Lane Crawford Signs Strategic Partnership With Labelhood
LONDON — Labelhood, a Shanghai-based emerging designer support platform, community and fashion retailer, has entered into a strategic partnership deal with Lane Crawford for the Greater China region.
Labelhood will open pop-up corners in Lane Crawford’s stores in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu, with the focus on Chinese emerging talents from the fall 2019 season.
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The partnership also includes a three-season scholarship supporting the most promising Chinese designers. The retailer will support the winner’s showcase in Labelhood during Shanghai Fashion Week with a cash prize of 100,000 renminbi, or $14,867 each season.
The first recipient of the inaugural scholarship is the New York-based Chinese designer Caroline Hu. Educated at Central Saint Martins and Parsons School of Design, Hu was nominated as a semi-finalist in the 2019 edition on LVMH Prize last month.
“I am truly grateful for the support from Labelhood and Lane Crawford,” said Hu. “The scholarship is a very big encouragement for independent designers like me, and it will play a positive role in promoting the growth of independent designers in China.”
Tasha Liu, founder of Labelhood, said “The upcoming collaboration with Lane Crawford reaffirms our positioning on continuous Chinese designer incubation. I believe the partnership will amplify the message.”
Joanna Gunn, Lane Crawford chief brand officer, said, “Lane Crawford has been committed to supporting and nurturing Chinese designers. This exclusive retail collaboration with Labelhood will bring a series of refreshing initiatives. It is hoped that through the collaboration between Lane Crawford and Labelhood, we could not only provide a broader development platform to Chinese designers, but also let more consumers understand and love the original designs of Chinese new generation.”
Founded in 2016 by Liu, the platform hosts many Western-trained emerging talents and some home-schooled fashion designers, such as Angel Chen, Shushu/Tong, Ffixxed Studio, Ming Ma and Pronounce.
It has become the main attraction for international buyers and press for Shanghai Fashion Week, the upcoming 7th edition of which will run from March 28-31, with 19 designers showcasing in the Tank Shanghai art space, an oil storage conversion on West Bund, Shanghai.
Labelhood’s retail business used to be known as Dongliang Shanghai. Liu changed the name to Labelhood in 2018. It has two stores in Shanghai.
Labelhood has previously worked with Joyce Boutique, a sister company to Lane Crawford, on pop-up space in early 2018. Founded in 1970 by Joyce Ma, Joyce is known for its avant grade brand selection and was acquired by Lane Crawford in 2014. While Lane Crawford started “Creative Call Out” project in 2015 to support young talents, as a commitment to nurture the best new talent in fashion and lifestyle.
Labelhood is also pairing Converse with Private Policy, The Flocks and Shushu/Tong for a T-Shirt drop. Diesel will showcase its collaboration with designer Xander Zhou, who will be using his pinyin, or Western alphabetic, name “Zhouxiangyu” for this project, and with artist Tianzhuo Chen in Labelhood Market.
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