Chinese labels steal show at Shanghai Fashion Week

Fashion Week (http://www.shanghaifashionweek.com) drew to a close Tuesday after 40 shows, countless parties and a dazzling array of designs that showed off the country’s own emerging talents.

Here’s a look at the three local labels that set tongues wagging.

Insh (http://www.insh.com.cn): Local designer Helen Lee is the darling of the Shanghai fashionista set, and let loose her “Window” collection on the catwalks this year. Her label Insh, she says, combines the city’s “icons, people and ideas with bright colors, energetic shapes and cross-cultural themes to create an aesthetic that is true to Shanghai.”

Zuczug (http://www.zuczug.com): A label that first appeared on the scene in 2002 – and is driven by the vision of its acclaimed founder Wang Yiyang – Zuczug was all bright colors and vibrancy in Shanghai this year. The label has proved enormously popular among China’s rising middle class and while the world awaits, Wang has long proclaimed his designs are suited – specifically – for local tastes.

Zix Guan (http://www.zix-g.com): The Matrix was certainly an influence – but so was Angelina Jolie as the actress appeared in the likes of Mr and Mrs Smith and Salt. Guan said her show this year was again all about feminine empowerment and she provided a stunning opening to the Shanghai event – and reminder to the world at large that the Chinese fashion industry is now a force to be reckoned with.

MS