"I came here because my first business contact was in Zhongshan."

Cengiz Dana, 71, has lived and started a business in China for more than 20 years. Looking out the window of his factory office, he can see Zhongshan's Shaxi Industrial Avenue. A large number of vehicles transporting raw materials, accessories, or ready-made garments pass through here every day. This is an important town for China's fashion industry. Cengiz also established his transnational "fashion empire" in Shaxi: Turkish materials and technology, Dutch design and brands, and Chinese manufacturing and distribution. A pair of jeans, integrating more than half a century of experience in the industry, connect the starting point and ending point of the ancient Silk Road, passing through the countries along the "Silk Road Economic Belt". Now, it is ready to start a new journey based in China - to catch the "express train" of e-commerce and lead to the future of globalization.

Take root in Shaxi and go global

Cengiz's factory is adjacent to the live broadcast building of Shaxi's leading enterprise. It is an orange office building with its own courtyard, hidden in the shadow of trees. November 18, 2023 was the opening day of his new Shaxi factory and sample showroom.

In the afternoon, long firecrackers were lit in front of the building, and there was a party in the courtyard. Guests from home and abroad came in droves and were warmly welcomed with fine wine and delicious food. "Let's cut the ribbon together!" As the female host cheered, a piece of red cloth hanging above "Business is Booming" at the door of the building fell down, revealing an English sign: Florez. In English, it means "King of Flowers".

"Now is the time for our brand to move towards internationalization." Cengiz Dana stood in front of the steps and delivered a speech. He was tall, full of energy, and spoke English with a strong accent. Although Florez is a Dutch fashion brand, it also has Turkish and Chinese genes. "It combines all my experience. The production line and material experience comes from Istanbul, Turkey. The design and brand promotion come from Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Production and distribution of products come from Zhongshan, China." Cengiz looked proud, "Shaxi is in the fashion industry. It's very important. In Zhongshan, I can realize all my creative ideas about fashion."

In December 2023, Cengiz' new company obtained a Chinese industrial and commercial business license.

2023 was the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). China and Turkey cooperate closely, and Cengiz from Turkey also "looks east" for the future of his company. "I am also very interested in learning more about relevant policies in order to develop e-commerce." In the past, most of his products were sold overseas. Now, he will enter the Chinese market. "The fashion industry is developing well in China. In the past ten years, Chinese people have become more and more fashionable. I hope our brand will win the favor of Chinese women."

Li Dongni is a Chinese assistant who assists Cengiz in brand operations. "Cengiz is very rigorous in its pursuit of products, but it gives our employees a lot of room to perform." This job has brought her into contact with many foreign designers and customers. She looks forward to traveling to these countries one day to experience the local culture firsthand and understand how the outside world evaluates the products.

"I admire him for always focusing on one thing." Paul Jolley, an Englishman who has been friends with Cengiz for many years and is a business development consultant, believes that Cengiz's products reflect the collision of multiculturalism and understanding of customers, and inspire people to learn from each other. "Just like the spirit of the Belt and Road Initiative, we uphold cultural diversity and we inspire each other for better products and better lives."

Cengiz Dana started working in the fashion industry he loves at the age of 16. At the age of 19, he was selling men's clothing at Vakko, Turkey's largest department store. In the 1970s, he traveled to Europe with friends and fell in love with Amsterdam. In August 1973, he opened his first clothing workshop and founded the brand "DANA". In 1978, he founded the jeans brand "Mariel" in Gran Canaria. He nationalized in the Netherlands in 1982 and founded the brand "Day By Day". Today's Florez is developed and renamed from his early brand "Just Me and Mine" (JMM). He has always maintained a cooperative relationship with his nephew Floris, who is Cengiz's partner in the brand Florez.

Thumb up for 'Made in China'

In 2002, Cengiz came to China. For the first two years, he was just a tourist traveling around, but he soon discovered that he could produce better products in China. "The development opportunities in China are very good. Compared with Turkey, the labor cost here is lower, but the quality of the products is unambiguous."

There is only a corridor between the new Shaxi factory and Cengiz' office. Through the glass, we can see the workers busy at their posts. They are so focused that no one looks up at the group of visitors.

"Chinese people are very humble. They know how to listen, understand your ideas, and have strong power of execution. In China, the fashion industry is very productive and you don't have to waste time on inefficient communication. I especially like this." Cengiz said, "Time is money."

This is the epitome of "Made in Zhongshan". As of 2023, Shaxi, a small town in Zhongshan that is world-famous for its casual clothing, has gathered more than 4,000 clothing companies. At present, Shaxi is leading the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry with the "Modern Fashion Industry Cluster Fleet", vigorously promoting the upgrading of the industry towards fashion and branding, and forming a high-end supply of "Shaxi Design", "Shaxi Brand" and "Shaxi Products" new pattern. Dachong Town, which is close to Shaxi Town, is the world's jeans manufacturing center. Levi's, the originator of jeans with a history of 170 years, has also established an OEM here.

"Not everyone can produce high-quality jeans, but I can achieve it in China." Cengiz is confident. His brand Florez has become famous in the Netherlands. At the Amsterdam Fashion Show, it was selected as one of the four most beautiful and innovative modern brands. Its ready-to-wear clothing is now sold in more than 350 well-known multi-brand stores in the Netherlands, and its 2024 autumn and winter series is preparing to enter the markets of the Netherlands, Austria, France, Belgium, the United States, Canada, and China.

The brand's clothing is also on display in the sample showroom of the new Shaxi factory, a large part of which is jeans. They are soft to the touch, with thick fabrics, yet still have a drapey feel and just the right silhouette, attracting many female guests to purchase on the spot. "The secret of success lies in exquisite and professional manufacturing and washing technology. You see, our fabrics and washing water are very unique." Cengiz is proud of the products. The reason why he focuses on denim clothing is not only because "denim" can span gender, age, region, and culture, but also, from a technical perspective, "making jeans requires a lot of professional knowledge."

In his opinion, a good pair of jeans requires creative design, professional tailoring, and the perfect combination of fabric and washing. To this end, manufacturers must control every detail of the production process, from a button to the texture and wiring. Starting from jeans and then gradually expanding to the production of T-shirts with lower technical content is an effective way to build a brand.

In 2021, the "Zhongshan Dachong Town Washing Industry Cluster and Environmental Protection Development Plan" was released, and the Dachong denim washing industry is undergoing transformation and upgrading. Cengiz' factory is also following the trend. "More than 50 years ago, when I first entered the industry, the apparel industry paid little attention to environmental protection; but now times have changed, and I feel that I have an obligation to create products that respect nature." He said, "The pain suffered by enterprises is inevitable, but in order for us to have a better future and for sustainable industrial development, I am happy to make changes."

Livable Zhongshan

Having been immersed in the industry for many years, Cengiz has established relationships with many fashion industry leaders, including Shauket Iman, who once oversaw the design, fabric selection and manufacturing of Levi's for up to 39 years. Between 2009 and 2010, he designed expensive jeans for many world-famous singers such as Justin Bieber and Bon Jovi.

"Shauket is about 10 to 12 years older than me. He has an office and showroom in Hong Kong, which is only a 90-minute ferry ride away from Zhongshan, so I often visit him and he also visits me." Through Shauket, Cengiz met Adriano Goldschmied, known as the "Godfather of Jeans in the US." The two worked together to design and produce a series of clothing for Adriano.

Cengiz said that Zhongshan has obvious location advantages in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, making it very convenient for him to start a business and live here. Although Zhongshan does not have an airport, he can quickly reach so many surrounding airports. Through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link (under construction), traffic in the future will be more convenient.

Cengiz is very familiar with the traffic in Zhongshan. "I like this city. It's safe, quiet and clean. In recent years, there have been a lot more cafes and Western restaurants. I think there is no better place to live than here." Cengizhas two sons, who are half-Chinese and can speak fluent Chinese.

"Just like my philosophy of life, understanding is the solution. To understand a place, you must immerse yourself in it and become a part of it. Now, I have my own home in China."