Lomography Partners: BLACKHAT VINTAGE – Zhongshan, China

Lomography has partners all over the world to help serve your analogue needs. Today we're speaking to Cheuk, founder of BLACKHAT VINTAGE in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, China. Cheuk tells us about the guiding philosophy behind the store and how Lomography perfectly fits a necessary niche in modern analogue photography.

My name is Cheuk. I am the founder and current manager of BLACKHAT VINTAGE, located in the eastern district of Zhongshan, Guangdong. We are a vintage product salvage brand, selling products which can be described as a vintage item or a popular subculture. We need to keep them, which is a way of preserving intangible cultural heritage.

If the merchandise does not bring unexpected surprises and fun to the customers, then what do they buy it for? This is a very important point.

In my opinion, Lomography's products can bring customers endless surprises and motivation to love life. The cameras themselves have the function of being creative, and at the same time, I like very much the culture of freedom, truthfulness, and closeness to life advocated by the Lomography brand.

Our working hours are quite enviable to outsiders, as we are only open for customers three days a week, from 1pm-6pm. In fact, our internal working hours are six days a week, six hours a day.

As for why it's so short? I think the team will be more productive and produce better quality work if they focus six hours in the afternoon to get the work done, as opposed to stretching it out. This gives everyone time to explore interesting things and experience life on their own.

My daily work is mainly Polaroid camera repair and film processing, as these two items are our "signature dishes". As a manager, I always have to be on the front line, that is to say, I have to keep up with the times and optimize the workflow, so that the team can complete the work more efficiently.

Upon entering you'll see a lot of Polaroid models on the walls, which is the main reason why many people come by to hit up the store.

I don't want to hard sell items to customers. Nor do I want customers to buy an item and then not like it, causing it to collect dust.

Here's something I want to mention: after customers purchase a camera in the store, we usually don't provide them with a bag unless they can't hold it in their hands. We hope that customers can walk home with their cameras in hand, which will bring more joy to their hearts. Just like buying a new favorite toy when you were a child.

BLACKHAT VINATGE's goal is to bring back the good technology product of the 20th century to the eyes of the general public. I am very interested in the Lomography Diana F+ camera. The special visual language and adaptability of these cameras are very suitable for artistic creation and the recording of life.

In 2022, we also began a music system rescue project, collecting music equipment from around the world, repairing and refurbishing it, mixing and matching it to create new beauty, placing it in suitable places, and integrating it into life.

We also deal in new and used photography books and artwork, vintage cameras (Polaroid is the most successful), and music systems (the next most successful project).

We also provide free brochures for customers to browse in our stores, which is not done elsewhere because it is considered a loss making business, but I don't think so. This can enhance the brand's positioning, gather a group of customers who love photography collections, help them communicate, and also grow ourselves.

Of course, we provide exhibition space. If your work has a story, we are more than happy to provide you with a display space. We have had two small exhibitions, the first of Polaroid work and the second of photography taken with the Holga Camera.

Instant photography can create a buzz in unfamiliar social situations. We think that taking a photo of a bystander at a party of strangers can instantly push the social barriers. People will gather to watch the process of photo development, and this is a good time to communicate with people. If you give someone a photo, they will remember you.

Lomography cameras are more capable of bringing creators back to the original state of photography. The public is influenced by media aesthetics and the shackles of photographic knowledge and theories that make photographs no longer free and relevant to life. Lomography products solve this big problem.

To keep up to date with everything from BLACKHAT VINTAGE follow them on their Red account.

Want to see your favorite store featured in our magazine? Please send us an email at wholesaleinquiries@lomography.com and we will check them out!

written by alexgray on 2025-03-30 #culture #places #partners #china #holga #diana-f #lomography-partners Share Article