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This season, the Paris Fashion Week schedule gave a platform to an unprecedented number of young Chinese female designers. Each vastly different — from provocative to quiet luxury — they represent the range of brands coming out of China today. Now, they are battling to gain global recognition in the face of post-Covid challenges and the industry’s testing climate.
Zhong Zixin’s eponymous brand debuted with a polished presentation of ornate designs presented by Vogue China and Hong Kong-based conglomerate Chow Tai Fook at the Hôtel de Crillon. Returning for a second outing was Reverie by Caroline Hù, which held an intimate presentation of Hù’s dreamy signature smocked tulle in the 7th district. On the last day of the schedule, nestled between Miu Miu and Louis Vuitton, was the quiet minimalism of Shanghai-based Ruohan.
On the second floor of 16 Rue Alfred de Vigny, guests packed into the Art Nouveau building to see Rui Zhou’s intimate presentation under the name Ruibuilt. Didu was placed alongside big names like Stella McCartney and Ungaro on the schedule on 4 March, opting for a black-box runway show at La Maison des Métallos. In the LVMH Prize showroom, Ya Yi impressed the panel of judges with her Spanish-Chinese designs.
There have been flag bearers in the past: among them, Shiatzy Chen, Uma Wang and Masha Ma. However, China’s new generation of female founders is making an impact by tightening their ties with Paris — despite some lingering barriers. Chinese designers face a number of challenges breaking out abroad, experts say; even more so if they’re women. “It’s definitely harder for Chinese women to break through internationally,” says Laura Darmon, head of buying and business development at the Chinese retailer Eng Group.
As well as having to subvert social ideals at home, Darmon — who acts as Didu’s business manager — says that until a few years ago, they hadn’t received much attention in the press. She outlines that they also face logistical challenges and barriers globally such as “visa eligibility, time zones and distance, and paperwork and banking”. This generation of founders is “showing real bravery” by launching their own labels, she adds.
The shift is partly thanks to the support afforded by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), including invites to show on schedule, free showroom space and generous media coverage.
“It’s so supportive here and I feel that as part of the next generation of Chinese designers, they really embrace us — from the media to the government,” says Jiangsu-born designer Di Du, a few days before her brand Didu’s show.
Bravery in the face of challenges
Now on her sixth collection, Du moved to Paris in 2022 and has been learning French since. Didu is featured (free of charge) at Sphere, FHCM’s showroom for emerging designers held at the Palais de Tokyo. “I’ve had meetings with really good stores this season, all new ones, so they [Sphere] are doing a great job,” she says.
“Controversial” is one of three words the designer uses to describe her brand — the others are “poetic” and “elegant”. She believes her aesthetic is awakening the often-hidden inner side of Chinese women by “pushing [their] confidence”, which in turn, is part of what drives the designer and her staff of seven.
Highly conceptual, the brand currently has 13 stockists selling garments that retail from €100 to €2,000. “I’m very focused on the pricing. Even though the creative side is very important, I really pay attention to quality, making and fabric while keeping the price affordable. At the end of the day, it’s about products,” Du explains. Some 90 per cent of Didu’s business comes from wholesale and the rest from its direct-to-consumer (DTC) website. Annual sales sat at just under €1 million in 2023.
Former LVMH Prize winner Rui Zhou exploded onto the scene in 2019 with her distinctive body-conscious knits that rapidly secured stockists, and a devoted fanbase. Her barely-there aesthetic has been especially popular with international celebrities like Dua Lipa, Cardi B and Tyla.
Ruibuilt has 10 employees in China and DTC accounts for 20 per cent of the business; sales figures were withheld, but stockists include Ssense and Coltorti. Autumn/Winter 2024 features a sleek Adidas collaboration. Rui Zhou’s designs are known in China for their body positivity, and have been worn by plus-size models and influencers such as Cherry Huang.
The designer says being based in China is an advantage due to the “multiple sales channels” it offers. But there are challenges in the West: “After Covid, a lot of things have become more difficult. Now, it’s challenging to work with wholesalers, and boutiques are struggling, so balancing the creative and commercial is a question for every designer. But we are moving forward.”
Visa issues, though not unique to China, were brought up as a disadvantage by Du as well as Sara Maino, creative director of Fondazione Sozzani and one of this year’s expert judges for the LVMH Prize. “For many foreign brands to come to Europe, it’s not always easy. It takes time and it’s a lot of work,” Maino says.
To get around this, Shanghai-based Yayi Chen Zhou is working on moving her brand Ya Yi to Europe; potentially to her birth country of Spain. Nominated as a semi-finalist of the LVMH Prize 2024, Ya Yi blends Yayi Chen Zhou’s Spanish and Chinese heritage and is firmly rooted in the multicultural identity of women today through craft and fabrics. “For me as an immigrant woman, the biggest challenge first is merging the two cultures and languages naturally,” Yayi Chen Zhou explains. Last year was its first year trading and annual sales came to around $250,000. As it has only sold two collections, year-on-year sales doubled in 2023. Ya Yi has 12 stockists including one outside of China (Vietnam’s Global Link), and is currently not selling DTC.
Giving ‘Made in China’ a new meaning
Maino says she was impressed by the “culture clash” in Yayi’s collection. “What I’m seeing now from China is more craft, and not, say, streetwear, which we’ve seen a lot recently. What designers like her, Didu or Rui are doing differently, is incorporating their tradition, textiles and techniques,” she adds. Take Ya Yi’s mud-dyed silk from the Guangdong area or lacework inspired by Chinese ink paintings, or blossoms on jacquards or knits as an illustration. The label’s sumptuous fabrications and elegant designs feature extensive brading and crocheting with elaborate fringing as well as accessories like evening bags and flowers made by immigrants — giving credit to the names behind the production.
Yayi Chen Zhou acknowledges that working with craftspeople from all over the world — Italy, Japan, New York and China — at the same time as manufacturing at the highest level in China, is demanding. “Being able to justify ‘Made in China’ [products] being sold at an expensive price is another challenge I face,” she adds. “I want to prove that very well made things can come from China.”
For every challenge there is an upside. Du outlines the advantageous access to well-developed supply chains, production and experiences that non-Chinese contemporaries lack. Plus, the new generation of consumers is “very different, open and trying new things”, she says. They no longer have misconceptions about low-quality products. This, in effect, puts her cohort on a level playing field with their counterparts.
According to Julie Gilhart, chief development officer of Tomorrow London, it’s especially challenging for all global emerging talent to have breakthrough moments. She warns that too many points of sale can place pressure on a designer’s overall execution and impact sell-throughs. “Fashion buyers are more cautious these days with the number of new brands they can accommodate. I think it’s time for all emerging brands, not just Chinese, to sell to fewer accounts and grow strong that way,” she advises.
Until recently, the industry was built on small to medium-sized brands. Now, brands are having to work harder to reap the same rewards. The good news is that small can be beautiful, and if done the correct way, profitable too.
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