On the road: Adrien Acar

Importing tailormade shirts from Shanghai

Thousands of people travel to China for business every day. Every month Flying Blue Club China meets some of these travelers in order to discover their experiences in China so far. This week we meet Adrien, who imports tailor made shirts from Shanghai.

Could you tell us a little bit more about yourself and your business?

My name is Adrien Acar, I'm a 20 years old student at Dauphine University (Paris). Last time I was in China I had some tailor-made shirts done. When I came back, all my friends told me that those shirts fitted me perfectly. So about 6 months later I created a brand with my associate, Alexandre Vannucci. It is called “LaChemise” -meaning “the shirt”- which offers more than 250 fabrics, 50 options, 3 fits for only 39 euro, with free delivery. We started by organizing private sales in our university, then in other universities and eventually in companies. We have recently launched our website with a flash module to personalize a shirt in real-time. Our supplier is a tailor from Shanghai who is specialized in shirts and suits for men. We will soon also offer additional products such as suits, belts or ties in the near future.

What’s the purpose of your visit to China?

We need to visit our supplier's factory and bargain the costs. We will try to find other suppliers for all the products. We also need to find a cheap solution for shipping. For instance, we use air mail, which is quite expensive but much quicker than by sea. We need to reduce costs on this point.

Where do you go during your stay?

I go to Shanghai in 2 months and will be traveling in the region to find suppliers. I heard that there are very good suppliers in Suzhou.

Do you have any good tips for the other Club China members?

I´ve found that my Chinese business partners had particular habits that I wasn´t accustomed to, and so it's important to know some of them before doing business with Chinese partners. For example: if you give a gift to a Chinese partner, he will not open it in front of you, but will just thank you. There are many other behaviors that you might not recognize, so be prepared before you meet your partners.

Do you have any non-business related tips, like a favorite restaurant, hotel or attraction?

There are some places I particularly like in Shanghai. Every Sunday for instance, the Four Seasons Hotel has an impressive brunch, which is not too expensive and comes with a free flow of champagne. For a late drink I’d recommend the Barbarossa, which is a kind a Moroccan Riad located on People's Square and offers the best mojitos in China (my opinion).

Are you traveling to China soon and would you like to be featured on Club China and give our members some top tips of things to do during their stay there? Contact us!  

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