Model Jeffrey Cheng goes on his first photo shoot for fashion label philosophy-Men's annual campaign in Beijing. SYIDA LIZTA AMIRUL IHSAN keeps a watchful eye on the newbie.

Read all about it on this Chinese newspaper print top worn with skinny jeans.

Smart scholar in printed shirt and cotton and wool pullover paired with linen pants.

Waxed vest over cotton silk shirt with linen pants.

FORTY-EIGHT hours. That's the length of time it took model Jeffrey Cheng to get comfortable with the group travelling with him to Beijing, China, for a photo shoot.

The assignment was for local men’s label, philosophy-Men.

But he was far from snobbish. In fact, he seemed shy, more than anything else. He clutched his black bag with his two hands and would smile if you smiled first. When journeying to and from the hotel for photo shoots, he would plug in his iPod.

“This is the thing about me. I seldom talk to strangers, not because I don’t want to but because I am afraid I’d disturb them. That’s why I seldom initiate conversations,” he offered, on the final day of the shoot, after the group had had its farewell dinner, hosted by brand co-founder Allan Chan at the Courtyard Restaurant along Beijing’s food district.
“It was even worse before I started modelling four years ago. It’s something I have to learn. I’m not so bad now but I still need time to feel comfortable among strangers.”

Cheng, 25, started working for the label in 2004 for its fashion show and has been a regular feature in the brand’s “looks book”, especially the Chinese New Year and Christmas collections.

(This is the first time Cheng is travelling with Allan Chan and Tino Soon, the other founder, for its country campaign. The previous model was Daniel Tan.)

“And I like the whole experience. So casual and comfortable. This is my first time in Beijing and I love the food and the company.”

Cheng said he has always wanted to visit the Great Wall of China and The Forbidden City. “This is the fun thing about modelling. I get to visit places I want to go to when I work.”

What Chen does in his free time, not surprisingly, has little to do with talking. He exercises five days a week, listens to music (jazz and R&B) and reads — mostly works by Chinese and Taiwanese authors.

“I’m currently reading The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. It’s a page-turner,” he said of the phenomenon in the book, The Law of Attraction.

The 184cm model looks up to Allan and Tino, whom he describes as “good people who treat models like friends.” He added: “What I respect most about them is they support local models. They don’t use Caucasian models. I have nothing against Caucasian models but by using local models, you help the industry.

“The majority of local brands like to use Caucasian models, maybe to give that international image to the brands.

“But I think that isn’t a good way. We need to support Malaysian models to help lift the local modelling industry. It’s a small field. We have to help each other.”

Cheng’s other project now is hosting 8TV fashion programme called 8Style which is aired every Sunday.

“There’s a big difference between modelling and hosting a TV show. For a start, modelling doesn’t need you to speak.”

Cheng is a fan of philosophy-Men’s clothes. “I like the clothes. I’m a customer. I think in Malaysia, there’s nothing like philosophy-Men and salabianca.”

philosophy-Men’s China Champ collection celebrates the Beijing Olympics fever, with an upbeat play on Chinese motifs and icons, an injection of sporty styles, and a fresh take on the unmistakable silhouette of the Mao suit.

The panda — which has stood for many things, from bad eye make-up and the World Wildlife Fund’s symbol to now, being a mascot for the Beijing Olympics — shows up in funky philosophy Men’s style.

And the Chinese newspaper prints adorning the fun tees makes a great buy — and a good read!

More astute are the Chinese embroidery showcasing elements such as the auspicious double-happiness and longevity symbols and a scattering of exquisitely hand-knotted Chinese buttons completing some of the outfits, plus the masculine motifs of bolts and nuts.

Male urbanites may also want to note that the athletic drift is the new fashion take of the moment, with the 2008 Beijing Olympics around the corner.

And philosophy-Men offers up a variety of chic sportswear-inspired co-ordinates that are stylishly urban yet decidedly sporty — very wearable pieces that take you from the gym to happy hour and beyond, with ease and style. Comfy sweatshirts, shorts and restyled tracksuits are among the selections here.

The collection wouldn’t be complete without a tribute to Mao and the indelible legacy he left on Chinese fashion. The Mao jacket and Mandarin collar are reinvented a’la-philosophy-Men — with panache and lots of contemporary styling.

Typical Chinese designs have been creatively modernised and incorporated in the cut and styling of shirts, tees, pants and jackets. Coolie pants, for instance, are the new comfort wear for the fashion-savvy urban male — totally hip and cool!

The writer’s trip was courtesy of salabianca Sdn Bhd for its China Champ country campaign which was launched recently. Partners for the trip were Alliance Bank, Holiday Tours and Travel Sdn Bhd, MAC, 8 Style on 8TV and Mid Valley Megamall.

The lord and the bicycle rider

“WHY country campaign?” I asked Tino Soon, the creative head for salabianca and philosophy-Men one evening over dinner.

“Rather than claim our collections are inspired by artists like Monet or Gauguin, which the majority of people cannot understand, a country like Italy or China automatically conjures an image which customers can relate to,” he said.

The brands have done their country campaigns in Florence, Bangkok, Bali, Kyoto, Agra and Delhi. “We try to capture their culture, society, and what makes up their civilisation,” he added.

And just when you thought he would embark on an intellectual speech about culture, Tino promptly brought the subject back to its core. “Fashion is something you get excited about and a businessman like me provides that excitement.”

(By the way, Tino and Allan Chan, the label’s founders, hate to be called designers, simply because they believe what’s important are the apparel, not them.)

“I don't like it when fashion designers go on and on about their inspiration. There's usually only one inspiration. Money. That's it, one word, because if your craft doesn't pay the bills, what does?” Tino asked.

No surprise then that when I asked them what they had learnt over the years, they said: “We have learnt to be different.” Tino’s thoughts on fashion are a classic example.

“Fashion is not about buying classics. Classics may get you through the years, but you lose the moment's fashion. You buy one which you can afford. If you can afford it, buy Prada, if you don’t have that much, salabianca or even H&M.

“For example,” Tino said, pointing out to the yellow T-shirt I was wearing, “People say don’t buy yellow, buy black or gray or blue. But how many black pieces are you going to buy? It’s so monotonous, so boring!

“What is different and not monotonous, that’s excitement. That is fashion,” he said.

And Beijing, the latest city to join the brands’ country campaign list, is certainly exciting.

“I first went to Beijing 20 years ago and it has developed so much. The people look so happy now. Back then, they mostly looked hungry and angry.”

“People were struggling then. If you were in a car, you were like a lord. The rest of the populace rode on bicycles. When the factories closed for the day, you could see a sea of bicycles on the road. Now, hardly!

“I was adamant on including a bicycle for our shoot. It was so synonymous with China!” Tino said.

On the labels’ latest collection, Allan maintains that their designs are season-less.

“No reason, no season, just gorgeous clothes.”

He said fashion is no longer about pricing alone. “It’s about detailing, handiwork and the passion that goes into the pieces.”