German designs new life in Shenyang德国人在沈阳“设计”新生活

潘靖怡

2015年芭芭拉·伊麗莎白·弗莱曼随家人来到中国。她利用自己学过的平面设计知识，给中国旗袍增加了口袋设计。她以自己的方式，在中国“设计”着自己的生活。

Barbara Elisabeth Freiman has made paper cuttings and lanterns， and bought goods for the Spring Festival.“I also prepare hongbao （red packets） for my staff—they are real red leather handbags！ I also put cash in them. When in Rome， do as Romans do.”

In 2015， Freiman s family moved to China when her husband started working at BMW Brilliance Automotive in Shenyang， capital of Northeast China s Liaoning Province.

“Shenyang and Germany are quite similar. They both have sauerkraut（酸泡菜） and pig knuckle（猪指节）. It s very comfortable to eat and live here， except that it s a little colder in winter than Germany，” she says.

After graduating from high school， Freiman was accepted by a university in Germany majoring in graphic design（平面设计）. However， she then changed her major to law at the urge of her parents. Yet Freiman never gave up on her design dream and in Shenyang， it finally became a reality. In 2016， she opened her own studio and became the founder and designer of a children s fashion brand Coco & Ray.

“I like mixing some oriental elements into my designs. For example， I designed pockets for qipao， so it s more practical for children，” Freiman says.

“A good mother and a boss，” says Freiman s 16 year old son， when he was asked to describe his mother. Her three children were her initial inspiration for making children s clothes.

Freiman says， “my youngest daughter was born here and loves to eat double cooked pork slices. We all call her ‘little north easterner.”

The clothes she designed are handmade with carefully selected fabrics and customized buttons. At present， Freiman s studio has 10 staff members.

“In China， I have wonderful tailors to help my designs come to life，” she says. It was the first time for Freiman s family to spend the Spring Festival holiday in China. “It s a ‘safe home here，” she says.

What do you think attracts Barbara Elisabeth Freiman to live in China and enjoy the life in Shenyang？ Do you like the elements she added to qipao？ Why？