Chapter 28
Good things come in pairs: Lin Ting passed the interview with LA Group and officially entered the internship period.
LA Group is a local women's clothing group in Jinshi. It is a fast fashion women's clothing group that is positioned in the mid-to-low-end market and targets mass consumers. It is popular among students because of its diverse styles, fast new product launches, and affordable prices.
Lin Ting works in the design department in LA, mainly responsible for dresses. Less than a week into her job, her illusions about design work have been shattered.
Fast fashion, also known as fashion retail, refers to a sales model where fashion apparel companies quickly react to runway fashion designs, produce products that closely follow the latest trends, and then distribute them in stores at affordable prices, targeting mainstream consumers. Traditional clothing brands typically take several months, with higher-end brands sometimes taking up to six months, from runway presentations to product launches and availability in boutiques and department stores. Therefore, to embody the "fast fashion" concept, companies need to transform product concepts into consumer goods in an extremely short time; the fastest companies can do this within ten days.
Currently, the operating models of clothing brands sold in major shopping malls in China are mainly divided into five steps.
The first step, product planning, also known as product assemblies, involves extensive market research based on past sales data and trends. This research determines the style positioning, combination methods, and lifecycle of each season's products. Detailed product planning even specifies the fabrics, patterns, and accessories used. Furthermore, data models monitor the pre-sale, store launch, full-price, and discount periods for these styles.
The second step is for the designer to design the style according to the project plan and send the sample order to the factory. The factory must complete the production of the sample garment by the specified date.
The third step involves completing all the sample garments. The brand will then hold an order meeting or launch event, where franchisees or retailers will place orders based on the presentation of the sample garments.
The fourth step is to wait until the total number of orders is confirmed before the brand issues a bulk order to the factory. The factory needs to put the bulk goods into the warehouse before the date of shelf placement.
The fifth step is to monitor the sales cycle of the product after it is put on the shelves, based on the sales model. If it sells well, follow up with orders in time; if it doesn't sell well, adjust the sales plan.
Therefore, the key to good sales lies in the first step: if the overall product lineup is right and meets the public's demand for clothing this season, it will sell well. So, the preliminary research, style design, and sample production require a lot of time to refine and iterate.
Fast fashion brands, in order to shorten the initial time and quickly assemble the overall project, will choose to cooperate with design studios, buy the sample garments they like, and then make changes according to the project content, such as changing the fabric, accessories, patterns, etc.
So ever since joining the LA Group, Lin Ting has been overwhelmed by a huge pile of sample garments and fabric and accessory cards. Every day, under the arrangement of the chief designer, she selects sample garments, makes pattern drafts, matches fabrics and accessories, and finally completes the sample order and sends it to the factory. It is very different from the original design she imagined.
In terms of design, Lin Ting has some of her own principles. She prefers brainstorming and self-design. After reviewing the proposal, she actually had a lot of new ideas in her mind. However, as an intern, she was insignificant and her voice was weak. If she made rash moves as soon as she arrived, she would be criticized. So she could only follow the crowd and do repetitive work every day.
However, Lin Ting also gained a lot during this period. She learned about all kinds of dough ingredients and saw many that she had only heard of before. Like a sponge absorbing water, she absorbed a lot of new knowledge. In short, happiness and pain coexisted, and an important reason for the pain was the severe lack of rest time.
Lin Ting works as an intern at the company during the day and tutors Chen Zhiyi in the evening. Because the company is a bit far from her dormitory, she has to get up at 6 o'clock every day to take the bus. The clothing company is known in the industry for its heavy workload and fast pace. There is no time to take a nap at noon. So, many times when she gets to Chen Zhiyi's place, she often starts to feel dazed after sitting for only a few minutes. Her eyelids feel like they are filled with lead and droop involuntarily. Soon the figure next to her begins to blur, her head begins to sway from side to side, and she gradually slumps onto the table.
Over the years, Lin had experienced many such exhausting and demanding jobs, but she had never been so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open while tutoring students. However, with Chen Zhiyi, she could completely let her guard down and feel relaxed. Looking back, she realized that it was only with him that neither he nor his family made any demands on Lin, nor did they bind her to the teaching profession. Instead, they treated her like family or a friend.
The scene seemed to rewind to when the two first met, only the roles were reversed. Lin Ting was now the one sleeping, while Chen Zhiyi was the one sitting beside her. He would hold Lin Ting's chin, gently lower her head onto the chair, press a button to turn the chair into a recliner, and then cover her with a small blanket to make her more comfortable. Looking at the dark shadows under her eyes that even the thickest concealer couldn't cover, he felt a pang of heartache.
He could have told her to change internships, or I could have introduced her to a high-paying, easy job, but he didn't. Because pursuing one's ideals is a valuable thing; the hardships endured in youth are badges of honor on the road to realizing those dreams.
On Chen Zhiyi's side, his total score in the recent mock exams for academic subjects not only far exceeded the score line for art students, but also reached the score line for key 211 universities.
The performance training course is nearing its end, and we're about to start preparing for the online registration for the art college entrance exams.
In the last acting class, the teacher arranged a short play rehearsal for the students who had enrolled at the same time. Chen Zhiyi played the male lead. This was the first time he had fully portrayed a story and a character. The performance happened to be on a Saturday, and he invited Lin Ting to watch it.
Lin Ting initially wanted to refuse, as she needed to rest properly on the rare weekend. However, she thought that since she had accompanied him into the training institution at the beginning, she should also say goodbye to this journey with him at the end, so that it would have a proper beginning and an end.
She sat in the corner of the performance room, watching Chen Zhiyi's performance, and witnessed what it meant to be someone who was practically fed by God. She realized that hard work was truly insignificant in the face of talent.
In just a few months, his emotional expression, dialogue skills, and physical movements have undergone tremendous changes. His performance no longer shows any immaturity, but rather has a sense of depth. As an audience member, one can clearly feel the ups and downs and changes in the character's inner world.
The venue was simple, with few props used, and even the actors wore their own clothes and went without makeup, but they all immersed themselves in their roles. Undoubtedly, Chen Zhiyi was the most outstanding one among them.
His outstanding appearance and temperament are obvious, but a strong emotional impact requires subtle expressions, tone of voice and body language to fully reveal the inner world of the character. Chen Zhiyi did just that. He integrated his own emotions into the character and then conveyed them to the audience through the character's performance. His performance was both natural and real, making people feel as if they were in the story and experiencing all kinds of ups and downs with the character.
Without realizing it, Lin Ting turned on his phone's video recording function and recorded the performance. Through the lens, his eyes were even more profound and focused, as if his world at that moment existed only in this performance. Every subtle movement, every delicate expression, and even every breath guided the flow of emotions, making the audience involuntarily immersed in his performance.
If he succeeds in the art exams and seizes the opportunity, I believe that it won't be long before Chen Zhiyi's performance videos are no longer just on Lin Ting's phone, because he, his performances, are born to belong to the big screen and the center of the stage.
People with dreams and talents should not be hindered, buried, or troubled by worldly affairs. They should take out their pens and ink and make great strides in their own world.
Thinking of this, Lin Ting sent the performance video to Chen Lan.
After the performance, Chen Zhiyi packed his things and stepped out of the training institution, signifying the start of his true journey to pursue his dreams.
Chen Zhiyi shrugged and asked confidently, "How was my performance just now?" He knew his performance was excellent; the audience's applause, his classmates' praise, and his teachers' positive feedback were all evidence of it. But he still wanted Lin Ting's approval; his dream was something Lin Ting would always have to share.
Lin Ting didn't say anything, but took out a tissue and a pen from her bag and placed them in front of Chen Zhiyi.
"What?" Chen Zhiyi was a little confused.
"Please sign your name for me. I'm afraid that once you become famous, it won't be my turn to sign anymore."
Chen Zhiyi raised the corners of his mouth, unfolded the tissue box, and wrote a name that filled the entire tissue box.
Lin Ting found it amusing, "Is it really necessary to write it so big?"
Chen Zhiyi gently folded the tissue and placed it back in Lin Ting's hand. "This is a unique one. There will never be a bigger signature than this. You will always be the most special person in my eyes."
Lin Ting said, "That's fine. Once you become famous, I'll sell this tissue box for a high price. We can't let this special item go to waste."
Chen Zhiyi: "Then you'd better keep it safe, or it will spoil before I become famous."
Lin Ting: "Don't worry, I will treat it like a genuine work by a famous person, frame it, and maybe it will sell for a higher price."
Chen Zhiyi suddenly became serious: "If no one buys it, you can come to me with this piece of paper. Either I'll buy it at a high price, or I'll help you complete a task. It's valid for life."
Lin Ting smiled and said, "What, you've quit acting? You've become Doraemon, the wish-granter?"
Chen Zhiyi raised both hands, made fists, and placed them on either side of his cheeks, gently swaying them back and forth. "Meow!"
Now he'll become Doraemon.
Lin Tingqing couldn't help but smile, her eyebrows curving into gentle, clear eyes.
What you see as a joke is a promise I'll keep for life.
With a "ding," Lin Ting received the expected message.
Chen Lan sent a message, "Teacher Lin, would it be convenient for us to meet sometime?"
Lin replied, "Okay."
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