We are very pleased to count top creative Chang Lin as a member of our GoSeeAWARDS jury. The Creative Director for Branding & Communication Design stands for conceptional thinking, and he translates the personality of a brand into an exclusive, original idea. He speaks Chinese, Japanese, English, and German and has worked for agencies such as AR NY, Baron&Baron, Euro RSCG, JvM, Lloyd+Co, KesselsKramer, and Wieden&Kennedy. In Hamburg, he founded the agencies ZOO OFFICE and SON AGENCY before he set up his own design studio, CHANG LIN GmbH, in Berlin. Since April 2015, he has been responsible for the brand identity of the brand Zalando as the Executive Creative Director.
The first Bread&Butter by ZALANDO event has taken place with the slogan 'Now' from 2 to 4 September, 2016, at Arena in Berlin. As a public event, Bread&Butter was open to everyone for the first time. The 3-day event presents the newest trends in the areas of fashion, music and food and deals with digital Innovations. Consumers can experience the latest trends from their favorite brands – and that in an extraordinary location. Even though Chang Lin has been very busy preparing over the past couple of days, he took time for an interview with GoSee...
As Creative Director, you supervise the ZALANDO brand in Berlin. Tell us about your day-to-day job there?
My workdays at Zalando are very different and multifaceted. Several creative teams work on different projects here, and that keeps me very busy.
The success story of ZALANDO, which began in Berlin in 2008, appears to be unstoppable. Whether in Vienna or Zurich, Helsinki or Dublin – the campaigns and online ads of the mail-order company active in 15 countries can be seen everywhere. In Berlin, a Zalando campus for 5,000 employees is planned.
Are all campaigns and looks conceived in Berlin? And how many productions do you supervise per year?
Just like there are different formats, there are also different kinds of productions. Besides the classic season start, we also need several productions on the cooperation and digital levels. That adds up to eight or nine productions every year which I focus on more intensively.
What happens step by step? Purchasing chooses and gives the information to creation, where the collection pieces are then processed for the campaign?
It is, of course, a bit more complex at Zalando, but in a nutshell, that’s what happens.
Do you doodle or illustrate the campaign motifs beforehand or how does it go from the idea to the finished campaign?
Several roads lead to Rome as they say. But it also depends on the project. You can’t force it because, in the end, good ideas just take time, even if we don’t end up using them 100%.
Do you choose the photographers and directors yourself or does an agency take care of it for you?
We choose them ourselves, but we cooperate in parallel with different managers & agencies.
Together with the Berlin-based agencies Kemmler Kemmler, We Make and Studio VIE, you realized the 'DON’T BE OLD-FASHIONED' campaigns for the Austrian market. Do you produce different campaigns for different countries and markets?
That has been our communication strategy up to now, which also makes sense because other countries do have different requirements and have a localized understanding. That makes fine cultural differences crucial. To guarantee a clear and, at the same time,strong image of the brand Zalando, we are going to centralize large campaigns more and make minor adaptations for each country.
The sporty Spring/Summer 2016 campaign features supermodel Anna Ewers dancing and posing to hip hop beats. Can you tell us something about the shoot and about the somewhat minimalist concept?
I would not necessarily refer to it as minimalist. It is in fact simplicity that makes for a good idea. The production itself was more like a little a party.
'Distancing yourself from superficiality opens your eyes for new ideas', you said in an interview. How do realize this in fashion?
This quote from Oscar de la Renta describes it best: “Fashion is a trend. Style lives within a person.”
Are collaborations such as the #SHAREYOURSEXY campaign with CALVIN KLEIN UNDERWEAR, 'TOPSHOP @ Zalando #WhereverYouAre' or the Capsule Collection 'Sport City' by Karl Lagerfeld not every creative director’s dream? Total creative freedom every which way and being able to only work with the best?
Every dream is just a dream until you decide to make it reality. You only have to keep in mind that transformation always means a lot of hard work and discipline.
Can you give us a little hint about what cooperation you are planning next or is that still top secret?
We recently realized a cooperation with Marni, and everything else will remain top secret for the time being.
You have worked in several cities and now commute between Berlin and New York and Los Angeles, where a large part of the ZALANDO campaigns are realized. What do you love most about Berlin, where do you go in Berlin, and do you have an ultimate LA tip for us?
Unfortunately, I do not get around as much as I should in a city like Berlin. But I do regularly go to Cocolo Ramen in the Mitte district. Best Breakfast in LA: Malibu Farm Brentwood.
We have already heard that you collect unusual snow globes. So we know how we can surprise you in Berlin. What are your other passions?
Sleep.
What are your goals – short-term, long-term – and where do you want to be with (or without) your studio in 5 years?
Short-term: stay satisfied and happy
Long-term: stay satisfied and happy
Chang Lin will perhaps tell you more at UPDATE16 on 30 September in Berlin. Plus, we present you the new campaign THIS IS NOW on GoSee, which shows strong women and outstanding role models. Renowned filmmaker Matt Lambert filmed the TV spot on the streets of Berlin. The 360° campaign was launched on 28 August in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and Scandinavia. All other Zalando markets will follow in the coming weeks. Find out more on ZALANDO.
