In this issue, we welcome UNKNOWN DOMAIN, a streetwear brand from Taiwan. It is dedicated to telling Chinese stories and spreading Chinese culture through design. From the past collections, such as Dragon Spirit, Ranger, The Younger Generation, we can tell how much UNKNOWN DOMAIN is passionate about Chinese culture and how well it has been integrated into its design. Through the dark moment, still keep the original aspiration.”Only the design with story, can touches people’s heart.”
Nana: Could you please introduce Unknown Domain to our readers?
UNKNOWN. DOMAIN: We founded in 2018, hopes to convey the Chinese culture and oriental attitudes that it has always admired through its understanding of the combination of East and West, to promote Chinese tastes and more possibilities of local culture through different characteristic product designs.
Nana: Why did you initially create the brand and name it “UNKNOWNDOMAIN”?
UNKNOWN DOMAIN: At the beginning, my partner and I shared the same vision about promoting Chinese elements. At that time, many people from Asia still preferred Western culture, to change that, we decided that the brand name should be inspired by Chinese characters and named “Unknown Territory”, meaning that we will eventually lead to an unknown future, and we hope that one day, through the combination of east and west, more people from west would have a chance to understand the aesthetics and power of Chinese elements.
Nana: What has influenced the creation of the brand and the pieces designed for your brand? -Has culture (art, music, film, etc.) or other styles influenced you in the making of your brand?
UNKNOWN DOMAIN: We love to borrow from the wisdom or works left by ancients. For example, we have done the Dragon Spirit, the Ranger and the theme of the late generation. All of these have their origins or inspirations in the daily life.
Nana: Can you tell us about some of the most challenging experiences you have had during the process of building your brand?
UNKNOWN DOMAIN: In fact, I think the creativity of the new generation is limitless, and because of the advanced technology, there are many more possibilities than before in terms of fusing different cultural heritage, but the most difficult thing can often be a real problem: The fund.
We remember that at first my partner and I had each saved a sum of money from our jobs, and because we had the enthusiasm and the fact that it was our first start-up, we put our life savings into it. I remember we only had money left for food.
We had to take out a loan because the sales couldn’t keep up with the new collection , as well as the arrival of the global epidemic. It was that time when our lives were on the edge of the line that made us appreciate the enthusiasm of the moment.
If the enthusiasm hadn’t been greater than the reality, I think we would have sunk like most brands.
Nana: How do you come up and decide on the themes for your collections?
UNKNOWN DOMAIN: Our themes are written down after inspiration and we communicate to see if it resonates.If so, we start to use it to deepen our understanding of the inspiration and think about how to incorporate it into the design of the pieces.
Here are some of our biggest themes from the past four years.
Dragon Spirit – Always remember that we are all descendants of the dragon.
Ranger – To rest in socks and shoes, and to rest in the mountains (I hope I can be like the ranger in the mountains, who is able to meet all the challenges of life with a sense of harmony and non-competition)
The Younger Generation – A design that reminds me that no matter how high I reach in life, I can always face everyone with the mindset of a young generation and remain humble, not arrogant to go far.
This year we are focusing on Tai Chi, and extending our focus to the design of footwear, incorporating and innovating the Tai Chi diagram, which is known as the “First Chinese Diagram” and for World wide, “Seeking Tai Chi in the East, Accepting Technology in the West”. The UNTAICHI-OA80 is the newest shoe in the collection.
After all, what lies behind the classics is the cultural heritage, without this support, no matter how innovative and avant-garde the design is, it is only superficial, and the unknown field also follows the lineage, through a cultural carrier to complete the elaboration of its own brand, as well as the testimony of the times.
Nana: Is there a particular artist, movie, place, book that you would recommend our readers to check for inspiration?
UNKNOWN DOMAIN: From ancient books to recent films are great sources of inspiration. I recommend you to check out The Art of War and Let the Bullets Fly, which influenced me a lot. I admire nature and antiquities more, because they are the essence of our ancestors’ legacy, and while we strive to innovate, we should also stop and savor what have been handed down from our ancestors.
Nana: Do you have any advice for our readers who are seeking to find a way to build an innovative brand like “UNKNOWN DOMAIN”?
UNKNOWN DOMAIN: Perhaps currently belonging to a still small niche. But I believe that it is often the design with the story. It is the design that touches everyone’s heart. We hope that you can see our dedication to our products, our insistence on quality and our core values. If you resonate with us, we hope you will join us! We will continue to do what we feel right and here for you.
We hope that you can see our dedication to our products, our insistence on quality and our core values.
UNKNOWN DOMAIN
