If an ordinary person can get a discount by wearing a dress and taking a photo, they will definitely feel like they are getting a good deal.
Unfortunately, Ji Xia had lived through the future and knew all too well how lucrative the profession of fashion modeling was.
Leaving aside world-famous models, how much can a model who takes photos for Taobao stores earn in a day?
Even before asking the price, she knew this silk dress wasn't cheap.
The Baima Clothing Wholesale Market is currently a mixed bag; there are good ones, average ones, and even more cheap ones. Silk women's clothing doesn't sell well here.
Asking her to try on clothes and take photos, not only did they not offer any payment, but they also wouldn't even give her a free outfit, only a discounted price? Do they think she's stupid?
Hearing her words, the shop owner knew she wasn't ignorant. He had originally intended to offer a 5% discount, but gritted his teeth and said, "Miss, you haven't even asked how much the discount is yet. I'll give you a 20% discount, which is 20 yuan less than 100 yuan. I'm practically losing money on this."
Ji Xia chuckled a few times and casually waved her hand: "Alright, boss, I'm not going to take advantage of you. Forget about the discount, just tell me how much these dresses cost in total!"
What do you mean by losing a lot of money? Just listen to that and forget it. You want to hire models for photos and advertising but don't want to spend any money? Do you think she's stupid?
She picked out five or six pieces of silk clothing, including silk shirts, silk skirts, and three different dresses.
Although she does design herself, she really liked this style, but due to limitations in fabric, she couldn't make a silk dress.
The shop owner was overjoyed: "You're willing to take my picture?"
"You wish! I'm not filming!"
Before Ji Xia could even respond, Chen Jing refused without hesitation.
This is his wife. What are you trying to do by taking pictures of his wife?
Upon hearing this, the shop owner's face fell; Ji Xia had guessed his predicament perfectly.
Their new silk women's clothing is unique to Baima Clothing, as it is sourced from the distant Jiangnan region, and the fabric is of the highest quality, hence the high price.
He'd been setting up his stall for half a month, while everyone else had changed their goods several times. He still had more than half of his first batch of goods left, and less than 30% had been sold.
This really worried the shop owner. Just as he was racking his brains for a solution, he happened to see Ji Xia. She was beautiful, had a great temperament, and a great figure. So he thought of spending some money to coax her into taking some photos for advertising.
But he was flatly rejected.
Upon hearing this, the shop owner's face fell. But when he saw Chen Jing's gloomy expression, he suddenly understood and pleaded repeatedly, "Brother, don't worry, I just want your girlfriend to advertise our dresses. I have absolutely no bad intentions."
After a pause, he said with a heavy heart, "How about this, if you're willing to take a few photos, I'll give you two dresses."
"Who cares about two dresses? It's not like I can't afford it. Taking photos is out of the question. We're just buying clothes."
Just as the shop owner was about to try to persuade her again, Ji Xia smiled and said, "I won't take photos, but if you give me a discount, like a 30% off, I can give you an idea that I guarantee won't be any worse than taking photos."
"What idea?"
The shop owner, feeling helpless, could only ask, "How about I hear your idea? If it's good, I'll give you a 30% discount."
"That's pointless. If I give you my idea and you back out without giving me a discount, then I've given you the idea for nothing."
Ji Xia smiled and shook her head. This shop owner was really stingy.
She gestured for him to indicate the prices of the dresses she had chosen and to pack them up, then remained silent.
Seeing her calm expression, as if she had everything under control, the shop owner thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll give you a 30% discount. What's your idea?"
"Pack it up, calculate the price clearly, and give me a few sheets of paper and a pencil."
The shop owner quickly prepared a pen and paper for her, then packed her food and calculated the price, giving her a 30% discount.
Ji Xia was satisfied. Silk dresses were indeed expensive. The wholesale price of that dress was 130 yuan, and even with a 30% discount, it was still 91 yuan, which was more expensive than pure wool dresses in winter.
They picked out six or seven items, including three silk shirts, which originally cost around a thousand yuan, but they got a discount of three or four hundred yuan.
He readily picked up a pen and quickly sketched seven or eight renderings, some full-body, some half-body, and some just clothes hangers.
Seven-head-tall and eight-head-tall figures, along with gestures and poses—the drawings capture the best aspects of the clothing on the models.
After seeing her sketches, the shop owner realized she was an art student, majoring in fashion design, and was overjoyed.
Although I was reluctant to give up the discount of three or four hundred yuan, I still reluctantly gave it to them because it was worth the price.
Ji Xia's idea was to create a plaster cast of human figures.
In later generations, how many clothing stores and stalls didn't have at least ten or eight mannequins? Just walk into any clothing store, and you'll see plastic mannequins dressed in the latest fashions in the shop windows and aisles.
Of course, she only drew the model; whether to use plaster, bamboo strips, or plastic mannequins was up to the shop owner's skill.
Besides mannequins, there is another type of clothes hanger that emphasizes the width of the shoulders and the chest. When clothes are put on it, it's like a half-body plaster mannequin wearing clothes. Hanging it on the wall or placing it next to others can also showcase the features and beauty of the new style.
Having people wear dresses for photos is just for advertising a few styles, but displaying these mannequins in a store allows the store owner to freely change into new fashions and show others how they look, and they can use them for a lifetime.
Of course, after the shop owner put on a fashion show with mannequins, countless people will follow suit. But what does that have to do with Ji Xia?
Carrying several skirts, Ji Xia and Chen Jing waved to the shop owner with satisfaction and left happily.
The shop owner, clutching several renderings, shouted with satisfaction at their retreating figures, "Beautiful ladies and handsome gentlemen, come back and scare them again next time you have time!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jing merely twitched the corner of his mouth: "I gave him a few pictures before he agreed to a discount; I let him off easy."
Ji Xia chuckled lightly upon hearing this. She was simply bringing this thing, which would become commonplace in later generations, to the forefront a little earlier.
It wasn't her own idea, and she had no intention of applying for a patent. She was content with making three or four hundred yuan by offering a discount.
Looking at the simple white horse clothing exhibition area again, Ji Xia felt a little emotional.
Huacheng is indeed down-to-earth and leading the way.
The government hasn't issued any explicit policies yet, and while other places only dare to set up stalls secretly, Huacheng has already started to bring individual businesses together for trade.
Although the venue was somewhat rudimentary and the facilities were still quite basic, the cheerful and prosperous atmosphere among the vendors and shoppers in the exhibition area showed how much the people welcomed this kind of exhibition.
The two spent most of the day shopping, buying several women's outfits for themselves, as well as one or two sets for their parents, in-laws, and children. They also picked out a few trendy new styles from Hong Kong and Taiwan, intending to take them back to Sansheng Garment Factory for trial production.
As Ji Xia and Chen Jing stood at the last stall, the shopkeeper greeted them in surprise: "Brother Chen, it's you! When did you come to Huacheng?"
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