Over the last decades, shanzhai culture has caught the interest not only of the world’s savviest shoppers, but scholars and thinkers of consumerism. Originally denoting a mountain hamlet (or the secret lair of outlaws and bandits), this Mandarin word has come to connote the prolific and pervasive counterfeit commodity culture of China, a culture that continues to spread globally and morph through complex transnational networks of production and exchange. Fashion offers a unique framework to contemplate this pervasive but fickle philosophy of production as it relates to authorship, branding, and labor—and most ambivalently, its deep-seated connotations of freedom and rebellion. For Viscose 03, a definitive roundtable on the topic was held with leading thinkers of the field: Fan Yang, and Sara Liao, as well as art collective Shanzhai Lyric, moderated by philosopher Zairong Xiang. Read the full transcript in the print issue, which is still available to purchase. VISCOSE 03 “Asias” Out now! (link in bio) Origianl 📸 credit @shanzhai_lyric