If You Think New York and Paris Are The Only Fashion Weeks That Matter, Shanghai Just Proved You Wrong

Whilst runway shows seem like a far-off distant memory, this month saw Shanghai Fashion Week back in full swing. The Fall-Winter 2021 fashion week was themed "Bloom the Spring" and saw 100 live runaway shows take place over eight days across Xintiandi show space and Labelhood's emerging designer platform.

While a select number of international designers such as Dior and Versace featured in the fashion week, local designers seemed to take centre stage. A recent Bain report indicates that "a decrease in global travel in the wake of the early Covid-19 lockdowns has prompted Chinese consumers to turn to national sources for their luxury purchases." With the tide shifting from international to domestic designers, all eyes were on some of China's best, emerging talents.

The Best Chinese Fashion Designers at Shanghai Fashion Week 2021

Angel Chen

Angel Chen, a former student of Central Saint Martins, launched her eponymous fashion label in 2014. The designer, known for her colourful fusion of east and west, has risen the ranks, being one of the first Chinese designers to collaborate with big fashion retailers such as Urban Outfitters and H&M.

Her Autumn/Winter 2021 collection entitled "Daughter of the Dragon" was inspired by the first Chinese American Hollywood actress Anna May Wong, according to the designer's Instagram.

Chen wanted to celebrate Wong's struggle to free herself from the stereotypes the world projected on her. The impressive collection saw a range of multipurpose garments and a mix of embroidered dragons, rainbow tie-dye, cloud-like puffer jackets and pops of neon green.

Shushu/Tong

Shushu/Tong is a Shanghai-based brand established in 2015 by designers Liushu Lei and Yutong Jiang. The London College of Fashion graduates describe their aesthetic as "bold and feminine." Throughout their collections, the duo combines unique silhouettes, time-honoured tailoring techniques, and unabashedly feminine details.

The designers had fashion week influencers abuzz with a giant, inflatable doll taking centre stage on the Shushu/Tong runway. The collection merged trademark elements such as bows, sequins and ruffles with somewhat futuristic designs and pops of bright yellow, pink and blue.

Private Policy

Private Policy is an inclusive New York-based brand founded by Haoran Li and Siying Qu. According to their website, the duo's "design process is modelled after newspaper outlets by focussing on one social-political topic each season."

The Private Policy FW2021 collection entitled "We Remember You" —Tales about the Ghosts of Gold Mountain, aimed to honour "the Chinese Transcontinental Railroad Workers in 1800s and all the overlooked Asian immigrant stories."

Incorporated into the collection are wide-brimmed fisherman-style hats and Qipao dresses with models strutting the catwalk in cowboy boots. Muted greys, whites and black dominated with subtle hints of light pink and mint are woven throughout the collection.

Louis Shengtao Chen

One designer making waves is Louis Shengtao Chen, who only launched his eponymous label in January of 2021. The Beijing born designer has already garnered attention within the fashion community, having been awarded the British Fashion Council BA Scholarship in 2019 and the LVMH Grand Prix Scholarship in 2020.

The young designer's AW21 collection was aptly entitled "The Debutante", given that this was Chen's runway debut at Shanghai Fashion Week. Chen runs the line between masculine and feminine, incorporating a unique mix of latex, leather and lace into his dramatic collection.

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