This is a shoot I did back in Beijing with NEEMIC, a brand by Amihan Zemp and Hans Martin Galiker. Neemic’s aim is to create beautiful design while striving to make the industry more sustainable. All of their pieces are also designed and made in Beijing – first hand proof that things ‘Made in China’ can live up to high standards for production, quality and resources. Hans and Amihan source leftover material from the high-end fashion industry and GOTS certified organic fabrics, and are co-founders of the Hong Kong organic textile association as well as Agrachina (a network promoting organic agriculture in China).

Talking to Hans about the core of their business was so enlightening, just because his and Amihan’s focus isn’t on an ambitious digital marketing strategy or a viral campaign – but in really improving on the efficiency of what they are doing and perfecting their product. Mind you, all the content they do have is so fricking beautiful. Just look at their lookbook.

Moral of the story: Have a mission, have a set of values, and choose a couple of mediums (be it a blog, magazine, clothing label, or videos) to achieve your goals and reach your desired audience. And be nice. Because being nice is cool.

Oh hi there. How are you? This is my first ‘official’ post since rebranding and redesigning this space, so I guess a setting of location and a general re-introduction is in order.

I left Beijing a bit over a week ago, and am now back in Vienna, my childhood home. It’s strange, this flying from one home to another shenanigans. My wanderlusty friends tell me that ‘The World Is Your Oyster’ and ‘Home Is Where Your Heart Is’. But what if I don’t like oysters? And what if my heart is at home? I’m a cynical hater, so for the sake of good vibes I’ll mull over this issue post-posting this.

I shot this look by Chinese ready-to-wear label Ricostru before I left Beijing. All pieces focus on detail and quality tailoring, while being comfortable with formal elegance. Kind of like Alexander Wang without the rock n roll. #EffortlessOfficeSwag is how I would honestly describe it. The target audience: Freelancers who want to dress up so they can feel good about themselves and get shit done, while also not having to worry about feeling constricted (or that damned wedgie).

This was the first time I shot with self-timer in public. With a newfound mission for my work and armed with my photographer boyfriend (aka my tripod), I felt no shame whatsoever. The parking valet was certainly entertained. A dog’s owner even speechlessly handed over the reigns when I asked for temporary ownership of his furry best friend. Note to self: the combination of extreme shamelessness and a few too many braids can mute a fellow human being and attain what the heart – correction, blog – desires. So…YOU DO YOU, GIRL.

I’ve been waiting a while to write this post. In the last few years since starting university, I’ve thought about quitting blogging quite a few times. It just lost its appeal, mainly because, I admit, I cared too much about what others thought of me and I didn’t want to be known as this vain and superficial girl taking photos of herself the whole time. I had KNEON and photography and school, so I just always pushed blogging to the side.

In the last few months, however, I’ve rekindled a connection to this space, mainly because I now have a new direction in mind for my work and I just want to be able to curate it all into a space that makes sense visually. So I think it’s time for me to embrace change and rebrand the shit out of this little safe haven that has been my homepage since I was a 15-year-old noob.

The ‘Banana Finding Home’ story is quite a common one already, so I want to just take it up a notch and solely dedicate this site to documenting a brand new China I’ve gotten to know during this past year. I just want to introduce you to the beauty within the everyday chaos that I’ve seen every single day of living here, and the talented creatives without arrogance I’ve met who are pushing the boundaries on what is expected of the term “Made In China”.

I’ll be saying goodbye to China in a couple of days to head back to Vienna and then Edinburgh to finish my studies, but I want to continue this conversation that I started here, between the modern and the traditional, and between the East and West.

And, between one millennial to another, thank you for reading. I’ll talk to you soon in my next post, which I’ll be writing from good old Wien.

Love always, Vic

p.s. The braids are here to stay.

Chictopia‘s SS15 collection reminds me of that time in life when creating a world was much more interesting than living in the real one. It was not the greener side that fascinated me, but the pink, the purple, the yellow – the “unimaginable” side. Some might call this unprepared for the real world, but I call it the power to create an entire world.

I’m eager to introduce you guys to more Chinese designers and labels I’ve been discovering. This Friday, I’ll be working with London- and Beijing-based photographer Scarlett Casciello on a story featuring a series of Chinese designers for the August issue of KNEON. I’m egg-cited to be combining so many things I love into one big happy hotpot. Let’s see where this takes us.