Dominic Johnson-Hill shares the Plastered Experience – how one ‘random idea’ became an iconic brand with global sales, whilst remaining a community project with grassroots values

Interview by Kristin Gower, photo by Nature Zhang

Hard to imagine now, but only five years ago Nanluogu Xiang was a quiet hutong, where the sighting of a foreigner was worth commenting on. Then Dominic Johnson-Hill opened Plastered, selling high quality t-shirts plastered with iconic Beijing designs. Right time, right place, or insightful entrepreneurship? No one knows, but Dominic must have done something right, as Plastered now has six locations, and the founder himself has become an entrepreneurial icon to many. Here Dominic talks about tapping into the need for local creativity, and the importance of karma and keeping it local.

How did it all start – why a T-shirt shop in a quiet little hutong? Passion and the need for a decent t-shirt! I didn’t have a business plan; it was one of those random creative ideas that just seem to make sense. I was a long-term Beijinger, and at the time I was setting up language schools. I don’t have a design background, but being severely dyslexic, I live in a very visual world – graphics and color are the way I relate to and interpret the world. So I took my love of Beijing and design, my need for a decent T-shirt, and our RMB 40k in savings and persevered. On our first day we only sold one T-shirt – but I was happy! There was no secret to choosing the location: it was my home. A quiet, little street where I used to sit on a corner and eat noodles with my daughter. Plastered was the first shop to open. We followed it up with a catwalk show, and over time the street blossomed into what it is today.

How do you come up with your designs? I am an avid collector of what other people might consider junk! Iconic designs – old washing bowls, detergent bottles, etc. The T-shirts are based on my view of Beijing – the things that appeal to me, make me laugh or reflect my vision of Beijing. In the beginning it was very difficult to find good designers. The Chinese education system does not validate creative industries and there is a lot of pressure on young people to enter business careers. I still do a lot of the designs, but we now have a network of very creative young designers, people who have lived in London, NY, and Paris and are ready to push the creative boundaries.

One of our recent collaborations is with a brilliant tattoo artist called Wang Ke. The designs combine revolutionary opera with classic tattoo designs – large breasted women and beribboned hearts. It’s currently our most popular design. Collaboration is my ideal – it simply results in more beautiful designs.

“I am an avid collector of what other people might consider junk! Iconic designs – old washing bowls, detergent bottles, etc. The T-shirts are based on my view of Beijing – the things that appeal to me, make me laugh or reflect my vision of Beijing”

Why do you think you have been so successful , and what do you mean by ‘The Plastered Experience’? One of the early designs was a woman in a bikini on the Great Wall – it wasn’t at all popular! But I believed in the idea. Having the idea first is very important, but anything can be copied. There needs to be a genuine story for people to believe in, a reason to like you, to respect your brand. The media have really loved our story – a British guy living in a Hutong, celebrating his love of China through his designs. My Chinese name actually gets more Google hits than the store name.

An authentic story builds to a whole experience that people want to be a part of. Our products sell in many countries, but they sell best in China because they’re an authentic reflection of the experience. It’s still a family-owned business that supports local charities and stays true to its roots. I am not an expat here for a short term posting – I live very close to the store in a beautiful shared courtyard. My neighbor, Ayi Kang, was my first employee – and she is still with me. She is the Plastered experience – a matriarch who remembers your name and is part of the community.

My wife Laura and I were also very active in building the street. I joined the local government, employed locals, and hosted events to draw people into the area. That investment in the community shows in the make-up of our customers – originally only ten percent of our customers were Chinese – now they are 80 percent.

“I took my love of Beijing and design, my need for a decent T-shirt, and our RMB 40k in savings and persevered”

How did you find the right suppliers and partners? It was tough to find good suppliers – especially as we are small. We started out using middle men, but the quality was very patchy. In the end my wife and I literally got in the car and drove around Beijing, visiting factories until we found three that were trustworthy, were able to use eco-friendly materials, and were consistent. My wife and I are big believers in karma. It is important to us to only deal with people we know and trust. That usually means higher costs, but we would rather have higher costs and work with good people.

Working with good people, and being grass roots means we have never had any problems with corruption. But it is also a choice I make – everyone knows that I will not solve problems with a red envelope. Guanxi is important, but I get that by working in the community, joining the local government and supplying a good chunk of the street’s tax revenue!

Any advice for those new to the game? Run your business in an honest way – there is no need to localize your morals. Spend a lot of time getting good people on board. There is a fantastic wealth of talented people, but you need the hungry ones, the ones that can work independently or take a great idea and run with it. There is only so much one person can do!

“I am an avid collector of what other people
might consider junk! Iconic designs – old
washing bowls, detergent bottles, etc. The
T-shirts are based on my view of Beijing – the
things that appeal to me, make me laugh or
reflect my vision of Beijing”