Toasting an NYC fashion brand with Tsingtao beer

The founder of a fashion brand and an iconic beer company recently united in a celebration of their shared home city.

New York-based fashion brand Dawang and Tsingtao Brewery Co Ltd presented a runway show Oct 23 that combined traditional heritage with contemporary appeal, appealing to young audiences drawn to Chinese craftsmanship and culture.

Dawang's founder Wang Jingwen (Daisy), who was born and raised in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, said she takes pride in her hometown — the birthplace of Tsingtao.

"Every time my foreign friends ask me where I'm from, I tell them, 'the same place as the beer', and people recognize it instantly," Wang told China Daily.

"For this collaboration, we blended Dawang's signature brocade designs with Tsingtao beer's brand vibe and iconic elements from Qingdao, adding details like wheat, hops, ocean waves, and Laoshan Mountain to tie it all together," Wang said, pointing to a tattoo of the Tsingtao beer logo on her calf.

Wang, a graduate of the Parsons School of Design, who established Dawang in 2018, said she wants to create contemporary streetwear that blends Eastern and Western influences while celebrating a modern take on traditional Chinese aesthetics — much like herself, having studied abroad in the United States since she was 15.

The brand, Dawang — derived from her first and last names — means "big king" in Chinese, reflecting her ambition to become the "best" brand in the market.

"I feel like I always wanted to incorporate Chinese elements and cultural aesthetics into my daily wardrobe," she said. "By that time, modern Chinese style was already emerging in China — people were exploring new ways to celebrate it. But in the Western world, Chinese fashion seemed stuck in the past, like 50 or 70 years ago. You'd see the same dresses, the same fabrics, often bought from tourist spots, instead of being viewed as lifestyle fashion."

"So that gave me the motivation. I'm always looking for a more modern, wearable style," she said. Wang explained that she incorporates traditional Chinese brocade techniques, along with Chinese buttons and layered styling, into her designs as part of her "brand image".

"To us, we want to invite people from all cultural backgrounds to appreciate and embrace this modern Chinese lifestyle," Wang said. She said she hopes the brand will spark curiosity among customers, encouraging them to explore the fabrics used in the clothing, learn about the history and craftsmanship of Chinese brocade — which remains vibrant even after bleaching — and wear Chinese-inspired styles confidently as everyday attire.

"Incorporating Chinese culture and background-related designs doesn't mean the clothes are a 'costume' or 'traditional dress,'" Wang said.

Wang said that she wants more people to celebrate Chinese aesthetics as an accessible, meaningful lifestyle choice without fear of being culturally inappropriate, especially overseas.

She said that all of her products are made in China, and she proudly shares that with her customers.

"You can see the quality of the clothes firsthand, and this reflects the quality of made in China products," she said. "I'm proud that Chinese factories can produce high-quality clothing, and I always feel proud of my hometown and its unique heritage."

Wang said she feels similarly about Tsingtao beer and its reach to international markets.

Tsingtao, established in 1903 by German and British merchants as Germania-Brauerei Tsingtao Co Ltd, was one of the first breweries in China and is currently the sixth-largest brewer in the world. Tsingtao won the World Beer Championship Gold Award in the US in 2018 and 2019.

"Tsingtao has its own international recipe, just like Dawang; we both absorb the cultures of East and West. It's a perfect match," said Teng Wenyan, brand manager of Paulaner USA, the exclusive US importer of Tsingtao beer.

Originally using German brewing techniques and mineral water and ingredients from Laoshan in eastern Qingdao, Tsingtao beer had a foreign recipe that quickly gained popularity among Westerners and local Chinese. Since entering the US market in 1972, it has become the best-selling Chinese beer in America.

"We're bringing the original Tsingtao taste to you wherever you are. No matter where you're enjoying it, you're getting that same authentic flavor as back home in China," Teng said.

"Back in China and across East Asia, we're refreshing the brand to appeal more to younger audiences. It may be a slower shift in the US, but we're getting there," she said. "We don't want Tsingtao to just be a drink you find in Chinatown; we're hoping more young people join in on the fun with us."

Teng said the company plans to bring Tsingtao beer fans to next year's Qingdao Beer Festival, where they can experience Chinese beer culture, savor the fresh taste of Tsingtao's original draft beer with its 14-day shelf life, and take in the local tradition of grabbing beer to go in plastic bags from "beer stations" on nearly every corner.

"It feels like we have a community here in New York. We're collaborating and building a network to promote Chinese culture together," Wang said. "Through design and beer, I want to introduce my city and inspire more people to visit."