“The Motto Is ‘Going Global’”—Shanghai F

Photographed by Yumeng Zheng

Following a soft return in March after Covid-19 lockdowns were lifted, Shanghai Fashion Week was back to pre-pandemic levels of activity this season. Over 100 brands presented their spring 2024 collections—most across SHFW’s four official venues—while 13 certified showrooms, the popular Not Showroom and Tube Showroom included, showcased countless other labels. There’s a lot to see in Shanghai—Mode Showroom, to offer just one example, represents 300 brands, most from across China—and for the first time since 2019 it was all out on display.

Just over two decades old, Shanghai Fashion Week is younger than its counterparts in New York and Europe. This has allowed its organizers to more nimbly adapt to the realities of a changing world. SHFW was the first to experiment with online showcases during the pandemic, and, through the fashion incubator Labelhood it’s reformatted its runway presentations to include two showings, one for editors and buyers and a second for the public, which folks can attend free of charge by registering on WeChat. Shows for the most popular brands Shushu/Tong tend to sell out in seconds. Labelhood has also set up a street market in the Bund, the city’s lively waterfront area that’s become a cool hangout spot with a wide variety of dining and shopping options. China remains the country with the largest consumer class, and what SHFW does, more so than its international counterparts, is engage with consumers directly.

SHFW’s designers are generally younger than their counterparts in New York and Europe too, which has made this a showcase revolving around the fashion’s next generation. This season’s lineup was anchored by a buzzy group of vibrant emerging talents—amongst them Mark Gong, Shushu/Tong, Shie Lyu, and Jacques Wei—and punctuated by tentpole events by larger brands, including Edison Chen’s CLOT and the Chinese Supermodel’s Lü Yan’s Comme Moi, both of which were celebrating anniversaries. Stella McCartney, meanwhile, brought her spring 2024 collection to Shanghai as the closing event of the calendar.

Markgong, spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Markgong

Shushu/Tong, spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Shushu/Tong

Jacques Wei, spring 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Jacques Wei

Unlike Fashion Weeks elsewhere, most of the shows in Shanghai are centralized in two neighborhoods—the buzzy and commercially upscale Xintiandi and the popular Bund. This comes down to convenience—the local authorities require a wide-range of permits to those looking to stage a show, and presenting at an official venue means less bureaucracy—but there are pay-offs for attendees: shows that actually start on time, imagine that! Additionally, SHFW has a showroom structure unlike that of any other Fashion Week. Designers are the ones hosting previews and re-sees at their showroom locations, which facilitates discoverability for those not staging showcases, but also for those who don’t attend them on the guest side.

But even as SHFW returns to pre-2020 levels of activity, its designers are moving with trepidation in what has become a timid, commercially-minded market, both locally and internationally. “This season’s fashion week is the most complete presentation after the lockdown,” said Ying Zhang, the founder of Not Showroom and the popular concept store XC273, “the market has not yet recovered, but Fashion Week is back.”

I spoke to four of the people that make Shanghai Fashion Week. Read through for their takeaways on this season and beyond.

Xiaolei Lv, secretary general of Shanghai Fashion Week

How do you make SHFW appealing to young Chinese designers who may want to take their shows on the road to Europe or New York?

We have good timing. The year 2021 was very safe in Shanghai, as opposed to Europe or the United States, which meant that a lot of international Chinese designers decided to come back to China and Shanghai Fashion Week because they were able to continue to do their work here versus anywhere else in the world.

What differentiates Shanghai Fashion Week from the rest of the world?

We are still in development, but I believe that because we are so young we are gifted with diversified options, we aren’t limited by anything, as we don’t need to follow a very specific structure or order like a European Fashion Week, where they’ve already set up everything. We have the freedom and the flexibility to adjust to changes in the world and the consumer. And, more than anything, we don’t need to follow anyone.

What is the future of Shanghai Fashion Week?

We would like to provide more structure for designers and brands. Shanghai Fashion Week is quite different because it is part of the government, unlike elsewhere where they are non-profit organizations. Sometimes there are challenges with that, and I’ve certainly experienced many hurdles with everyone from the police to the local government and the fire stations or even traffic controllers. But by now we’ve done a lot of work to communicate why SHFW is important, so we’ve received the support from every department. Now we continue to build and provide support. Young people need structure and know they have support to feel like they can grow.

Shanghai, 2024. Photographed by Yumeng Zheng

Bohan Qiu, founder of BOH Project, a communications & creative production agency that works with Louis Shengtao Chen, MARKGONG, CLOT, and Rui.

Did you notice a particular boost at Shanghai Fashion Week this season?

During the first years of the pandemic, Shanghai Fashion Week was actually even more vibrant. In 2020, the entire Chinese diaspora who lived or studied abroad returned, and our generation worked together in our home city. Everyone has grown significantly since then, with experiences working internationally for big brands, and we are now applying that knowledge to support Chinese designers. From show directors, art directors, casting directors, hair and makeup artists, PR professionals, and even runway photographers, there has been a generational shift, and everyone is working hard to align with international standards. It truly feels like we have all matured, trained, and done our best together, and now we are working alongside our global counterparts on an equal level.

What were some of the challenges of working with designers to release collections during the pandemic? And how have those challenges evolved now that SHFW is back in person?

At the beginning of the pandemic, we had to be very creative. We experimented with virtual fashion shows, digital launches, live streams, fashion films, and shooting overseas. We tried various methods to release collections. Now that we are back to the traditional runway model, we have improved on all the elements of putting together a collection release. We have become better at creating unique experiences.

What is your main takeaway from SHFW?

This year, I can feel that the motto is “going global.” After working together for three years, we are all eager to encounter new energy, find new chemistry, and form new synergies. We are witnessing a whole generation of Chinese creatives, including photographers, videographers, stylists, art directors, creative producers, and designers, working on global projects. The pandemic helped us form many new connections and work online, and now that it’s over, we can collaborate with the world in a refreshed way. Whether it’s in Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, LA, or New York, everything can be interconnected, and we have a much broader perspective on who we can collaborate with and what we can achieve. That, for me, is the most exciting thing happening right now.

Shanghai, spring 2024. Photographed by Yumeng Zheng

Shanghai, spring 2024. Photographed by Yumeng Zheng

Tasha Liu, founder, Labelhood.

What’s your role in Shanghai Fashion Week?

Labelhood is an official scheduled showcasing sector during SHFW. We have been part of SHFW for 8 years, emphasizing emerging design talents in China. We closely follow students from domestic and international fashion design schools. We unearth design talents and provide them with comprehensive services needed for their brands, and also connect with consumers through omni-channel brand concept stores, witnessing the beginnings and development for almost 95% of the young Chinese designers.

Did you notice a particular boost at Shanghai Fashion Week this season?

Especially after the pandemic, more and more young designers who have just graduated chose to return to China for development. They come back with boundless creativity, actively seeking support and platforms to participate in runway shows and other aspects of the domestic market. This phenomenon brings me a sense of gratification. On the other hand, some mature designers, like Xander Zhou, have returned to the Chinese market after many years. Overall, SHFW continues to maintain its vitality, especially with the continuous increase in international attention.

What have been some challenges on the retail side, and how have you dealt with them?

The current situation calls for stabilizing the recovery of offline traffic and retaining our customers with more exclusive experiences. For example, Labelhood collaborated with many designer brands this year to produce exclusive capsules series with brands new to established. We do unexpected thematic curations twice a month with different artists, designers, and big brands in and out of our retail space; for instance we

had a Chinese New Years pop-up shop with a family portrait booth in Harrods London in January 2023.

Shanghai, spring 2024. Photographed by Yumeng Zheng

Ying Zhang, founder of Not Showroom, XCommons, and XC273

What’s your role in Shanghai Fashion Week?

Not Showroom was one of the earliest locally created showrooms for Shanghai Fashion Week. We are the transformation hub for a brand to extend from the stage to the market.

XCommons is a brand management and consulting company, which reaches the market through showroom, completes sales tasks, helps the brand clarify its positioning, and plans strategies. Since 2017, we have provided creative presentation support and produced multiple releases of designer brands, such as Ximonlee and Windowsen. The original intention of XCommons is to enable creative forces to promote industry development. After 2020, we found the location on Lane 273, Jiaozhou Road, and imbued the concept of XCommons with a longer-term carrier, the XC273 store. We are no longer just creative planning and landing support for show releases, but are committed to building XC273 into a gathering place for growth.

What’s the appeal of SHFW to young Chinese designers versus Europe or New York?

I think showing overseas can help them increase their visibility and have the opportunity to gain the attention of professional media. Doing a show in China helps maintain the relationship with local buyers and consumers. Perhaps it is necessary to consider what different forms of presentation are needed for different industry atmospheres at domestic and abroad.

What have been some challenges on the retail side, and how have you dealt with them?

The return of SHFW is really a good signal, but the retail market is still related to the economic environment. I think everyone in every industry related to Fashion Week is working so hard for it. Every brand and every retailer in this market, from department stores to clothing stores in small cities, are actively working hard, which is why the domestic market is still relatively healthy despite the global economic recession.