Matthieu Rochette-Schneider, a French designer. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Some of the perfumes and cosmetics you use regularly may have been designed by Matthieu Rochette-Schneider from Saint Etienne, France.

Now in his 10th year in Shanghai as Centdegrés China's general manager, Schneider has been advising and working with domestic and global companies on their branding strategies, brand creation, visual identities, and retail strategies.

He has tried to blend "created in China" with a French touch, allowing people of different backgrounds to understand Chinese culture from his creations and the interpretation of the products.

By mixing traditional Chinese medicinal elements with modern design, Schneider's team completely redesigned the brand identity and products of Chinese herbal skin care brand Herborist by using resilient bamboo to highlight Chinese features at first glance.

The limited edition China Red of Sephora China's makeup collection created by Centdegrés. [Photo/hangzhou.com.cn]

Similarly, the team created a limited edition of cosmetic brand Sephora Collection by embodying passion and liveliness of the color red, a color rooted in the Chinese cultural gene.

Schneider accepted a new challenge this year by establishing the first Chinese-French institute of design in China between l'Ecole de design Nantes Atlantique and the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou.

Hangzhou has greatly inspired the French designer as every time he visits the fast-growing city, he discovers new heritage buildings and learns more about the local culture.

What impressed Schneider most was the iconic Qiantang River Bridge, which he sees as a parallel to his work – building an artistic bridge connecting China and France.