The fashion circus is back in Shanghai after the infamous two months of lockdown. The Chinese supermodel, Lyu Yan's brand COMME MOI opened the shows on September 22nd. The French name, "like me," reflects the brand's ideology, which wants to encourage the modern woman to face life with a dynamic attitude, and expresses her authenticity. The fashion house presented an elegant ready-to-wear collection with tailored cuts, great attention to detail, and high-quality fabrics. To accompany the parade, live music from a local jazz group. Lyu Yan was also one of the speakers at the special fashion week event, "Shine her light," on the theme of women's emancipation, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Elle China, Xiao Xue.
The most colorful collections
洲 升 Chau · Rising and Leaf Xia thought of adding a little color on and off the catwalk.
CHAU · RISING, China's leading fashion house in the cashmere sector, has launched the new themed collection "TOGETHER Past & Future." Using the warm cashmere material as a support, she depicted an ideal world on the catwalk, full of happiness, warmth, and color. To make the clothing on the catwalk "technological," the brand cooperates with Boli Technology, a company that designed and manufactured the 3d printing shoes of the collection.
A colossal firework of colors was also the show of the LEAF XIA, which debuted at New York Fashion Week in 2019. The designer, YiQi (Leaf) Xia, presented the Tyndall in the deep sea series. "Be the light that you see in the deep sea" is the collection's motto. The girls of LEAF XIA light up each other in a rainbow of colors, exploring the possibilities of life and its meaning.
The most original show
The title of the most creative show was instead won by Moodbox, which, on the penultimate day of fashion shows, staged a real 60s party, "Violet Royale." On the brand's tenth anniversary, Qin Xu, the creator and stylist decided to thank all the friends, collaborators, relatives, and acquaintances who have supported Moodbox in recent years by making them participate in the catwalk. Alongside the professional models, therefore, people of different ages, weights, colors, and heights paraded in a colorful (sometimes a bit confused) show full of joy and music. This was probably the swan song in China for Moodbox, the designer, and the brand; they will soon move to France. A greeting and thanks for what it was, but looking at the future, there were tables and chairs at the center of the catwalk, representing a Paris street with relaxed people who toast and chat freely.
The most eco-sustainable fashion shows
TUYUE 涂 月 with the collection of de-gendered wedding dresses, "Brave New World." "In love - said the TuYue team - people should give themselves enough space to grow together rather than lose their uniqueness and try to control each other. "To create this series, the design team took inspiration from the wedding dresses of ancient Chinese dynasties.
An eye to the environment and the lockdown came from the JudyHua brand, which presented "Rite of Spring." The collection was an ode to spring and joy with a look and a reflection on the Shanghai lockdown and the possibility that this has given to lend attention to the beauty of ordinary life; JudyHua used innovative recycled materials for the collection, integrated with selected fabrics from all over the world to "immortalize" spring.
The minimalistic designer
LYN FONG’s collection, following the motto "ONE FOR MORE," hopes that every item of clothing can release its full potential without being limited to a single style. Make room in the wardrobe and have practical dresses that can be used in various combinations. This year's "Incomplete" collection is a hymn to the human being and the love for life. Incomplete but refined, chic but missing, just like human beings, "incomplete but, in reality, complete."
The most inclusive show
Inclusiveness and environment were also present on the catwalks of the Shanghai Fashion Week. DAMOWANG presented a collection with a simple but colorful design inspired by environmental themes, bringing viewers back to their childhood and contact with nature. The designer used 3D printing for the details of his creations, adding lines and dynamic camouflage elements. Su Banyue, a Chinese plus-size model, also walked the catwalk. "I wanted to represent - explained the designer - the image of contemporary independent women and tell the different types of female beauty."
Androgyny time
Also noteworthy on the Xintiandi catwalks was the brand MAYALI, with the "TO THE LIGHTHOUSE" collection, inspired by the novel of the same name by Virginia Woolf. The designer mixed contemporary Chinese classicism with androgyny models.
Chinese young brands on fire.
Like every year, 2022 also split Shanghai fashion week into two parts. On one side were the established brands that walked the runway in Xintiandi, and on the other, the young Chinese designers who paraded on the Bund in the section of fashion week created by Labelhood, a cultural community/talent incubator. Pop-up stores on the street completed the setup of Labelhood. The incubator also launched its pioneering fashion and arts festival with the theme of "Eastern Youth." VII VICTOR X WANG, Yirantian, and Oude Waag were the brands to watch.
VII VICTOR X WANG and Yirantian were both awarded in June with the Yu Prize Creative Impact Award 2022, an award dedicated to fashion established in association with Shanghai Fashion Week and the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) of Paris Fashion Week. They decided to dedicate the new collections to the pandemic and women.
The Shanghai lockdown is the feature of the VII VICTOR X WANG House of Cards collection, representing people's psychological state in the post-lockdown era. Geometric cutouts are repeated throughout the collection. The cutouts featured add breath and a sense of freedom to the simple silhouettes. Showing that some skin has become the ounce of rebellion we can cling to. Metal details fasten light and flowing asymmetrical dresses. This contrast represents each person's conflicting emotions regarding recent memories.
Yirantian instead dedicates its collection, BACK TO THE TIME, to women of the 50s and 60s who woke up and regained control of themselves, discovering the power of sensuality.
Former Yu Prize Creative Impact Award finalist is Oude Waag, who presented the "Vortex" collection. At the same time, Peng Tai continued his exploration of Yin-Yang and Tai Chi by introducing the binary sequence composed of "01" for the first time within the collection.
