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The second instalment of Shanghai Fashion Week since pandemic restrictions eased saw the event exceed its pre-lockdown scale, with over 100 brands showing 8-16 October, and the return of international guests. Alongside major players such as Icicle and Clot, and visiting designer Stella McCartney, the event featured strong collections from emerging labels.
However, the event underlined the challenges facing younger brands in China today. Building a business during an unstable economy isn’t easy. Analysts have flagged the risk that China may struggle to meet its economic growth target of about 5 per cent for 2023 without more government support. Severe stress in the property market and youth unemployment rates above 21 per cent are additional concerns. In September, major Chinese banks cut interest rates, which policymakers hope will boost consumption.
Jillian Xin, buying director at cult multi-brand retailer Labelhood, confirms that it’s impacting emerging brands. “It is a very tough economy at home and abroad and that’s a challenge for these designers, especially for Spring/Summer 2024. I’ve heard that from showrooms and brands alike,” she says.
Still, several emerging designers showed resilience this season. One of the most talked about shows was the debut of menswear brand Chén Sifān. Founded this year, the eponymous Shanghai-based brand’s SS24 collection, shown at the Rockbund venue in the Huangpu district, featured restrained and delicate menswear, which aims to “interpret a new masculinity”, the designer says. The collection was laden with surprising twists: bias cutting and sheer fabrics, exaggerated shoulders, disruptive jacket fastenings and a distinctive versatile wrap suit, all in natural fabrics such as cotton, linen and cotton corduroy.
The designer is optimistic, projecting that this first collection will yield $410,000 in gross revenue. “It’s the first season and I set a really good benchmark. Everyone can understand our vision and that’s the most important thing at this stage,” he says after the show.
Labelhood’s Xin highlights Chen Sifān’s inspiration, taken from traditional Chinese craftsmanship and techniques. “I’m definitely seeing this as a trend. I think brands want to stand out more in this economy whether that’s with special fabrications or artisan craftsmanship.” The brand errs on the more nuanced side of this trend with vintage buttonhole details, qipao-inspired hand stitching on the vents and mandarin style jackets.
In general, menswear is not an easy sector, says Xin. “From a sales perspective, typically, menswear brands branch into womenswear to survive. There are still not that many menswear retailers willing to take risks on young menswear designers here,” she adds.
Xi’an born Sifān Chen, who has just finished a master’s at Central Saint Martins, is stoic about the realities of being a new name in China’s menswear market. “The menswear market is way smaller than womenswear, so the environment will be more harsh to menswear designers — especially for really young brands. However, for brands who have loyal customers, the economic issues are not really a big problem.” Next season he plans to do SKUs that are “slightly more appropriate and clever” with details such as lining introduced to make sheer designs more wearable. “I know that not every menswear designer will want to buy this concept of vulnerable masculinity. And I will take this on board,” he says.
Tight budgets, careful buyers
From the brand new to the fledgling, Louis Shengtao Chen was founded in February 2021 and is one rising Chinese brand that cannot be overlooked, says Will Zhang, owner of luxury concept retailer SND. Zhang, who has stores in Guangzhou, Sanya, Shenzhen and Aranya. “It represents a new wave of Chinese designers but still manages to stand out from them by showcasing a distinctive brand DNA. Louis does not simply follow the trends in the industry.”
The buzzy show took place in Sihang Warehouse in the Jing’an District, and showstoppers included daring lace dresses and all-in-ones with swarovski crystal boning. A technical designer, Louis is passionate about fabrics and finishes, and is as comfortable in the factory as he is taking a final bow. Short dresses in stretchy silk with handmade roses brought edgy elegance, while boyish drop-shoulder blazers, sexy see-through separates and sporty nylon bras with customised silicone monograms on elastic kept it youthful.
In two short years, Louis Shengtao Chen has earned global visibility with an LVMH Prize nomination, and has made revenues of $1.1 million in 2023 to date, according to the brand. A former model, the Chongqing local speaks with unremitting confidence: “I am growing this into a bonafide brand and in 10 years, I will be a luxury brand. I think my challenge is stabilising my team. The core is having a team that’s parallel to your creativity — they are the fundamental of what you deliver to the market that is still recovering from the volatility of the pandemic,” he adds.
He describes a landscape in China that is “saturated” with emerging brands amid a “depressed” economic environment. The fallout is buyers becoming “more and more conservative” and “designs becoming polarised, extreme or super commercial”.
Donghui Wei, founder of Jacques Wei, is similarly candid about the current difficulties facing the industry. For one, his stockist list has been fluctuating more than usual. Still, sales figures for 2022 were $415,000, he says. Overall, there are positives for his brand: “With the cooler economy, people are more careful and selective,” he says. “They want quality and timeless clothes, and because I’m not trend driven this has worked in my favour. I've personally had positive feedback but overall the market is not great.”
Jacques Wei returned to the official Shanghai Fashion Week calendar this season after four shows off schedule. The designer treated fashion lovers to a hidden garden — a traditional venue called Sheng Garden now revamped with glass doors and ceiling, set on a pond with goldfish.
The collection was built around long, slender dresses inspired by the curved plants and the textures on the flowers in Chinese gardens. It features a collaboration with the artist Jiang Cheng, known for his oversized paintings. Silicon prints gave texture to dresses, bronze and metal detailing were visible on buckles and the well-merchandised collection was an accomplished step up from Wei’s global capsule for Mytheresa earlier in 2023.
Qui Bohan, founder of PR and brand consultancy Boh Project, believes that, in recent years, Shanghai has developed an “increasingly distinctive style, fusing a subtly nuanced Eastern elegance and delicacy with international influences”. For him, Jacques Wei precisely captures this. “It’s a city with mixed European and Chinese culture in all corners, and the way women dress has also seen evolutions and becoming a leading style indicator for the rest of the country. [Donghui Wei] is using his new-generational approach to address that in his own aesthetical language,” Bohan explains.
Next January, Wei is off to Paris. It’s a city he’s used to: he lived there for seven years and speaks the language fluently. His master plan? To build a tribe. “We have been focusing on B2B wholesale, but I feel quite experienced now and I want to expand into direct-to-consumer. The market is so competitive and it’s really important to have your fans and your own community.”
For the organisers of Shanghai Fashion Week, supporting emerging designers will remain a priority in future seasons. While it doesn’t have a structured programme akin to those in cities like London or Paris, the organising committee encourages sponsors to support emerging designers financially. Buyers from the likes of Printemps, H Lorenzo and Vietnam’s Global Link are invited to attend to view the new talents. “Shanghai Fashion Week is so pleased to have grown this season but one of our key priorities is emerging designers,” said Lyu Xiaolei, secretary general of the organising committee, as this season’s event drew to a close. “With all our events, initiatives and shows, we want to act as a springboard for their careers, not only domestically, but to amplify them globally, too.”
Correction: Louis Shengtao Chen's revenues are for 2023 to date, not 2022 as stated in a previous version of the article. (18/10/23)
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