Meet 5 Rising Fashion Stars Putting Chinese Design on the Map Inline
Photo: Courtesy of Babyghost1/5For Standout Street Style
The Label: Babyghost
Designed by: Josh Hupper and
Qiaoran HuangThe Look: Think Banksy meets Hanne Gaby Odiele
From their studio on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Hupper and Huang have quietly grown a cult following since 2010 with their cheeky streetwear—a logo sweatshirt with Disney script and True Detective–style jerseys, as seen about town on the pair’s model-muse, Xiao Wen Ju. Though technically half-Chinese (see: Hupper), the team’s graphic aesthetic is bigger in China than the States—for now.
What to expect for fall: A (literal) model offering, styled by Ju and modeled by Tilda Lindstam. Classic grunge cool inspired by eerie interiors, from an eighteenth-century Georgian townhouse to the Overlook Hotel. It’s called the Welcome Home Collection, naturally.
Crowd-pleasers: A camo taffeta bomber with exposed quilted lining over a floor-length, tartan silk-chiffon dress and sneakers (above). A slouchy, black, faux astrakhan coat with skintight, over-the-knee boots à la Dior fall 2015. An embroidered Kool-Aid Man sweater with speech bubble: “Oh, Yeaahh!”
Photo: Courtesy of Masha Ma2/5For the Eclectic
The Label: Masha Ma
Designed by: Masha Ma
The Look: Think the collected works of Tilda Swinton
Ma launched her eponymous label in 2008, after studying with Louise Wilson and Alexander McQueen at Central Saint Martins, and her quirky, sci-fi style—embroidered surgical face masks on the runway—has fans in Naomi Campbell and Lady Gaga. It’s not all macabre, though: Bra tops worn over jackets with tubesock shoes recalled one **Miuccia Prada’**s spring 2014 hit.
What to expect for fall: The Suzhou Museum of ancient Chinese art, reinterpreted in geometric lines and spackled flares at the Palais de Tokyo. A futuristic twist came from six Fifth Element–style bands on the arms of some models, and rectangular brows.
Crowd-pleasers: Two simple turtleneck dresses with black angular lines and color-block boots. A velvet and knit patchwork top with feathered wrap skirt and leather legging boots. A sleeveless, black leather wrap dress with buttons and a biker vibe.
Photo: Courtesy Fake Natoo3/5For Turning Heads
The Label: Fake Natoo
Designed by: Zhang Na
The Look: Think FKA twigs meets Twiggy
Thanks to seven years of fine arts training in Shaanxi, plus a brief stint in Paris, Na’s expertly tailored pieces somehow manage to be conceptual and wearable—a mustard-yellow, grid-check cashmere coat with thigh-high slits, for one. Expect plenty of dyed jacquards and embroidered Chinese silks, along with more experimental fabrics: For a show on nomadic culture, a gray yak-wool felt coat (above) held tight over the head like a matryoshka, to the sound of Mongolian folk chants.
What to expect for fall: A clean, somewhat Scandinavian collection with unexpected details: a dip-dye coat, a hybrid jacket-dress. Stars one colorful blanket—and matching poncho—in a Marimekko-style print, pulled over the head and shoulders like Céline’s own blanket-cape for fall.
Crowd-pleasers: A voluminous emerald green dress, textured and layered—with deep pockets—like a Rei Kawakubo creation. One ballet pink dress, paired with sky blue leggings and pointed flats. Two lurid green fur chubbies that closed the show.
Photo: Studio TM4/5For a Unisex Wardrobe
The Label: ffiXXed
Designed by: Fiona Lau and Kain Picken
The Look: Think Freja Beha Erichsen in a Muji catalog
What started as a collaborative art project in Berlin and became a unisex label in 2010 is now a lifestyle brand that projects ease, with a loyal following in Japan and “an underlying unisex approach [with] a lot of overlap between the men’s and women’s collections.” From their Shenzen studio near Wutong Mountain, Lau and Picken stick to a neutral palette (taupe, navy, gray) and innovate in comfortable shapes: A chambray apron top that flaps as you walk, a white T-shirt dress wrapped in a Pendleton-style blanket (above).
What to expect for fall: Layers on layers for men and women: Gray wrap skirts over loose trousers, polka-dot tunics over leggings, and tweed-paneled topcoats over blazers over sweaters over collared shirts. All in soft, natural fabrics, produced locally in Shenzen.
Crowd-pleasers: Two gray tasseled scarves (one houndstooth), layered on top of a cream and camel coat. A black dress unzipped at the knee, exposing a swatch of purple. Slides with white socks on men and women.
Photo: Zephyrance Lou5/5For the Romantic
The label: Deepmoss
Designed by: Dido Liu
The Look: Think Lana Del Rey does Terrence Malick
The Central Saint Martins grad designs for the “Youthful Old Soul"—the theme of her first collections—and is known for her elongated proportions and soft, natural draping. “I think that the body, especially those of women, should be soft, and that qualities of strength and power should be on the inside,” she tells Williams. Case in point: A model swathed in white mosquito netting, a botanical print draped loosely over her shoulders, like a drowned Ophelia for spring.
What to expect for fall: Walking upholstery in the best way—red velvet culottes—with a muted, Dickensian color palette. Models wore jaunty hats in a handful of styles: Oliver Twist, Indiana Jones, nineties John Galliano.
Crowd-pleasers: A calf-length duster coat with dark florals. A floor-length tank dress, printed to look like gold needles. A peculiar khaki coat with a Peter Pan collar, folded down and back up into a parka.
