Old tradition, new life! Tainan Minglin Lace, intertwined with history, has an endless sense of mission~

Lace is our home, our refuge, and we have the responsibility to keep it alive.

Fucheng is a little cooler in early spring. The "Minglin Lace" located at the intersection of Renren Street and Sanguan Road has a huge floor-to-ceiling glass automatic door. When you look at it from the outside, it's so dark that you can't clearly see the furnishings inside. It turns out that it's the time of year During employees’ lunch breaks, lights are turned off to prevent strangers from disturbing the tranquility. The one who came to greet him with a friendly smile was Lin Yinxue, the sister of the Lin family, the business manager. When the indoor lights came on, a large piece of original lace cloth, exquisite works, and thick style manuals were all accumulated over time. About The vast history of Taiwan's textile industry is truly amazing and has deeply shaken the existing imagination of lace. It can be called a museum-level lace historical database.

On the first floor of the store, which is about 50 square meters, in addition to the common clothing and home decoration items made of lace, even lamps and watches can be related to lace. Two sisters, Lin Shuzhen and Lin Yinxue, have inherited their father's tradition. But we are not conservative, but give new life to old things, maintain pure blood and keep pace with the times. They say that we are not creating trends, but classics. Recalling the restoration of the Republic of China, Mr. Lin Maosong and his brothers started a business on Haian Road in Tainan from scratch. However, in 5 or 6 years, the craze for clothing accessories subsided. Mr. Lin transformed into a specialty lace embroidery, achieved great success, and was able to create the future. After more than 30 years of glory and fame, looking back on that shabby past, Mr. Lin, who is now in his eighties, sees the best years and times flowing through his eyes.

Little Pegasus spreading its wings

"Back then, I never thought about inheriting the family business." After the two sisters finished saying this in unison, they laughed. My elder sister Lin Shuzhen is currently the general manager of "Minglin Lace". She specialized in politics when she was a student. She left home and went north to escape the piles of lace she faced every day. Her younger sister also worked hard outside for several years before she was willing to return home. To help, she said: "I am absolutely attached to my family. When I was a child, I watched my father's generation working hard for the family. I couldn't bear to see the lace kingdom built by my father being ruined in the hands of our generation. What the future generations can do is to keep these traditions alive." The craftsmanship of temperature will continue to be passed down." With this goal and consensus, starting five years ago, the two sisters worked together to inject new life into the old soul and started the brand positioning of modern marketing.

"When my father was making lace, he got his name from the 'Pegasus' brand. When we took over, we added wings to the horse and became a 'Little Pegasus'. It can soar into the sky as soon as it flies. I hope that with this kind of rejuvenation to create a more lively image and create a more different industrial appearance." Lin Yinxue said with confidence. In 2014, we set up a counter in Tainan's historic landmark "Lin Department Store" and attracted attention with its novel lace products. After visiting the site, we discovered that not only the counters, but also the details of the building were integrated with lace elements. Lin Shuzhen said: "We have integrated lace into Applied in glass, different colors and shades can be reflected by different light." Perhaps, it is such delicate and exquisite ingenuity that allows "Minglin Lace" to have its own position in different fields and cross-border The sparks inspired by cooperation burned into a hot flame in their hearts, and they said, "This is the so-called endless life."

Fucheng is my home

There are more chances to go west to the mainland, right? Since the 1990s, local textile industries in Tainan have been looking for opportunities on the other side of the Taiwan Strait. They have stayed in Taiwan and set up factories in China. The future seems bright. Lin Yinxue said: "Later, they all withdrew. Those who still have factories in Tainan will continue to work. Those who have no roots will change careers." The reason is very simple. The policy has changed the way of making money. Whether the hometown is beautiful or not, and whether it is close to the people in the hometown, the Lin family sisters chose to take root in their hometown. Such a decision seems to be a well-considered decision now. the result of.

In recent years, the concept of "cultural and creative light travel" in Tainan has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Not only Taiwanese people like it, but neighboring countries such as Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and even European and American countries further away will come here for the rich cultural atmosphere of the ancient capital city, such as delicious food, historical sites, Of course, the most beautiful scenery is the people. As soon as you set foot in Tainan, whether in the city or nearby areas, you will feel an indescribable sense of comfort. The bells on the elementary school playground, the rustling of the trees on the road, and the sounds of children playing in the park , is so warm and beautiful, how can we let go of the sisters born and raised in the Lin family?

The most senior aunt in the lace workshop is over 70 years old this year and had just retired before our visit. The younger generation in the studio executes style orders for key rings, mobile phone bags and hats. Through their ingenuity, Using lace decorations of different colors and patterns, it suddenly takes on a new life. After getting along with certain people and things for a long time, you will understand their personalities and characteristics. While chatting, Lin Yinxue soon learned about something. A decorative lace flower was completed. Although she was embarrassed to say that she made it casually and her skills were not as good as those of the younger sisters, but in the petals, one could see her dedication to her career and even the entire family. The enthusiasm blossomed spontaneously.

the next 50years

In addition to promoting the business of "Ming Lin Lace", it is also actively cooperating with the city government to bring Taiwanese lace out of Taiwan. In April, it will go to Italy to create art installations with local designers and artists. The Italian team also visited Tainan earlier to conduct field research and collect materials. As soon as they stepped into "Minglin Lace", they were deeply attracted. Different from the traditional European styles, "Minglin Lace" localized lace and went through After 50 years of quenching and maturation, it is full of strong Taiwanese flavor, which makes Italians amazed. This is completely different from what they know.

Ask General Manager Lin what big plans Ming Lin Lace has for the next 50 years, she said: "Continue to do it down to earth, as an old saying goes, inheritance and innovation complement each other and are endless."