An*Tai*Na
 | |
| Founded | 2006-2008 |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| No. of locations | NUMBER |
| Founder(s) | Xie Chuanqin |
| Webshop | webshop , webshop |
| Current status | Active |
| Lolibrary Link | |
An*Tai*Na is a Chinese shoe factory known for producing made to order, custom sized shoes including copies of many other designer's styles that was established sometime between 2006 and 2008. While the name is sometimes written as Antaina, it's stylized as an*tai*na on their trademark registration information.[1]
Not be confused with Japanese brand An-Ten-Na which predates An*Tai*Na.
History
In 2007 due to her husband's mismanagement Xie Chuanqin was forced to sell a shoe factory she had opened. When she sold that factory, she still had an outstanding order worth 1 million yuan from a Japanese lolita company that had not shipped yet, so she used what money was left over from the sale of the factory to open a small retail shop at her home where she could sell those shoes, but the shoes didn't sell.[2] The shoes weren't popular in China at that time. She met someone who was going to sub-lease the shoe shop from her to open a restaurant, but ultimately their deal fell through. The girl liked the shoes, so Xie Chuanqin gave her a few pairs and the girl suggested that she sell them on Taobao.[2]
According to an interview in Southern People Weekly (南方人物周刊), in 2008, Xie Chuanqin opened her online store.[2] A interview ThePaper however, puts this at 2007[3]. It's unclear what the exact date is. The NanaLolita An*Tai*Na taobao shop says it was opened October 21st 2006[4], while the Love is Blind An*Tai*Na taobao shop says it was opened May 7th 2008[5]. There was not much competition, and the shoes sold well online to the budding Chinese lolita market. Xie Chuanqin recruited new staff and designed new shoes, specializing in thick soled platforms and high heeled lolita shoes.[2] For the first 10 years, she worked from 7am-2am every day. For the first year, there were only 3 people working in the shop, one doing the uppers, one doing the soles, and Xie Chuanqin doing the sales, management and everything else. After a year, she hired a second person to help her because it was too much for one person.[2]
Notable Figures
Xie Chuanqin - Founder
Controversy
An*Tai*Na has no minimum order quantity and accepts MTO requests based on photographs.[5] They also have been known to post stock photos of brand shoes on their taobao as examples of items they can make.[6] In recent years, this practice seems to have become less prevalent compared to past years.
In 2022 they posted a pair of Fluffy Tori shoes on their taobao shop.[7] It turned out that the manufacturer for the Fluffy Tori shoes, Loliloliyoyo, had a partnership with An*Tai*Na and had accidently included the file in designs they shared with An*Tai*na. When it was brought to their attention the shoes were removed from the An*Tai*Na webshop..[8]
Locations/Sales Model
The brand operates two different taobao shops. The main shop appears to be the Loveisblind shop, which has information about wholesale, direct ordering and their brand trademark, while nanalolita seems to have more punk designs and appears to be a secondary shop.
Shop List
This section is incomplete, you can help it by adding information about: physical shops. Intro text in this area is optional.
Directly Managed Taobao Shops
| Shop | Country | Webshop | Status | Date Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antaina Loveisblind | China | webshop | Active | 5/7/2008 |
| Antaina Nanalolita | China | webshop | Active | 10/21/2006 |
Directly Managed Physical Shops
| Shop | Country | Address | Status | Socials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store 1 | Country 1 | Test Address 1 | Test Status 1 | Test Socials 1 |
Tips for Identifying Pieces
As always, we recommend searching Lolibrary first both by item number and by any relevant tags/features. If neither of these bring up the item, the following are some tips for researching the mystery item, though you are always welcome to ask for assistance in the Lolibrary Discord, or the EGL Research Center or What is that dress? Facebook groups as well.
An*Tai*Na shoes typically have an insole that reads An*Tai*Na. Other small details like the size of cutouts, the hardware used, the color of insoles, and the stamping on the bottom of the shoes can be used to differentiate An*Tai*Na replicas from genuine items from other brands.
Gallery
Footnotes
- ↑ "Trademark Registration". Antaina Taobao.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Middle-aged woman wearing "Lolita"". Southern People Weekly (南方人物周刊).
- ↑ "55岁Lo娘为2000位残疾人改鞋：你的人生，什么时候都不晚". ThePaper.
- ↑ "Antaina Nana".
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Antaina youyou".
- ↑ "antaina stiletto princess shoes ap small gold shoes large size shoes custom lolita shoes small size shoes custom 5006".
- ↑ "Let's address the issue with Antaina and Fluffy Tori". Fluffy Tori Facebook.
- ↑ "Let's address the issue with Antaina and Fluffy Tori - Part 2".
External links
- Color Chart – Chart for custom colors / materials
