Trendy and traditional
Third-place winner in the 2009 Taiwan Design Center and British Council International Young Creative Entrepreneurs Awards Taiwan Region, and invited guest to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland and the Bangkok Design Festival, Nong-Li is an instantly recognizable, fresh part of Taiwan's subversive streetwear scene.
Established in July 2008, Nong-Li produces a range of leisurewear-including T-shirts, hats, scarves, and backpacks-that emphasizes the "rustic" character of the brand (the nong of the name means "agricultural" in Chinese), right down to the shirts being packaged in resealable bags like dried plums, as though they were farm produce.
Nong-Li's creative director, the longhaired, yuppie-looking 34-year-old Liao Jin-feng, explains that the bags not only fit with the brand's image, but are also a little touch to make things easier for travelers.
Nong-Li's defining characteristic is its combination of fashion with tradition. Having previously worked in advertising and design for the CommonWealth Group, Liao has moved on to manage his own brand. Liao's designs depict Taiwanese themes with clear strokes and fine lines, expressing his deep feelings for the land. Liao believes that because of differences in culture and lifestyle, imported brands with their English or urban themes may have trouble connecting with Taiwanese youth. "Just how many Taiwanese have actually even studied abroad? Much less fired a gun on the streets of New York or done drugs?" Only those things that actually happen around us carry any emotional weight, any cultural significance, says Liao.
However, this alone is not enough to hit the heights of fashionable appeal. You still need to make something a bit "street," as exemplified by Nong-Li's iconic design, "DJ General Clairaudient." Inspired by Tang poet Liu Yuxi's "Song of Bamboo Twigs," Liao reimagined the "dharma protector" of the goddess Mazu, Shun Feng Er, as a modern-day DJ. Shun Feng Er, a mythical figure renowned for his ability to hear the slightest sound clearly over thousands of miles, is traditionally depicted in a pose that, Liao says, is reminiscent of the poses and movements of DJs today, hence the transformation.
In order to find the most iconic image of Shun Feng Er he could, Liao scoured temples across Taiwan, pored over historical information, and ultimately settled on an image found at Tainan Grand Matsu Temple, which he felt was "stronger" and "most like a dharma protector."
For the "Guan's Band" design, Liao chose three figures from Romance of the Three Kingdoms well known as icons of justice, courage, and loyalty-Guan Yu, his subordinate Zhou Cang, and his adopted son Guan Ping. The three were then, with a subversive spin, assembled into a rock band, with Guan Yu's customary blade replaced with a drumstick, Guan Ping's jade seal replaced with a guitar, and Zhou Cang singing lead vocals. With this, these warriors renowned for their commitment to justice are transformed into a powerful rock supergroup.
"Hard Neck," meanwhile, employs an image of the Liutui Hakka Militia taking on invading Japanese soldiers at the beginning of Japan's invasion in 1895. Their pitched battle and gruesome casualties aptly illustrate the "hard-neck" spirit the Hakka are known for, and at Liao's brush great battles like the Battle of the Burning Village and the Battle of Buyuelou come back to vivid life.
The brand's other designs, including ones making use of the image of Guan Yin, the traditional "double happiness" wedding blessing, and even the Formosan salmon, have also become successful examples of Liao's subversive approach.
Nong-Li's creative director Liao Jin-feng has combined tradition with trendiness, creating a brand with a fresh, Taiwanese style. Here he holds his original hand-painted design for the "Hard Neck" line of shirts.