiful as you, they should at least have about eighty percent of your looks!" Huang He chuckled. In reality, Huang He was lying. While Qu Wei was quite attractive, she was far from being top-tier. Several of Huang He's adult sisters-in-law were more beautiful than her.
Even Zhi Ting, who was still a tender bud, already surpassed Qu Wei in terms of appearance. So, if appearance were a selling point, they would definitely need to be even more beautiful than Qu Wei.
"What kind of special characteristic is this? What does being beautiful have to do with designing beautiful clothing?" Qu Wei asked, not understanding.
"Of course, it has a connection. If they're beautiful, we can market them as a beautiful designer's selling point. We can hire some photographers to capture candid photos of this designer in a seemingly accidental way and market them online as a once-in-a-millennium beautiful girl or something. Their fame will basically be established!" Huang He said with a smile.
"Isn't this a marketing tactic used by celebrities and idols?" Qu Wei asked in surprise.
"Yes, but these marketing tactics for celebrities and idols are overused, and audiences are no longer surprised by them. Conversely, if you apply it to designers in other professions, it becomes a huge selling point!" Huang He was right. In the history of marketing in China, such beauty marketing tactics were ubiquitous.
Perhaps the most famous example was the 'Milk Tea Girl,' who became famous across the internet with a single photo of her holding milk tea and later became Dong Ge's wife.
However, that was somewhat off-topic.
A more relevant example was the manga artist Xia Da. How did Xia Da become famous?
She became famous with a pure photo of her wide-eyed and diligent. She was then hailed online as the most beautiful manga artist, subsequently appeared on the Spring Festival Gala. Then, whether intentional or not, the director and cameramen of the Spring Festival Gala gave her a few shots, and she became incredibly famous.
But if you look at Xia Da's works… Well, because Huang He had never seen this manga artist's manga, nor did he even know her name, he couldn't comment. However, if a manga's work is truly excellent, even if you never look at it, it will be forcefully pushed into your awareness through various channels.
For instance, in his previous life, for a considerable period, Huang He had never watched Demon Slayer. Even after the first season of Demon Slayer anime concluded, Huang He still hadn't watched it.
As a result, various Demon Slayer-related content on Bilibili…
"No… Where would there be any royal descendants now? Even if there were, the descendants of the Qing Dynasty would all be designing qipaos. As for Meng Long, stepping on feet is just feudal superstition. Lastly, for Young Celestial, the youngest top designer I’ve met is myself; there’s no one younger than me."
"Designing Hanfu isn't something any designer can do. It requires extensive knowledge of Sinology and profound research into the history of clothing. I studied with my teacher for a full ten years to master these things. A ten-year-old child, even if they started learning from the womb, would be no different!" Qu Wei was about to roll her eyes to the heavens.
"Then, orphaned, with deceased parents, disabled and with cerebral palsy, a solitary star bringing misfortune, miraculously surviving disasters, repulsively ugly… In short, something bizarre and unrelated to normal people, but at the same time capable of evoking empathy and tears from the audience. Do you have any stories or backgrounds like that?" Huang He asked again. "This should be relatively easy to arrange, not too difficult…"
"Sorry, we don't have anything like that either. Those who study fashion design in China, especially Hanfu-focused fashion design, generally come from well-off families or scholarly backgrounds to have such accumulated knowledge. The people you're describing can only go into professions with low entry barriers, like becoming a celebrity. They can't become designers like us!" Qu Wei felt like kicking him. This man's demands were too bizarre; they were shattering her worldview.
"This is troublesome. We can't find any designers with selling points!" Huang He sighed deeply. He then stared at Qu Wei for a long time, making Qu Wei increasingly uneasy. Finally, Huang He said, "Why is there only one gem like you in all of China?"
"…"
"I'll just take that as a compliment!" Qu Wei could only console herself this way. However, she also felt a little proud in her heart, thinking, "Indeed, I am a genius and a beauty, and only I can meet the conditions he's proposing. It's a pity there's only one of me!"
"Tell me, if I lower my requirements for design ability and find someone with the aforementioned characteristics but with average design skills, what do you think?" Huang He asked.
"Absolutely not!" Hearing Huang He say this, Qu Wei's expression changed drastically, and she immediately objected without hesitation. "You yourself said earlier that while a person can gain brief fame for attributes like being a beautiful girl, if they lack truly outstanding works, they will eventually be forgotten."
"A brand like that might gain temporary attention, but only temporarily. Once users discover the designer's true capabilities, everything will be ruined!"
"Brands like Dior, Chanel, and Versace, which are considered light luxury brands and have persisted for decades, do so because their designers are all highly capable top designers. These designers release works that astound the market every year, ensuring their value doesn't depreciate."
"If you were to employ designers who are all show and no substance, you would completely ruin the Caiwei brand, and it would also negatively impact Liushang Qu Shui Caiwei Shi!"
"…" Qu Wei's words left Huang He in silence. Finally, he nodded, "You're right. I was thinking about it the wrong way!"
Hearing Huang He say this, Qu Wei breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, a few minutes later, Huang He continued, "But what if we use the designer as a person, but not their works? And use the works of truly capable designers?"
"You want to fabricate!" Qu Wei was even more furious. "Absolutely not. This is an insult to the entire brand. Moreover, no truly capable designer is willing to stay behind the scenes forever. Once this designer breaks free from control, it will be a devastating blow to the entire brand!"
"Then what if that designer is you?" Huang He asked, narrowing his eyes. "You are still the chief designer of Caiwei, but you would never betray Caiwei, right?"
"…" Qu Wei opened her mouth. She had created Caiwei and Liushang Qu Shui Caiwei Shi single-handedly. Her shares were there, so she couldn't betray herself.
"No… This violates my personal principles. I would rather not have the Caiwei brand than do something like this!" Qu Wei shook her head forcefully. She suddenly felt that this Huang He was like a devil!
"This is really troublesome!" Huang He touched his nose and began pondering again. After a while, he suddenly slapped his head and said, "Then, if you take apprentices, let your apprentice be the chief designer, and you only assist them with final adjustments and revisions. This wouldn't violate your principles, would it?"
"This might be acceptable…" Qu Wei was initially reluctant to agree, but fearing Huang He might come up with another earth-shattering idea, she could only nod in agreement.
After all, taking on an apprentice and then supporting them from behind was entirely ethical and morally sound.
"Then it's settled! And this will be excellent for the market too. Because the chief designer is your apprentice, it will naturally carry your halo."
"You are a world-class luxury goods designer, and your apprentice designing light luxury is completely reasonable and appropriate in terms of hierarchy. And even if Caiwei is secretly operated by you, because the apprentice was trained by you, it's natural for Caiwei's works to bear your personal style."
"Finally, for the users who purchase Caiwei, they spend a relatively lower price to acquire Caiwei, which in a way, is equivalent to owning works with the noble style and lineage of Liushang Qu Shui Caiwei Shi, right?"
"And for users who purchase Liushang Qu Shui Caiwei Shi, ordinary people are only fit to purchase the apprentice's works, while only noble individuals like them have the资格 to enjoy the master's personal dedication!" Huang He slapped his thigh. The more he thought about it, the more brilliant he found this idea.
"Alright… it's acceptable…" Qu Wei said tremulously.
"Not only that, but to build up this apprentice's reputation, let's hold a selection event!" Huang He slapped his thigh again. "You personally announce that you will recruit a direct disciple in China and invite all domestic designers to participate in the selection. This is huge news! I will create buzz across the fashion media, triggering a nationwide sensation. This way, as soon as this apprentice is selected, they will immediately gain considerable fame and can be put to use. Then, next year, the first batch of Caiwei brand clothing can be launched!"
"Okay…" At this moment, Qu Wei finally understood why Huang He had become the richest man in China.