Shanghai Fashion Week Positions Itself as a Global Fashion Capital
Established in 2015, Shanghai Fashion Week merges runway presentations with business prospects, as highlighted by SWF Projects Director Landon Du. To secure main-venue slots, designers must possess two years of industry experience and undergo evaluation by professionals. Tasha Liu's Labelhood serves as a platform for up-and-coming designers and organizes public showcases. Editor Blake Abbie of A Magazine Curated By points out that local designers have a keen understanding of consumer preferences due to their community ties. Liu also underscores the benefits of China's production and e-commerce for emerging brands. Designers such as Kinyan Lam and Samuel Gui Yang draw on Chinese heritage, while Du notes the resurgence of international designers after the pandemic. Liu concludes, "It's about people."
Key facts
- Shanghai Fashion Week has been developing its ecosystem of presentations, showrooms, and business opportunities since 2015, per SWF Projects Director Landon Du
- Main-venue designers generally need at least two years of experience and are assessed by a committee of industry professionals, media, showroom owners, and buyers
- Labelhood, founded by Tasha Liu, provides a more open platform for emerging talent and hosts a separate public show
- Blake Abbie, editor-in-chief of A Magazine Curated By, says Shanghai designers create clothes based on what people want to wear, unlike Europe or New York
- Kinyan Lam works with traditional dyeing techniques from rural areas of southwestern China
- Samuel Gui Yang operates a brand between Shanghai and London
- Feng Chen Wang has collaborated with Under Armour, and Chinese outerwear designers have worked with Moncler
- Paris remains the principal destination for international buyers placing orders
Entities
Artists
- Samuel Gui Yang
- Blake Abbie
- Shuting Qiu
- Tasha Liu
- Landon Du
- Kinyan Lam
- Pronounce
- Oude Waag
- Feng Chen Wang
- Markgong
- Jacques Wei
- Ao Yes
- Xu Zhi
Institutions
- Shanghai Fashion Week
- Labelhood
- A Magazine Curated By
- SWF Projects
- Hermès
- Louis Vuitton
- Under Armour
- Moncler
- Chloé
- Vogue
Locations
- Shanghai
- China
- Paris
- France
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York
- United States
- Hong Kong