I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 246 The King of Fashion and the Name of the Factory
British society during this period was clearly not as passionate and vibrant as Paris. In other words, schools, families, and churches at this time mostly instilled the idea of ​​respecting decency and order.

Many of Britain's seemingly progressive and cutting-edge initiatives are actually driven by pragmatism, and the overall social atmosphere remains strongly conservative.

For this reason, Mikhail has basically stopped associating with any noblewomen since he came to England.

Compared to the openness of upper-class relationships and public tolerance in France, Britain was undoubtedly much more restrained and conservative. Even if such relationships were to occur, they were usually conducted clandestinely, and it's hard to say whether they would be as openly public as in France. Women were generally also prohibited from excessive public appearances and self-display. The rich and prevalent salon culture of France was much less common in Britain.

Club culture is indeed a unique feature of England.

This is not bad news for Mikhail.

In this context, the British had a very low tolerance for outlandish clothing. Too flamboyant would be seen as dissolute or of the performing class, while too avant-garde would be considered French or radical.
If someone dresses too strangely, they might be suspected by ordinary people and the police in London that they are "not a good person," be ostracized by high society, and even be ridiculed by children on the street as a "fop" or "queer."

Mikhail had encountered many similar troubles when he was wandering the streets and hanging out in circles.

Fortunately, he is a poet and writer, so society is relatively more tolerant of him.

But Dennis, a true London gentleman, did not have such status. So when he read the latest issue of "A Study in Scarlet" and impulsively put on the custom-made clothes, he regretted it after only a few steps.

Admittedly, the so-called Sherlock Holmes coat looks restrained, composed, and comfortable, which is more in line with British aesthetics. Otherwise, Dennis would not have been able to resist ordering one.

The problem is that this is ultimately a relatively new style of clothing, and in Britain, who is qualified to lead fashion?

Typically, only royalty, aristocratic women, and fashion leaders in high society are the first to adopt new styles. If these people are the first to adopt a new style, newspapers and fashion magazines will report on it with great enthusiasm and feature it. However, if people in the lower classes try to imitate it or start a new trend, they will be ridiculed as "pretentious" or "not respectable".

Mikhail is actually facing this situation; Dennis has already seen articles in many fashion magazines criticizing the Russian's clothing.

In this situation, it's quite normal for the young gentleman Dennis to want to back out as soon as he leaves home.

Another point is, why does this outfit look so much worse on me than on Mr. Mikhail?! The advertisements clearly stated it would be the same, and even better!
Just as he was thinking about hurrying home to change his clothes, for some reason, the way he walked along, the many people who looked at him did not laugh or doubt, but instead looked at him with a strange expression.

To this, Mikhail could only say, "Kids, go ahead and wear it. I've already paid the taxes for all the scorn and ridicule you deserve."
Now that he has seen all sorts of big scenes, Mikhail is no longer the mentally strong person of an ordinary college student. He can now maintain a calm and composed demeanor in most situations.

Several days had passed since the latest issue of *A Study in Scarlet* was published when Dennis came out dressed. Many readers in London had already read and heard the latest story. So, as Dennis was savoring the looks he received, a group of somewhat ragged children suddenly ran towards him, asking with a mixture of admiration and longing:
"Sir, are you Mr. Sherlock Holmes? Could you tell us more about your legendary crime-solving stories? The ones serialized in the book are far too short!"

Dennis: "?"

You mean, I am that calm, witty, composed, incredibly observant, elegant, and restrained genius Sherlock Holmes who can leave two foolish detectives speechless with just a few words?
Although Dennis felt a little elated just imagining it, and really wanted to agree to it, in the end, he smiled and shook his head, then said ambiguously:

"You should just wait for the next issue of the magazine."

"what?"

Just as these children, who were no longer very young, continued to express their admiration for Sherlock Holmes, one of them suddenly spoke up: "I remember reading in the newspaper that Mr. Holmes asks people questions and then gives them a small reward afterward!"

Dennis: "?"

I can ask, and I can give.
Because he was in a really good mood, Dennis asked the children a few questions and then actually took out some money.

After doing this, Dennis's mood changed immediately. He stopped drooping his head and became more energetic. Soon, he continued shopping with great enthusiasm.

After walking for quite a while, Dennis was still somewhat reluctant to leave, but since he was going to the club next, he had to maintain his dignity in this situation. So, not long after, he changed his clothes and headed towards the club.

He had barely entered the club when he overheard this argument:
"Can the tracks on a carriage wheel really reveal so much? And that newly replaced horseshoe, it's incredible!"

"The gait needs to be more subtle! I've tried it, and unless someone deliberately takes big strides, the gait can really reflect a person's height to some extent."

"I find the cigar ash detail rather dubious."

"How could the London police be so stupid? They actually missed the murderer!"

"They actually deduced the murderer based on these details? What's the next step in apprehending him?"

Hearing this argument, Dennis naturally wanted to join in immediately. But just as he was about to go over, he saw the gentleman who was arguing most heatedly suddenly stop, then pull out a long-handled pipe from somewhere and start smoking with a mysterious expression.

Dennis: "?"

Why didn't I order one?!

Just as Dennis was slapping his thigh in frustration, at that very moment, on the other side of London, Mikhail was pondering what name to give his new factory. In Europe at that time, the logic for naming factories and shops was quite simple: the most common approach was to use one's surname as a prefix.

The reason for this is largely because people who can open factories and shops in this era usually already have a certain level of strength. In this case, using a family name is a reflection of prestige and credibility, indicating that I am a person with strength and credibility, and you should all hurry up and buy.

For artisans opening their own shops, it's even more so. By the time they reach the stage of being able to open their own shops independently, they already have a certain reputation in the industry. If they have nothing else, what else can they use besides their own name?

Based on this logic and for other reasons, well-known brands such as Patek Philippe, Vacheron Constantin, Chanel, and Louis Vuitton (LV) are actually all named after people.

It's worth mentioning that in 1846, Louis Vuitton, the founder of the LV bag, was only 25 years old. He came to Paris in 1837 to learn the craft of trunk making, and in 1852 he was appointed as Empress Eugénie's personal trunk maker, thus coming into contact with the royal family's needs for trunks. He didn't open his first personal shop in Paris until 1854.

To be honest, Louis probably never imagined that his brand would become so successful.

Meanwhile, Thierry Hermès, the 45-year-old founder of Hermès, is running a high-end equestrian workshop in Paris.

This guy's story is also very inspiring. He started from a small workshop when he was twenty years old, and it took him sixteen years to finally gain a foothold in Paris.

There's also Louis-François Cartier, the founder of Cartier. His father was a metalworker in Paris and his mother was a laundry worker. His story of rising to prominence is equally inspiring and legendary.

In addition, there was Frédéric Boucheron, the founder of Boucheron, who is only sixteen years old this year; Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain, the founder of Guerlain; and Charles Frederick Worth, who is hailed as the father of fashion.
This was the era in which Mikhail lived.

The reason for bringing this up is, of course, that Mikhail is considering whether or not to recruit some people to his service. After all, he has too many things to do, and he alone cannot support so many industries. He definitely needs to actively recruit more talent.

It's a bit of a regret, really. Places like Paris and London could have given Mikhail several years to plan things out, but time was tight and the task was heavy, so Mikhail ultimately didn't have time to meet more people or do more things.

Returning to the topic of naming, besides using personal names, other common methods include using place names or product names.
For Mikhail, using his name directly as the brand is probably the best choice, as it would maximize the use of his fame to promote the products produced.

Ultimately, Mikhail tentatively named his factory "Mikhail's Happy Manufacturing Factory" or "Mikhail's Toy Manufacturing Factory".

As for when to start advertising and sales, Mikhail still needs to prepare for a while longer.

Just as Mikhail was propping his head up with his hand and continuing to think, there was a knock on the door. When Mikhail opened the door, Sanders and Elliott stood in front of him.

After Mikhail invited the two of them in and had them sit down, Sanders, who looked radiant, began to speak calmly, “Mr. Mikhail, I’m here to explain the response and sales of the latest issue of the magazine.”

Subscription numbers have increased significantly compared to before, and recent sales have already surpassed the figures from my magazine's best period.

After sharing the good news, Sanders also expressed some concern about some of the negative impacts:
"There are still criticisms, mainly because the content of your novel seems to have affected the reputation of the London Metropolitan Police. They even issued a statement claiming that your novel is full of fantasy and that you have never dealt with any real cases."

Mikhail: “?”

Do I have to solve a case to prove this?
However, it must be said that the novel ultimately uses a detective from the London Metropolitan Police as a stepping stone for Sherlock Holmes, so Mikhail did not have any intention of fighting the London Metropolitan Police over such a statement. Moreover, some things are difficult to determine right and wrong based on verbal arguments and written evidence.

So let's leave some things to time; some things will eventually come to light.

In short, Mikhail didn't seem to care much about this so-called bad news. He just smiled and started talking to Sanders about other topics.

Seeing Mikhail's composure, Sanders felt relieved and began to answer some of Mikhail's other questions.

The publisher, Eliot, undoubtedly witnessed the interaction between the two. Although he was the one who introduced Mikhail to Sanders, and Eliot didn't own any literary magazines, he still looked at his friend Sanders with envy and jealousy when he thought about the profits that "A Study in Scarlet" could bring.

After Mikhail and Sanders finally finished their conversation, Elliott quickly said, "Mr. Mikhail, do you remember the poetry collection co-authored by those three gentlemen? If nothing unexpected happens, it will probably be advertised in some newspapers and then go on sale."

These three gentlemen don't seem to have much money to advertise, but if your idea of ​​writing a review for them hasn't changed, then your review will be more effective than ten advertisements.

"Of course it hasn't changed. Just tell me the exact time. My comment has already been written."

Upon thinking of this, Mikhail immediately nodded. However, compared to this poetry collection, which was destined not to sell well, Mikhail was more concerned about another question: "Have their novels been completed? Have they been sent to you?"

"They have such plans, and it is said that they are almost finished and should be sent over in a while."

Seeing Mikhail's reaction, Elliott hesitated for a moment before asking, "You seem to take this matter very seriously. Are they perhaps writing some groundbreaking work?"

When talking about his masterpiece, Eliot clearly used a slightly joking tone.

Mikhail simply shrugged and replied with a smile, "Who knows? Maybe that's true?"

Not long after this conversation, a collection of poems that seemed to have been ignored was about to be published.
(End of this chapter)