“We Bai people, every family has a dyeing vat, and every household produces tie-dye. I narrate the stories I see and hear on this cloth.”
In the latest TV commercial “Achievement Comes Naturally” by SHE LOG, Duan Yinkai, the national representative inheritor of the Bai ethnic group’s representative tie-dye technique, slowly tells the story of tie-dye. The SHE LOG Intangible Cultural Heritage series, “Cultural Treasure Hunt,” welcomes its latest chapter: Bai ethnic tie-dye, an intangible cultural heritage.
“The road to finding culture is the road to finding roots.” Since its establishment, SHE LOG has traveled throughout China, searching for the “rare cultural treasures” deeply rooted in Chinese heritage. While paying homage to traditional Chinese culture, the brand continuously explores the forms of intangible cultural and creative expressions. Through the inheritance of rare craftsmanship, it embarks on a journey to revisit the brand’s essence.
In fact, in the process of shaping a Chinese original brand, competition extends beyond the product level; the power of building brand culture is equally crucial. How to win consumers’ hearts and minds on an emotional level is also a key factor.
This year marks the third year of the “Cultural Treasure Hunt,” and SHE LOG remains steadfast in following the natural essence, returning to Shangri-La, visiting Dali in Yunnan, and embarking on a journey to discover the rare stories of Bai ethnic tie-dye, where achievement meets rarity. In this “Achievement Comes Naturally” cultural treasure hunt project, SHE LOG once again demonstrates remarkable cultural insights and practical abilities, further expanding the cultural imagination boundaries of domestic skincare brands.
The resonance behind “Effort Leads to Success”: SHE LOG integrates “paying tribute to intangible cultural heritage” into life.
A touch of natural blue slowly diffuses in the fabric, forming the diverse patterns of Bai ethnic tie-dye. SHE LOG, always keen on Chinese traditional culture, has found a deep resonance between the brand and intangible cultural heritage.
Every stitch, every step, and every tie-dye technique honed over time represents the precious achievement that SHE LOG has been seeking.
As an ancient textile dyeing technique, the Bai ethnic tie-dye craftsmanship requires multiple processes such as tying and dyeing, which take time and effort. Similarly, SHE LOG, rooted in Shangri-La and inspired by natural plant extracts, has found the precious “Matsutake” mushroom that takes several years to grow naturally and cannot be artificially cultivated. By combining the power of nature with modern technology, they have created a popular Matsutake mushroom product line.
Whether it’s the achievement of tie-dye craftsmanship or the growth of Matsutake mushrooms, they both require the tempering of time and the baptism of nature. Only then can it be said that “Effort Leads to Success.”
To better integrate and convey the Bai ethnic tie-dye intangible cultural heritage with the brand concept, SHE LOG has collaborated with “Shang Cheng Shi,” a magazine that focuses closely on intangible cultural heritage. As a publication dedicated to documenting China’s original indigenous lifestyle, “Shang Cheng Shi” consistently features themes related to intangible cultural heritage. The magazine has a strong influence and a distinctive tone.
The sixteen intricate processes turn the “effort” within a small space into a precious strength. On the occasion of SHE LOG’s three-year anniversary, they returned to Yunnan in collaboration with brand spokesperson and ambassador for plateau plant protection, Ding Zhen, and “Shang Cheng Shi” to launch the brand’s TV commercial “Effort Leads to Success.” They aim to explore the scarce “effort” of this era and showcase the craftsmanship and perseverance behind the ancient art of Bai ethnic tie-dye, just like the Matsutake mushrooms on the plateau, gathering energy between heaven and earth to convey the pure beauty of the plateau.
It is worth noting that SHE LOG has also launched a limited edition gift box featuring Bai ethnic tie-dye, which includes limited edition Matsutake mushroom essence water, tie-dye limited edition commemorative booklet, tie-dye limited edition handkerchief, tie-dye limited edition fragrance card, and other peripheral products creatively incorporating tie-dye elements and introducing youthful and innovative expressions. This aims to pass on the spirit of craftsmanship and effort and allow more people to discover the beauty of Bai ethnic tie-dye, thus believing in the rare energy of plateau plants.
According to the brand, the SHE LOG Tie-Dye Matsutake Mushroom Essence Water, as the core product of this limited edition gift box, uses rare Matsutake mushrooms from the pristine forests of Shangri-La, located at an altitude of about 2800m. The design inspiration is derived from “a touch of blue from Yunnan,” depicting the Cangshan Mountains and Erhai Lake in Dali on the product bottle and packaging box.
For SHE LOG, the “effort” lies within a Matsutake mushroom. The birth of this rare item is a realistic portrayal of breathing in sync with nature. The ability of SHE LOG to skillfully incorporate intangible cultural creativity into daily life undoubtedly stems from its tireless exploration of the rare power of nature.
It is worth mentioning that SHE LOG has also collaborated with cultural explorer @Oxidized Chrysanthemum to co-create content on the theme of tie-dye intangible cultural heritage. Through on-site visits and experiences by @Oxidized Chrysanthemum, they explore and interpret the millennium-old craftsmanship and spirit behind Bai ethnic tie-dye, deeply explaining the brand resonance between SHE LOG and tie-dye. This allows the craftsmanship shaped by time to re-enter the lives of the masses and become accessible.
CHAILEEDO has observed that through this joint collaboration with Bai ethnic tie-dye, SHE LOG demonstrates a rare ability to deeply narrate cultural stories, highlighting its exceptional cultural heritage among Chinese skincare brands.
Regarding this collaborative event, SHE LOG has achieved a high level of unity and completeness in terms of packaging design, color scheme, creative inspiration, cultural expression, and the integration of brand ambassadors. The connection between the brand and Bai ethnic tie-dye is well-aligned, making their approach highly accurate.
It can be said that SHE LOG has demonstrated an exceptionally high level of completion from the groundwork to the integration of brand concepts into the final presentation, making it a rare case of cultural marketing for a Chinese brand in the current landscape.
The Ingenious Exploration of Oriental Aesthetics, the Cultural Strength of Chinese Original Brands
Rareness makes things precious, just like the brand name SHE LOG, where “Seeking Rarity” is the soul that propels the brand forward. With creative Foshan paper-cutting, meticulous Su embroidery, ancient and magical woodblock printing, and now the Bai ethnic tie-dye, SHE LOG has traveled across the country, integrating precious intangible cultural heritage into the creation of the “Seeking Rarity” concept, making it the brand’s iconic marketing activity.
Just as intangible cultural heritage is always original and unique, “Chinese originality” has been ingrained in SHE LOG’s brand DNA since its inception. “We start from Shangri-La, our culture, technology, ingredients, everything is in China, with Chinese characteristics,” emphasized Huang Chujie, the founder of SHE LOG, multiple times publicly. This is also the foundation of SHE LOG’s Chinese originality.
In fact, as the cultural confidence of young consumers grows, intangible cultural heritage has become an inspiration for many domestic and international beauty brands. However, CHAILEEDO has noticed that many collaborative marketing efforts lack a connection to the brand’s core and merely mechanically graft the concept of intangible cultural heritage, with few brands exploring the continuity of intangible cultural heritage.
SHE LOG, rooted in rare Matsutake mushrooms, uses the theme of “rarity,” while intangible cultural heritage represents the precious treasure of Chinese traditional culture. The two naturally coincide in terms of core values and concepts, which undoubtedly forms an important foundation for the success of SHE LOG’s “Cultural Seeking Rarity” series.
Senior industry insiders have emphasized the importance of “having a genuine heart and respect for Chinese culture” in media interviews. If the perfect construction of marketing for intangible cultural heritage is the “technique,” then SHE LOG’s value and respect for traditional culture can be considered the “way.”
CHAILEEDO has noticed that in recent years, the cultivation of brand cultural strength has gradually become a visible discipline. The essence of cosmetics lies in the combination of culture, art, and technology. While Chinese brands have achieved breakthroughs in products, they have realized the importance of building intrinsic cultural attributes that have long been overlooked.
At the same time, cultural strength is also seen as the key for Chinese brands to go global. As Yan Jiangying, the Chairman of the China Flavors Fragrances Cosmetics Industry Association, said, “Whether a company can become a century-old brand and go global depends on whether it can return to cultural strength. The road of Chinese characteristic beauty is undoubtedly a path of inheriting and innovating Chinese cultural characteristics in the cosmetics field.”
SHE LOG’s Innovative Achievements as a Rising Star in Chinese Skincare: “Slow Efforts” Lead to Natural Success
SHE LOG deeply understands that behind the transmission of cultural aesthetics, strong support is needed in the form of brand research and development capabilities and product strength. Delving deep into scientific research and public welfare activities further strengthens SHE LOG’s brand value foundation.
In terms of scientific research, as a pioneer in the Matsutake mushroom skincare category, SHE LOG continues to invest in the development of Matsutake mushroom ingredients. They protect the ecological environment of Matsutake mushrooms at the source in Shangri-La, Yunnan, and have established the Matsutake Mushroom Research Laboratory in collaboration with Yunnan Inge Biotechnology. They have also collaborated with the National Engineering Research Center for Gene Engineering Drugs at Jilin University, Guangdong University of Technology, and Harbin Institute of Technology.
In this fast-paced era, SHE LOG chooses to slow down and craft exquisite products. Their solid product strength has gained recognition from a wide range of consumers, establishing a good market reputation for the entire range of SHE LOG Matsutake products. In 2023, SHE LOG became the number one Matsutake skincare brand in the country, solidifying its position as a leader in the Matsutake skincare field.
In terms of public welfare, as early as 2022, SHE LOG launched the “Seeking Rarity Shangri-La: Highland Matsutake Conservation Program.” They focused on training local farmers in Matsutake conservation, youth education, and other related themes, carrying out Matsutake conservation work on the highlands, promoting fair trade for local villagers, and assisting in the protection of the Matsutake industry and natural ecological environment.
In recent years, SHE LOG has consistently practiced the ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) concept in various public welfare activities. This includes carrying out public welfare initiatives for the protection of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys. They have partnered with the Laojun Mountain Biodiversity Conservation Center in Lijiang to provide natural education classes for children in the Lijuan Village surrounding the snub-nosed monkey’s protected area, working together to safeguard the future of the forest.
The “SHE LOG Shangri-La Rare Species Public Welfare Fund,” initiated by SHE LOG and the China Environmental Protection Foundation, aims to carry out in-situ and ex-situ protection, as well as resource and population restoration work for rare species. It aims to provide valuable methods and case studies for the recovery of extremely small population species in the future.
By adhering to the integration of culture, technology, and public welfare, SHE LOG consistently practices its original intention of building a Chinese original brand. The collaboration with the intangible cultural heritage of the Bai ethnic tie-dye signifies that cultural aesthetics, once neglected by many brands, is being rediscovered by Chinese skincare brands led by SHE LOG. It has become a unique symbol of Chinese original brands, radiating a unique brilliance that goes beyond the present.
