Elsbeth van Paridon
Elsbeth van Paridon holds a degree in Sinology and additionally is just another run-of-the-mill fashion aficionada. After tackling Beijing for some six years and living in Hong Kong for a bit, van Paridon managed to claw her way through a Europe-based academic endeavor called Journalism in 2018 and as of 2020 once again finds herself pounding the pavements of China, from Shanghai to Da Jing. Perpetually in pursuit of the greater good that is “China Fashion”, van Paridon set up The China Temper to help promote the dynamite dynamic fashion scene sprouting within Beijing, Shanghai, and China overall. Catering to anybody and everybody who reads English and/or Chinese, Temper covers all the basics and bases. From China's street style scenery to its budding photographers, internationally renowned designers, and underground quirks plus phenomena: We present one hot-hip-happening current collective weaving The New "Made in China" tag. The term “Made in China” is undergoing the ultimate 21st Century makeover. Escorted by the increasingly strong influence of a new thinking among China’s younger generations, regarding individuality and the expression thereof, the fashion scene in the Middle Kingdom is exploding. And stretches far beyond what meets the eye. It’s appliqué, one might say.
Emily Aspinall
England-born journalist-in-the-making and teacher Emily Aspinall has been living and writing in/about China for just over a year. A love of travel, Asia and pure intrigue brought her and now keeps her in the country. As a freelance journalist, she specializes in Chinese society and fashion, her fascination surrounding the East grew since living and working in a rural ex-fishing village on the outskirts of Shanghai. Aspinall aims to capture a sense of the colourful and dynamic contemporary China, which continues to revolutionise and evolve. Aspinall holds an English Literature degree from Sheffield University. She explored the literary canon, starting with old English and ending with the contemporary period, her area of speciality and research is post-war British social realism. While studying, she also on gained experience at the BBC, local publishing houses and copy edited the student newspaper. Since moving to China, she has written regularly for Temper Magazine and The Shanghaiist -- with a personal blog going live soon. Her interests include gender fluidity, the modern representation of women, sustainability and the underground scene in China.
Daniel Magunje
Daniel Magunje (Daniel K) is a multifaceted individual with experience ranging from Finance to Fashion. He is the founder of Fei-Yu Management which supports brands in China and Africa with their marketing strategies. His love for young fashion designers is relentless and is committed to share their stories with the world. Dani enriches Temper with video and visual reports starring the latest in China's fashionable, sustainable and underground scenery. Coming to you live, from the Middle Kingdom.
Stephanie Lawson
Brand Founder @ Zodiac Active -- Designer, consultant & educator @ Laws On Design -- Responsible Fashion Maven, from Beijing to (currently) Shanghai In Lawson's own words: "I think we are moving into an era of hybridity, of complexity. I’ve been reading ideas that as a civilization we are moving from left-brain to right brain. Maybe I unconsciously saw this incoming in manufacturing & denim and that’s why I moved to create Zodiac. It serves denim that understands the complexities of a customer’s life."
Jessica Laiter
Jessica Laiter has been an avid lover and admirer of the Chinese language and culture for most of her life. Always knowing that the future would include working on an international level, when it came to choosing a niche, China immediately came to mind. Laiter went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Chinese Studies and Communications Rhetoric at The University of Pittsburgh and a Master's Degree in Translation at NYU. Immediately after college, she moved to New York City and since then has worked in a number of different industries such as branding, manufacturing, fashion, public relations and real estate. China always acting as the common denominator. Inspired by her career, Laiter launched a website called Chinese Graffiti, on which she features emerging Chinese designers, talks about the intersection of tradition and modernity in China, as well as the evolution of society and business culture. As time went on, she sought out like-minded businesses individuals who were interested in a similar market, which is how she became involved with Temper. The China market is creating a whirlwind around the glob and it’s only just getting started. The world can be a small place with a dash of mutual understanding and Laiter loves to be the storyteller who helps to bridge that gap.
Minyoung Lee
Studying Textile & Clothing with some Business Administration to boot (Yonsei University, South Korea) naturally led Minyoung Lee into the professional world of fashion. Lee consequently spent around three years as a product developer/fashion merchandiser for contemporary South Korean brand Lucky Chouette. Later on, Lee spent two years living and studying in Beijing, mostly writing articles about Chinese culture and Chinese fashion and wrapped up her China Life with a Master’s Degree in Global Business Journalism at Tsinghua University. Nowadays, Lee resides in Germany, still keeping China and its fashions on her radar, as well as working as a freelance translator for the apparel industry.
Misha Maruma
Misha Maruma is the founder of CNCREATE, a Chinese contemporary art blog. He writes about the exciting developments in the flourishing Chinese creative scene, from fine art to fashion design and everything in between.
Natalie Luo
Meet Natalie Luo, Temper's very first full-fledged Chinese Language Author and Editor -- dedicated to developing the 中文side of all things Temper, ya know! A Fashion Marketing and Promotion B.A. graduate from the University of the Arts London, and a Hotel Operations Management postgraduate from Swiss Hotel Management School, Luo harbors an immense passion for fashion, lifestyle, drama, and travel. As a local Chinese with more than five-years of European academic life under her belt and years of professional experience ranging from the luxury, hospitality to the advertising industry at home and abroad, Luo has developed an in-depth understanding of the differences between Chinese and Western cultures, always keeping her eye on the fusion tendencies that exist among both. Based in Shanghai and returning to Guangzhou, China, Luo now writes about a variety of topics veering between the realms of culture, lifestyle, and fashion fields.
Bunny Yan
It's Bunny Yan! A Chinese American who has been working in the fashion and marketing industry for almost two decades. Able to see the fashion world through the lenses of East and West gives Yan a fuller view on what the fashion world is really like. She believes 'balance' is the key to change within the industry. As one of the leading experts in Fashion Sustainability, Yan likes to get her message through with humor and sass. This is an ever-evolving field and Yan wants to share with you just how exciting it actually is. Even though this picture may not really convey that much excitement, it's certainly there!
Rochelle Beiersdorfer
Rochelle Beiersdorfer is a young professional and music maniac who has previously written about contemporary Chinese culture, China's underground music scenes, and Mandarin Chinese for past employers, study abroad organizations, Beijing record labels, and China-focused media groups. When not writing, Rochelle enjoys spending time pole dancing, traveling around China, exploring China’s craft beer industry with friends, rocking out at music gigs, learning new things, and studying Mandarin Chinese and its dialects.
Trista Wu
The Temper Translator Essentielle! Wu Yingchao, aka Trista Wu, is one woman passionate about translation. Using words to build a bridge of understanding and communication as well as inspire the joy of reading. Wu sets the Temper pace on the 中文side of things, turning our English ramblings into wholly temperamental Chinese reads.
Varsharanee Roopun
Social Media Strategizing, Marketing Mavening, our Temper Intern Extraordinaire Varsharanee Roopun -- born and raised in Zimbabwe -- is a graduate who holds a commerce degree in Entrepreneurship and Marketing obtained from Curtin University, Australia. She has also completed a Certificate in Fashion Design which she hopes to use along her degree in the near future on various projects.
Vicky Huang
Vicky Huang is Taiwanese-Canadian, which is to say she is mild-tempered and polite for the most part. This contributes to her being drawn to the utterly unreserved, unapologetic Temper - it’s the yang to her yin (not the other way around). Her mantras are traveling and writing because she likes to observe, introspect, and share. Although she’s got a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Master of Management from the University of British Columbia, this Vancouverite is unexcited about being confined to a lab or a corporate boardroom. She has a chronic case of wanderlust. During her gap year after college, she learned French in Quebec, taught English around Central Europe, and worked for a Canadian NGO in Bolivia. Her next (carefully calculated) relapse after grad school took her to the Middle Kingdom, where she interned at Time Out Shanghai. Now back in Vancouver, Huang is working at a China marketing startup while writing and translating on a freelance basis. In her leisure time, she enjoys book-reading, film-watching, and thrift-hunting.