China’s Uooyaa Teams With CSM Graduates on Shanghai and London-inspired Capsules
LONDON — The Shanghai-based fashion brand Uooyaa has teamed with BA fashion graduates from Central Saint Martins, part of the University of the Arts London, to deliver two capsule collections that translate Shanghai’s and London’s dynamic ’90s into the current zeitgeist.
Several graduates were invited to create design proposals under the theme “Magic and Realism: Shanghai and London” with looks that embody the retro and urban spirits of each city. Visual references of the decade were presented to the graduates together with previous Uooya collections and artworks by Peter Doig and Mira Dancy that inspired these collections.
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Alexandra Sipa and Jonathon Kidd were picked in the end to work on the project following rounds of evaluations.
Sipa, now based in Bucharest, was the recipient of the British Fashion Council and Swarovski Foundation scholarship with work experience at Balenciaga, Oscar de la Renta and Asai.
The brand said she was picked because of her focus on post-communist youth, which put her in a unique position to understand and appreciate Uooyaa’s core customer, China’s young generation who grew up during a rapid period of dramatic economic growth and sociological changes.
Kidd, meanwhile, is a Liverpool-born, London-based costume and fashion designer. The brand said his passion and flair for costume design meant that he was able to appreciate and interpret Uooyaa’s design language and translate it into bold ready-to-wear pieces.
The capsule designed by Sipa will go on sale in China on Wednesday, and become available worldwide a day later via the brand’s e-commerce site. The Uooyaa concept store on Wuzhong Road in Shanghai will have a special installation and display to celebrate the launch.
Kidd’s capsule will be revealed in the coming months.
Anna-Nicole Ziesche, joint pathway leader of BA fashion womenswear at Central Saint Martins, called the school’s partnership with Uooyaa “a perfect match.”
“Uooyaa’s aesthetic is young, playful and diverse. We especially appreciated their sincere and open-minded spirit nurturing a creative foundation and freedom for our graduates to explore their individual vision for Uooyaa. While I have worked with various companies in context with Central Saint Martins in the past, I really welcomed Uooyaa’s unique approach,” added Ziesche.
Alex Yin, founder and chief designer of Uooyaa, revealed the collaboration with the fashion school not only supports young talents but marks the brand’s first step in establishing an international design hub for Uooyaa outside of China.
The brand, which has revenues of 50 million pounds and 100 points of sale, has previously collaborated with Ottolinger and Christian Lacroix.
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