Super-rich: Spending money is just a job!

Every September is the time when the world's four major fashion weeks are held, and major brands release their spring/summer fashion designs for the following year.

Sister Zhang went to great lengths to help Xiaomeng obtain invitations to fashion shows from numerous high-end brands. Xiaomeng carefully selected a few brands she had heard of, especially those mentioned by Old Zach, and tried her best to attend them if possible.

Four fashion weeks are held in New York, London, Milan, and Paris. Countless brands hold shows every day in September, making it impossible to attend them all.

People have limited time and energy. Xiaomeng is different from those fashion buyers; she doesn't attend fashion shows to make purchases, so she can't attend them every day like they do. Attending a few representative shows in a city is enough.

Xiaomeng didn't waste the remaining fashion show invitations; she took photos of them and posted them in the class group, where interested classmates naturally came to claim them.

A few people who particularly enjoy fashion shows were overjoyed to receive invitations from Xiaomeng. Even the teachers wanted to get a few tickets from Xiaomeng.

Actually, some classmates also received invitations from brands, but none of them got as many as Xiaomeng.

Every year, fashion weeks around the world begin in New York.

Xiaomeng first flew to New York to take a look. Hmm, the brand style there is rather rugged; their brands like to use many elements that embody the American spirit. For example, cowboy elements, Stars and Stripes elements, Golden Age elements—they don't seem to be very refined. Their world of fame and fortune is also very direct, and the exchange of benefits is very simple. Xiaomeng felt that they only appreciate simple things.

Of course they would go to museums to see artifacts from the East, but... they couldn't appreciate their value, and even the best things were rarely appreciated.

After watching several shows and exchanging ideas with some celebrities, she felt that if she wanted to sell things here, she couldn't do anything too culturally sophisticated; Yiwu's small commodities were more suitable for this place.

In New York, the gains from attending fashion shows are less than those from participating in private auctions.

Xiaomeng flew to London soon after. The designers there have a lot of ideas and seem very young and unrestrained, but... they really like bizarre things.

Surprisingly, many Chinese designers held exhibitions here. Regardless of their nationality, everyone had a high level of artistic appreciation, and the shows were full of creative ideas and concepts. Xiaomeng was completely bewildered by these people and often doubted her own comprehension abilities.

She thought that she could find some up-and-coming designers here and have them redesign and deconstruct those ancient and beautiful things, which might lead to some interesting creations.

By the way, besides watching the fashion show, Xiaomeng also checked out the charity shop with her friends. The charity shop had a huge variety of things, all sorts of random items, and Xiaomeng, with her shopping skills, managed to find some good stuff.

Small items like old silk embroidered handkerchiefs and silver cigarette cases are very cheap, costing only a few euros. They are probably antiques from the previous dynasty that were taken out of the country during the Republic of China era.

What's particularly noteworthy is that she acquired a porcelain lampshade. Actually, it wasn't originally a lampshade; it was a large blue-and-white porcelain vase from the Qianlong period, over fifty centimeters tall. Someone had drilled a hole in the bottom and used it as a lampshade.

The shop assistant said it was a modern handicraft that they had recently acquired from an elderly person, but it was a very beautiful piece of porcelain, so it cost two hundred pounds. Xiaomeng was too embarrassed to haggle, so she paid and ran off quickly, afraid that someone would come after her.

Xiaomeng had appraised it using her skill; this item was quite rare. If it were intact, it could fetch at least one or two million at auction. Even though it had been punctured and was damaged, it wouldn't be much different. Besides, she needed to display many items in her own museum. Acquiring some at a low price now was a good deal.

There are also second-hand handbags. In the charity shop, there are some designer scarves and wallets that weigh one or two pounds. She also saw double C bags and Birkin bags, which only cost a few hundred or a few thousand pounds. Even top-tier designer shoes and coats only cost a few dozen pounds each.

My friend who went to the fashion show with me bought a saddle bag that weighed over 100 pounds. Judging from how satisfied she was, it must have been a great deal.

Although Xiaomeng herself doesn't buy anything, she genuinely thinks the things here are amazing. If a skilled secondhand dealer came here specifically to hunt for bargains, they might actually make a fortune.

On the flight from London to Milan, half the passengers were people who had gone to see the fashion show together. The Italian girl I had shopped at the charity store with was also on the plane. Her name was quite common, Sofia, and she said her family was in the clothing and fabric business.

Sofia was very enthusiastic and knew how to seize opportunities. After meeting Xiaomeng twice at high-end fashion shows, she offered to invite Xiaomeng to visit their store and fabric factory.

To be fair, the clothing brands in Milan look quite refined and sophisticated, with workmanship and fabrics that better match Xiaomeng's impression of high-end ready-to-wear.

Xiaomeng and her assistant toured the shop and factory.

Xiaomeng never expected that fabric suppliers could operate a front store and back factory business.

Of course, their family factory is quite small, with just a few automated looms. The machines were developed by Sofia's family themselves, with her father and grandfather personally modifying and designing them. They specialize in producing a particular high-end wool fabric, a line they've had for decades, and are renowned for their high-quality materials. Many celebrities and high-end tailors come specifically to buy their products.

Xiaomeng actually touched their fabric and found that she had never seen it before and did not recognize it, but it felt good to the touch. The price of 30,000 to 50,000 euros per bolt was not expensive, so she paid directly for five bolts of the new fabric that had just been woven this year and sent them back to China.

Because Xiaomeng paid the full amount so readily, Sophia's family was thrilled and all said they wanted to treat Xiaomeng to a meal.

Some traditional Italian families are very similar to Chinese families, living together as a large extended family.

Sofia's grandmother and mother were cooking for the family in the kitchen; dinner was traditional pasta. After dinner, the family sat in the dining room with their guests, drinking tea and chatting.

According to reports, Sofia's family spans three generations. Her father, along with her brothers, runs the weaving workshop, while her mother works as a designer and manages the household. Sofia speaks five languages ​​and primarily travels outside the home. The family's small factory and shop also employ five or six people.

It's a true family business; one family runs the entire factory. Xiaomeng had never seen anything like it before, and she found it amazing.

However, things weren't actually as good as they seemed. The main problem was that the factory was too small, the development costs were too high, and the operating risks were too great.

In recent years, large corporations have sought to acquire their patented technologies, making their situation increasingly difficult. For instance, they can't find buyers for their newly woven fabrics, and merchants who had agreed to order have said they don't want them anymore. If it weren't for Sophia bringing in Xiaomeng as a major client, their cash flow would have dried up.

Unfortunately, Xiaomeng wasn't a professional fabric merchant, otherwise they could have established a new sales channel and wouldn't have been so easily held hostage.

However, having more friends means having more options, and Xiaomeng promised to help them recommend fabrics, which the family was already very satisfied with.

After leaving the warm-hearted Sofia and her family, Xiaomeng continued her flight to Paris.

This is the last stop in September.