In this issue, we feature on DAKYAM from China. Established in 2006, it owns around 500k followers in Chinese online shopping platform, which is a big success. For DAKYAM, One of the most important inspiration is DREAM. It started from dream, and will continue the journey of dreaming in the future.
Nana: What is the story behind DAKYAM.
DAKYAM: DAKYAM is more like a dream, it has been started since 2006, now it has been 16 years, and it is still dreaming. So many of our slogan revolves around the dream as the concept theme, clothing is one of our presentation, there will be many other possibilities in the future. DAKYAM not only carries our team’s youthful memories, but also witnessed the development of Chinese original trend culture.
Nana: Why did you initially create the brand and name it “DAKYAM”?
DAKYAM: DAKYAM is a word we created ourselves, which means “TALENT”, an artisan with great expertise in a certain field, and is our expectation, attitude and direction for the future of the brand. In recent years, we often use DAREM to create our work because its pronunciation is closer to Chinese, and it is actually inspired by a word game of DREAM.
Nana: What is your impression of the current fashion in China and what do you think has influenced it? Has any China fashion trend has influenced your brand?
DAKYAM: China has done a great job in catching up with European and American and Japanese fashion in the past 20-30 years, I think any culture is in imitation and learning, and then out of their own style, so the current stage, the market needs to give more tolerance to Chinese fashion, so that we have more trial and error, although this stage, to Chinese brands will bring a lot of negative image, but I think time will tell everything.
Of course it will, the public’s aesthetic will change with the trend, and the clothing market will make adjustments with the public consumption. But I think in the process of adjustment, control within the range of aesthetics you can accept, you can achieve a good balance.
Nana: What are some of the inspirations behind the brand?
DAKYAM: We often talk about dreams, and movies and music always present inspirations about dreams that we can think about. In real life, all the sadness and happiness of the process of chasing dreams can bring feedback to the design, so our products are more like a carrier of emotions.
Nana: How do you come up and decide on the themes for your collections?
DAKYAM: We are all discussing the theme and a point that resonates with someone in the context of our own emotions and those around us, and this point will determine how easy or difficult it is to create. For example, our theme for 2021 is Requiem for a Dream, which is to say goodbye to a dream that may never be achieved in this life, so the graphics and visuals will be more negative and dark. In 2022, we will regain our determination to pursue our dreams and catch up with our dreaming journey.
Nana: In what way do you promote DAKYAM?
DAKYAM: We all showcase the brand’s character by shooting videos and photos that fit the brand’s tone and placing them on social platforms. We also look for KOL or celebrities to provide outfits to get traffic exposure. Of course, we will also use offline clothing exhibitions, and media magazines to get the attention of more precise people.
Nana: Can you tell us about some of the most challenging experiences you have had during the process of building your brand?
DAKYAM: In 2016, the brand, together with two other local brands, planned an offline brand exhibition “Dark In Earth Guan underguan”, and got some attention. However, as more and more people paid attention to it, the pressure grew, and finally in 2019, the alliance ended with a big funeral. The reason for this is that we believe it is difficult to keep any thing in a perpetual upward posture as it develops, and it is better to expect to be scorned on the decline than to end it when it is at its brightest.
During these four years, we had to take care of the planning and implementation of the alliance in addition to the brand’s business, which was a very challenging period in the brand’s career, but also a milestone memory.
Nana: Do you have any advice for our readers who are seeking to find a way to build a brand just like “DAKYAM“?
DAKYAM: Dreams equal persistence.
Dreams equal persistence.
DAKYAM
