Business-savvy Fresh Talents Capture Buyer Attention in Shanghai
SHANGHAI — Local and international retailers expressed excitement over Shanghai Fashion Week, where they discovered local designers that presented standout shows reflecting local culture.
During the pandemic local brands balanced art and commerce with wearable products that were somewhat lacking in conceptual appeal, which LMDS’ Eric Young called a form of “involution,” an anthropological phenomenon that creates homogeny in the market.
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But with China’s reopening, creativity is back in full swing, with designers such as Oude Waag, Susan Fang, Ao Yes and Mark Gong staging surprisingly creative shows that buyers said were on par with global standards.
”Ao Yes’ performance-based presentation was outstanding, the atmosphere was contagious,” said Veronica Yakubov of En Culture, a fashion boutique based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
With international buyers returning to Shanghai after a three-year hiatus, the 10-day-long fashion week was bustling with fresh energy.
Buyers were excited to discover local talent such as Raxxy, Ao Yes and Shuting Qiu that creatively incorporated technology into its design.
“Down jackets designed by Raxxy also caught my eye, incorporating woven inspiration, coupled with excellent quality at an affordable price point,” said Raphael Deray, men’s luxury and designers buyer at Printemps.
“Raxxy’s design itself and the fabric patent they own are both great breakthroughs, which is also rare in China,” added Shiyun Chen, buyer for the Yours Fashion and Lifestyle Shop in Singapore.
Machine-A founder and buying director Stavros Karelis said the retailer will increase budgets this season to “introduce many of these designers to our customers and audience in London and internationally.”
Still, while optimistic about the outlook, many local retailers chose to remain cautious, with Labelhood buying director Jillian Xin saying the retailer would “meticulously plan our budget to work with brands in a more meaningful way.”
Showroom operators also noticed that the market is warming up.
Meimei Ding, founder of DFO, a showroom that represents international brands like GCDS, Tibi, Christian Wijnants, System, Stine Goya and Fiorucci, noted that “the market is gradually recovering very well this season, and this is reflected in our visitor data. Our foot traffic and customer conversion rate are now back to where they were before the epidemic.”
Wuhan-based fashion showroom HCH’s founder Hu Chunhui added that “local buyers are paying more attention to the quality and sustainability of the brands now due to the backlog of products caused by last year’s epidemic, and the fact that it will take some time for the market to rebound.”
Here, retailers from China, Europe, Singapore and Israel talk about outstanding collections, their favorite fashion moments, and the overall impression of Shanghai Fashion Week.
Eric Young, buyer at LMDS
Favorite collection: It is pleasant to see Penultimate in Shanghai, it is a breath of fresh air. Designer Xiang Gao is not limited by the domestic market’s involution and expresses her ideas in a surprising way every season. She presented a humorous season. I walked out of her showroom with a big smile on my face. At Rui, you can feel that the world the designer is building has become more expansive while also expanding her commercial offerings. But at the same time, her identity is very much present. With female-related issues, a hot-button topic, designer brands like Rui, whose thinking is truly based on a female-centric way of thinking, will have more opportunities to develop in the market.
Best show format: An hour on a yacht sailing down the Huangpu River with Jacques Wei felt memorable and refreshing, which also felt like a form of anti-involution.
Must-have item(s): Samuel Guì Yang’s dress is elegant and recognizable; Penultimate’s Japan-inspired pieces are cute and humorous; Jacques Wei’s furry items are chic and bold; Yueqi Qi’s Y2K sweaters.
Impression of the week: You can obviously sense that the three-year pandemic is now behind us, its memories fading quickly. It’s good to see the international media and buyers back in town. At the same time, I hope more quality designer brands can come out of Shanghai Fashion Week. Commercialization is, of course, also crucial and indispensable, but the spirit of high-energy, original creations is also very important. This season, some designers spent a lot of money mounting a show with many looks that felt very Paris Fashion Week déjà vu — not OK.
Budgets up or down: Same as last season.
Stavros Karelis, buying director at Machine-A
Best collection: Shuting Qiu
Best show format: Oude Waag, Mark Gong, Susan Fang, Staffonly
Must-have item(s): Ian Hylton black silk-wool blend Chinese blazer; Chen Peng puffer jacket; Kod Kuće silver ring; Lama Hourani gold ring with diamond and ruby; VII Victor Wang cape coat; Bad Binch TongTong bomber jacket; Empty Behaviour mules; Yueqi Qi denim with black print jacket; Rui animal tube top; Ximon Lee leather hooded top; Caroline Hu pink shredded knit with roses top and skirt; Zimo jacket with buttons and Ruohan knit.
Impression of the week: Shanghai Fashion Week was so rich in local and international presence, full of unique discoveries and a great place to reconnect with designers and brands that I have been working with for many years. However, seeing them in their own city helps me to fully realize and understand in depth their world, their community and their source of creativity. It was one of the most interesting and enlightening fashion weeks that I have recently been to.
Budgets up or down: The budget is definitely up for brands we plan to buy for both our stores in London and Shanghai. We cannot wait to introduce many of these designers to our customers and audience in London and internationally as well as create beautiful synergies for our Shanghai store.
Will Zhang, founder of SND
Best collection: Louis Shengtao Chen’s whole collection seemed more complete than before, and the choice of fabrics is also richer. As a semifinalist in the LVMH Prize, Louis has quickly gained global recognition, which means his clothes will gain more visibility on the shop floor.
Best show format: At Oude Wagg, this season’s installations and “meat-shaped stone” theme really caught my eye. The show was divided into black, blue, green, burgundy and salmon pink, which left a considerable impression. Items like the corsets and dress pants were really memorable.
Must-have item(s): Oude Waag corseted bodysuit.
Impression of the week: The energy and vibrancy of the fashion week have bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. The number of people attending the shows and visiting the showrooms was definitely higher than last season. This gives me confidence that the industry will recover really fast.
Budgets up or down: Same as last season
Raphael Deray, buyer for men ready-to-wear, luxury and designers, retail and e-commerce at Printemps
Best collection: Ordúdíordú designs with great detail, especially its all-black suits. Down jackets designed by Raxxy also caught my eye, incorporating woven inspiration and excellent quality at an affordable price point. Chengguang Wang’s design initially seems traditional, but it incorporates innovative silhouette, interesting cutting and fun details.
Impression of the week: The international fashion market is set to recover after a few years of pandemic-related disruption. I see that many Chinese designer brands have already gone to Paris, London and Milan fashion weeks. Many British, French and American fashion boutiques are already actively working with these brands.
With Shanghai Fashion Week opening up to overseas buyers again and more and more Chinese brands beginning to understand how to embrace the overseas markets, I think the future is full of possibilities and I’m very much looking forward to subsequent collaborations.
Sherry Huang, founder of ENG
Best collection: Rui, Didu, Windowsen
Impression of the week: I felt a great confluence of the old and the new, the local and the global, just like the coming spring, where everything is sprouting all at once. I appreciate brands with a global vision, such as Didu, Windowsen and Rui. They are all portraying their own version of culture via their brand identity and the clothes they carry, unafraid to break through conventional wisdom, to innovate and to face challenges from different markets, which I think are the real charms of the brands.
Fashion does not need to be labeled by their nationality. Shanghai Fashion Week itself is an authoritative international stage, it welcomes all brands from all over the world, and it is a breeding ground for a growing number of emerging brands. With both the global market and the China market returning to normal life, there will be more communication between China and the world. The market will get more competitive, but usher in fresh blood faster.
Jiajue Yin, cofounder of XC273
Best collection: Tommy Zhong’s collection marked a transition from an independent designer to a serious commercial brand, combining his signature focus on print with wearable silhouettes. This season is his most balanced collection to date.
Best show format: Comme Moi — their shows consistently impress. Presented as see now, buy now, it breaks the rules of typical shows at SFW and provides what is needed for fans of Comme Moi; independent, elegant and energetic, much like the brand founder Lu Yan herself. This season, the collection was relatively pared back, focusing on the wearer’s inner confidence.
Must-have item(s): Soft Mountains pearl earrings. We have long appreciated Ziwei’s work, and this piece, in particular, was a great success because of Chinese actress Dong Jie’s livestream on Xiaohongshu on the final evening of the fashion week.
Impression of the week: We can feel that the overall market is returning to normal, masstige and high-end consumption should see more obvious growth in the second half of the year. We expect the high-end market to return to pre-pandemic levels more quickly.
Benny Zhu, founder of Element
Impression of the week: This season, both the number of participating brands and the number of visitors are significantly more than in the previous season, I discovered some new brands in showrooms, and we are seeing the vitality of Shanghai Fashion Week being restored.
I was very impressed by Xin Tokyo Showroom at Mode this season. I discovered the unisex brand Shinyakozuka, Bodysong and Saby. With the pandemic basically over, we are confident about the retail recovery — it will be a time that established brands can cultivate a new group of shoppers and explore new ways of shopping.
Jillian Xin, head buyer of Labelhood
Best collection: Raxxy
Impression of the week: 2022 has been a challenging year for many designers, but it’s great to see that most designers have shown incredible resilience. I also felt that many designers are relatively less willing to take risks this season, with the commercial aspect of their works becoming a little more apparent.
But in my opinion, it’s more important than ever for designers to stay original and stand out with innovative design. For example, Raxxy, a brand I saw at Mode, has built up a unique approach to its brand rather than sticking to the rules. We are cautiously optimistic about fall 2023, we want to be more focused and meticulously plan our budget to work with brands in a more meaningful way. It’s also worth mentioning that it was really great to meet the designers again and see their work in person. Despite technological advances, nothing can replace the in-person experience in Shanghai.
Veronica Yakubov and Dan Pollak, buyers for En Culture, Israel
Best Collection: Redemptive, Ao Yes, Judy Hua
Best show format: Ao Yes’ performance-based presentation was outstanding, the atmosphere was contagious. We heard from one of its designers, Austin, that this season’s inspiration came from Chinese girls active on the global stage, which left an impression.
Impression of the week: We have always been interested in Chinese designers. In our selection, we try to blend overseas influence with Middle Eastern cultures. Asian designers are always open to innovation via technological means or creative themes. We saw a lot of innovative fashion techniques being used in their work. Even if their patterns and silhouettes are traditional, they are combined with new technologies to show a different look.
To satisfy the curiosity of our core clientele, we are constantly trying to find new designs and designers. We see a lot of fresh and exciting brands and new collaboration opportunities at Mode. We are ready to present our core customer base in Israel with more new Chinese designer brands.
Shiyun Chen, buyer of Yours Fashion and Lifestyle Shop, Singapore
Favorite collections: I was impressed by Raxxy, whose design and color scheme are bold and unusual. The design itself and the fabric patent they own are both great breakthroughs, which is also rare in China.
Best show format: Mark Gong, who showed at Labelhood, put on an impressive show with intoxicating music and stellar stage design. Its presentation is as good as what you see in London, Milan and Paris.
Impression of the week: Chinese designers have revolutionized the expression and presentation of fashion, which has been an eye-opener for me. In particular, the development of VR and AR technology has also enhanced the sensory experience for buyers. Another thing is that Chinese consumers, their understanding and acceptance of fashion itself, from avant-garde, Y2K and subculture to diversity, have shown a lot of new potential. Chinese brands are still very strong, and I believe many local fashion brands will be showing their works on the world stage in the future.
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