SHANGHAI » Fashion was a foreign concept when Ben Walters arrived in Shanghai nine years ago.

Born and raised in New Jersey, he was working as a branch officer for a petrochemicals company in Shanghai when he discovered the utilitarian charm and simplicity of the “jiefang xie,” or Chinese laborer’s shoe. Walters began toying with them — upgrading the materials, construction and adding a high-quality insole to his liking — and hit on the idea that others might appreciate the revamped shoes as well.

Out of his hobby grew OSPOP, a company whose name is an acronym for One Small Point of Pride, reflecting Walters’ passion for his work. Next came a series of Migration bags inspired by a population that flowed into China’s major cities in search of prosperity.

When OSPOP became successful, Walters walked away from the petrochemicals industry, and this week marks the launch of the company’s inaugural clothing collection.

Like the Chinese worker-inspired shoes, the apparel offers a contemporary take on the typical blue worker shirts that bear companies’ names and phone numbers on the back. On OSPOP’s shirts, those identifiers and advertisements have been replaced by graphic designs and a mix of Chinese and Western characters, words and adages.

The new collection includes a collaboration shirt with Chinese film star Tian Yuan, whose tree design implores people to “think like a tree.”

In a video for the design, the actress explained that people should not only think of themselves as individuals, but as an interconnected part of the universe and behave respectfully.

Like the utilitarian shoes, the clothing line adheres to principles of clean lines, simplicity in dressing and enduring quality.

“Since the beginning we’ve always done well in Europe,” said Walters, who noted that within two years the brand was in 73 boutiques in Italy alone.

But he had yet to conquer China and set about raising brand awareness locally beginning in 2010, though he said it’s difficult to make an impact in Shanghai’s loud media environment.

“I went to visit a friend in her apartment, and in the elevator there were two competing digital media companies with ads, both with audio blaring in this confined space,” he said.

It’s also difficult to sell worker apparel, with all its connotations, in an aspirational market. While it might be viewed as trendy, cool or ironic in the West, Walters is well aware that “in a developing country, people don’t want to look like workers.”

Even so, there is a growing number of youths who never lived through the struggles of their parents’ generation, for whom OSPOP fuels nostalgia for a vanishing era.

A portion of proceeds from every OSPOP sale supports university students from the rural community surrounding its shoe factory.

OSPOP designs can be purchased online at www.ospop.com.