The Briton in Beijing who made Mao suits fashionable again, and his 25-year journey from backpacker to TV personality
Naughty, irreverent and cool, Plastered 8 is an extension of Dominic Johnson-Hill’s personality, the fashion and art entrepreneur says. He muses on the weirdness of Chinese censorship and how he gets away with publicity stunts
Wearing a Mao suit and toting a revolver, a pouting girl titillates with a come-hither look. Sporting a Peking opera headdress, a cheeky-looking panda takes aim with a slingshot.
Such tongue-in-cheek takes on Chinese Communist icons in Dominic Johnson-Hill’s three quirky Beijing stores have made drab Mao suits and female Red Guard uniforms desirable.
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Johnson-Hill’s creative streetwear brand, Plastered 8, is naughty, irreverent – and cool. His designs, commissioned from artists, adorn T-shirts, tourist souvenirs and the walls of cafes and hotels around the Chinese capital.
The British father of four, who is 45, says his brand is a celebration of his life.
“The brand is just an extension of my personality. I am very childlike, playful, a bit naughty and very energetic,” he says.
“When I started out in 2006, the design aesthetic was quite simple. Then as I …worked with more talented artists and had more money, I tried to create beautiful artworks that celebrate the Beijing that I love.”