Tang dynasty

Shanghai Tang has come full circle. It started with a Tang and is now back with a Tang - Victoria Tang to be precise. The creative director, who was appointed in 2018, plans to transform the brand for the new era.

As the daughter of founder David Tang, people always linked her with the brand, but little did they know that her father always rejected her help with the business.

"I was only 10 years old when my father founded the brand," she said. "I treated the Pedder Building shop as an after-school playground."

She would sit on the sofa in the shop, or play around with her brother. "I spoke to the staff - they were very kind - looked at the products, played catch on the staircases."

Rather than teaching his young daughter about business, her father took her around the world and helped pique her curiosity.

Tang remembers that she traveled about seven times a year at an early age. "My parents loved to travel so I was exposed to a lot of different cultures from young."

Japan and the United States were just two of the many countries she went to. "I also traveled to Whistler near Vancouver to ski at three and won a medal by four years old," she said.

Brought up with so many life experiences, Tang was too busy to decide what she wanted to be. "I had thought of being a florist," she said. "I grew some plants and bought flowers from the market every week."

But there was no focus. "I wanted to try everything, and got bored very easily."

It was not until she moved to Japan at 15 that she found a clearer direction. "My father gave me my first camera and I started to photograph the nature of Japan."

Tang found joy in photography and pursued her creative side with a degree in graphic design in London.

She also took the creative path after her graduation in 2007, first working as an artistic consultant at a fashion label and then as a freelance photographer.

Those were her learning years. "From the samples, the garments, how to make the print in the fashion brand to how to be on a set teaches you a lot about lighting and settings, how images are produced," she said.

The experience molded her into a creative person with practical knowledge. "No one teaches you. You just have to observe and do it yourself."

Although his daughter had grown a lot, David Tang still rejected her help for his new lifestyle brand Tang Tang Tang Tang.

"He did not want me to get involved at all," said Tang. "He said he didn't need any help."

She did not know the exact reason for her father's rejection but guessed that he did not want to burden his daughter.

"He is very demanding to work with, not very easy to work with."

However, Tang did not give up and tried hard to persuade her father. "I said: 'Why don't you just let me try?' I tried to be professional and even showed him my CV."

She gradually worked her way in. "The more I did, the more I was in it, and I finally got promoted to creative director."

But Tang Tang Tang Tang wasn't the end of her involvement in her father's business.

The next time came when the investors and the chief executive of Shanghai Tang approached her in 2018, after her father passed away in 2017.

"They asked me to be the creative director. It was an exciting moment, but I did not say yes immediately," said Tang.

"I wanted to know if I could inject my own vision into the brand."

As an innovative person who is also the founder of creative company Thirty30 Creative, Tang handles Shanghai Tang with a different approach.

"I am making sure that the core is there, but adapting to the times as well," she said.

The 35-year-old believes that drawing inspiration from Chinese culture is key, recalling that her father insisted on wearing Chinese outfits on many occasions.

"He wore them regardless of what people said, and that influenced me. I realized that this is my culture. You are who you are, and should be proud of it."

At the same time, Tang is also innovating with designs, materials and combinations.

"How do we design so it can be more travel friendly? How do we look at the materials so that is not too old fashioned?"

Having been in the position for a year, she has implemented what she believes in.

Introducing a new Shanghai Tang logo and partnering with Square Word Calligraphy artist Xu Bing are some examples.

The collections are also in line with her "dress up, dress down" approach.

"If I match this coat with a pair of sneakers, it is one look. If I match the coat with a black dress and heels, it will be another look."

Though she wears many hats - founder of Thirty30 Creative, creative director of Shanghai Tang and mother of two-year-old, Tang is putting Shanghai Tang first.

"I have a team to help me at Thirty30, where I just oversee the designs," she said. "I don't get much time to spend with my son, but I do at the weekend."

Tang's father can rest assured that his daughter is looking after his brand.

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