THE STORY OF aqpa

THE STORY OF AQPA

I grew up in a rural area, in a farming family, where my family lived closely with nature. In my early years, we didn't even have electricity, and we used oxen to help us plow the fields. We respected nature and lived in harmony with the Creator. I remember that every New Year, my grandparents would beat drums and carry the Earth God statue from the head of the village to the tail, and we young people, dressed in bright red, would follow the procession, setting off firecrackers and praying for good weather. Natural disasters, which led to a reduction in grain production, are still vivid in my memory. This suffering also became a gift, teaching me that everything we have comes from the Earth.

Nature presents itself in the highest form, and we can observe how every natural object and living being contributes to maintaining this beauty. In China, there is a traditional saying: "Rely on the mountains for food, rely on the water for sustenance." With this reverence, I founded aqpa in 2014, knowing that our Earth mother should be utilized, not exploited. In harmony with the land, I dreamed that my company could profit ethically and with dignity. Therefore, we have always insisted on using natural materials and digital printing technology. Especially with digital printing, there is no need to di

In 2015, my first child was born. After raising two children by hand, I discovered that babies as young as 3-4 months respond to colors. What they see and hear is stored in their souls, bringing endless color and imagination. At this moment, I had a dream: to design infant bodysuits filled with fairy-tale charm, creating a space for children to dream and imagine in a fairy-tale way. This became the inspiration for our product creation. Fairy tales are our beautiful, crazy part; they are the most beautiful form of life and represent human wisdom that will be useful for tomorrow. Even to this day, I believe we must continue the beauty of fairy tales, making young parents fall in love with it, believe in it, and maintain its creat

The following year, I returned to my father's home in Jiangxi for the Spring Festival. This is where I grew up. In the cold winter, I drank a bowl of warm soup. The Chinese New Year is filled with the sentiment of family, and that taste is the taste of home. My father said that the chickens at home lived in the nature of the great mountains, were free-range, and were fed with the rice we ate ourselves. No growth hormones were used. I thought that perhaps it was a more humane way of treating the chickens that made the soup so healing. I immersed myself in it. This experience deeply inspired my soul. True quality comes from respecting raw materials and adhering to craftsmanship. At that moment, I decided to upgrade the standard 40S cotton to the higher-quality 60S combed cotton. It was a very risky idea. I didn’t have the financial ability, and the only thing I could do was find strong partners with good cash flow. Luckily, I found one in Huizhou. I still feel grateful for those early adventurous times, and to this day, we still discuss how to find the right balance between profit and contribution. At that time, I had almost no business knowledge and knew nothing about competitors, but none of that mattered. What was important was my passion, which continued to grow. I felt that I had been preparing for this my whole life, helping me get through one crisis after another, further solidifying my belief.

In 2020, we encountered COVID-19, which changed the way we lived overnight. We became fearful of close contact, handshakes, and entering crowded places. We experienced lockdowns continuously, and the unknown spread of the virus often made us panic and feel anxious. However, this does not mean we must give up the freedom to be close to others, or the freedom to help each other as we did before. Looking back at history, the country has always been our support. I believe in my homeland; everything will pass, and time will bring change and rebirth. Similarly, our company also tried to face the pandemic, tightly holding the steering wheel and moving forward toward the only certainty we have left: since there are many uncertainties in the external world, we focus on studying baby skin and growth changes.

After half a year, we discovered that a newborn's skin is only about 1/3 the thickness of adult skin, with an incomplete protective mechanism, making it easily penetrated and damaged by external substances. Therefore, the printing and dyeing process becomes particularly important. Unqualified chemical dyes can easily penetrate the baby's skin's protective layer, causing allergies. As a result, we changed the traditional dyeing method and instead used water-based, baby-safe inks applied to double-layer fabric and air-dried to "lock" in the ink. These inks are gentler and more suitable for the pH 5.5 of baby skin. At the same time, product development has focused more on the baby’s micro-sensory experience, optimizing the “accessories, sewing process, fabric, and cutting patterns” from the four dimensions of “point, line, surface, and volume.” We used thinner, safer tree buttons instead of metal ones. The sewing thread uses high-elasticity thread, which effectively supports the baby’s large movements and avoids a sense of restriction. The newborn onesie we developed was granted a Chinese patent and is more suitable for a baby's O-shaped legs. In collaboration with Huaqiao University, we applied ion shield antibacterial technology, which remains effective even after 150 washes. Most importantly, it contains no chemicals, providing the baby with a cleaner and safer experience. As Einstein said: “Crisis is the greatest blessing for humanity and countries, because crisis brings progress. Creativity comes from anxiety, just as day comes from night. Crisis contains creativity, discovery, and great strategies.”

Now, COVID-19 is behind us, and we continue to practice the principle of micro-sensory experience. We clearly know that, for us, everything we do is simply to make babies more comfortable.

In 2020, we encountered COVID-19, which changed the way we lived overnight. We became fearful of close contact, handshakes, and entering crowded places. We experienced lockdowns continuously, and the unknown spread of the virus often made us panic and feel anxious. However, this does not mean we must give up the freedom to be close to others, or the freedom to help each other as we did before. Looking back at history, the country has always been our support. I believe in my homeland; everything will pass, and time will bring change and rebirth. Similarly, our company also tried to face the pandemic, tightly holding the steering wheel and moving forward toward the only certainty we have left: since there are many uncertainties in the external world, we focus on studying baby skin and growth changes.

After half a year, we discovered that a newborn's skin is only about 1/3 the thickness of adult skin, with an incomplete protective mechanism, making it easily penetrated and damaged by external substances. Therefore, the printing and dyeing process becomes particularly important. Unqualified chemical dyes can easily penetrate the baby's skin's protective layer, causing allergies. As a result, we changed the traditional dyeing method and instead used water-based, baby-safe inks applied to double-layer fabric and air-dried to "lock" in the ink. These inks are gentler and more suitable for the pH 5.5 of baby skin. At the same time, product development has focused more on the baby’s micro-sensory experience, optimizing the “accessories, sewing process, fabric, and cutting patterns” from the four dimensions of “point, line, surface, and volume.” We used thinner, safer tree buttons instead of metal ones. The sewing thread uses high-elasticity thread, which effectively supports the baby’s large movements and avoids a sense of restriction. The newborn onesie we developed was granted a Chinese patent and is more suitable for a baby's O-shaped legs. In collaboration with Huaqiao University, we applied ion shield antibacterial technology, which remains effective even after 150 washes. Most importantly, it contains no chemicals, providing the baby with a cleaner and safer experience. As Einstein said: “Crisis is the greatest blessing for humanity and countries, because crisis brings progress. Creativity comes from anxiety, just as day comes from night. Crisis contains creativity, discovery, and great strategies.”

Now, COVID-19 is behind us, and we continue to practice the principle of micro-sensory experience. We clearly know that, for us, everything we do is simply to make babies more comfortable.

premature babies

Later, during a live stream, a fan asked us if we had clothes for premature babies because their baby was too small, and the clothes available on the market didn’t fit well. This led us to connect with a special group—premature babies. We realized that these early angels need more than just comfortable clothing; they require special care and protection. This understanding sparked our Preterm Baby Care Program, marking a turning point in our brand. Our team conducted in-depth research and worked closely with medical professionals to design protective suits specifically for premature babies.

100% organic cotton

These products are made from 100% organic cotton and were designed with input from NICU nurses to ensure that each piece offers the most thoughtful care for preterm infants. Our efforts not only earned the trust of parents but also gained international recognition. The Gold Award at the New York Product Design Awards is a shining milestone in our brand's journey. This award acknowledges our contributions to premature baby care and affirms our brand’s mission. It gave us the opportunity to showcase our commitment to premature babies to the world and inspired more people to pay attention to premature infants and join the effort to care for them.

Influenced by my wife, I became fascinated with traditional Chinese craftsmanship and embroidery. The question that has always occupied my mind is how to connect the embroidery crafts passed down over hundreds of years with global cultures and identities, making them beloved by young people around the world while preserving the creative significance of handmade crafts. I used to worry about cultural differences, until I saw how deeply Li Ziran's works resonated with young people globally, which gave me renewed confidence. It’s a pursuit of history, culture, and harmony. In our view, these crafts possess an eternal charm. Today, I believe we must continue to invest in this. Embroidery craftsmanship and the highest expression of fairy tales have also found an ideal stage. This is why we want to combine the onesie with the outstanding craft of Suzhou embroidery, contributing to a bright future for this excellent tradition.

We hope that new businesses will always grant noble dignity to physical labor, both economically and morally. We will strive to provide the right conditions for young people to be more creative, showcasing the most charming creativity in baby onesies. This creativity will also be highly appreciated worldwide.

We look to the future with confidence, while looking back with the utmost respect. We see the wisdom passed down by our predecessors as a valuable guide to understanding today’s world, broadening our vision. At aqpa, our story is one of growth, learning, and love. Over the past decade, every step has been filled with deep affection for children and a commitment to quality. On the foundation of these past pillars, we strive to build each day with humility, kindness, and trust. We uphold the brand philosophy of "Caring for our children and others’ children," ensuring that every baby feels loved and cared for, whether they arrived in this world early or not. We believe that through our efforts, every child's path to growth will be filled with warmth and hope. We are certain that these values will light the way for all of us—noble, charming, and enduring.