Shanghai Fashion Week (SHFW) wrapped up its 2024 fall/winter season on April 1. On April 1, Shanghai Fashion Week (SHFW) concluded its 2024 fall/winter season.
The motivation behind this version’s “Chain Sparks New Life” theme was the way that different forces collide in the fashion industry, sparking a domino effect that results in cutting-edge fashion trends and provocative clothing. The objective was to promote cooperation and creativity while developing stronger ties between designers and the business. Three platforms—the Kids Wear Fashion Presentation, the Labelhood Vanguard Fashion Presentation, and the Xintiandi Fashion Presentation—hosted about one hundred product releases in the span of eight days.
Le Fame’s Fall 2024 collection takes inspiration from retro Shanghai fashion. Photo: Shanghai Fashion Week Weibo
Le Fame’s 2024 Fall/Winter collection, called “Modern Shanghai Trilogy,” debuted during this year’s SHFW.
The brand’s exhibition, which was co-created with independent designer Zhou Zixin, focused on three representations of modern Shanghai women: “Shanghai glamour,” “Shanghai moonlight,” and “new Chinese style,” which reinterpreted the 1920s and 1930s as the height of Shanghai fashion.
Yang Chaoyue and Angelababy at the Le Fame show. Photo: Shanghai Fashion Week Weibo
The focal point of the ensemble also included the accessories made in collaboration with well-known jewellery brand Yvmin. The two brought nostalgic themes into current design by revitalising historical jewellery from the 1920s and 1930s.
Wang Manxiu, general manager of Le Fame and co-founder, says, “As a collective nostalgia emerges, audiences are raising their defences in the contemporary era dominated by fast-paced materialism.”
The brand’s visibility increased when celebrities and style icons Yang Ying (Angelababy), Yang Chaoyue, Hu Lianxin, Xu Jiaqi, Yanyikuan, and Du Ruoxi attended the show. 130 million people watched a video that went viral on Weibo with Yang Ying and Yang Chaoyue conversing while seated together at the concert.
This year, Studio Aubruino was among the many newcomers to the Chinese fashion capital. Aubrey Wang and Chih Chiu established the indie label in London eight years ago. The designers used their early recollections of creating fortifications at home using bed linens and sofa cushions as inspiration for their Fall/Winter 2024 collection.
“To create a narrative viewpoint, we combined our signature elements—patterns, checks, and metal pieces—into our design approach. This story conveys a strange and fascinating sense of reversal as it follows a girl from her childhood sanctuary—built through her secret fortress—to the adult world, according to co-founder Wang.
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The designers’ inspiration gradually returns to the introspective search for oneself and a heightened awareness of the real world around us after starting off with an examination of avant-garde fantasies. After his first presentation in October 2023 went viral, Parsons graduate Mark Gong made a reappearance on the Shanghai catwalk on March 26. This time, he constructed a street scene complete with bright lights, a fountain, and a sprinkling of snow.
KOL Butterfly Princess (@蝶녬主) comments, “The models’ poise and cosmetics effortlessly complemented the surroundings, showing the collection in a compelling manner.” The seamless fusion of model makeup, stage design, music, and other components is essential to a good runway presentation, even if the garments naturally take centre stage.
Gong, who took his cues from Samantha Jones for the previous season, positioned his collection inside a makeshift replica of the Vogue headquarters at the World Trade Centre. Australian designer Dion Lee made the decision to exhibit his Fall/Winter 2024 collection at SHFW on this occasion. To many people’s surprise, however, Hermès also subtly returned to the Chinese capital, this time displaying its Men’s Spring/Summer 2024 collection at the West Bund Museum in the city’s famous waterfront region.
It is interesting that a menswear collection rather than a womenswear one was chosen to be shown. This decision might allude to Hermès’ desire to capitalise on China’s expanding “he” economy. Shanghai Fashion Week coincided with China’s efforts to address economic issues including deflation, volatile real estate markets, and youth unemployment.
Hermès showcased its Summer 2024 menswear collection at SHFW. Photo: Hermès
Tran Thi Hoai Anh, buyer for Runway and founder and chairman of Vietnam’s Global Link Group, was present.
According to him, “a lot of Chinese firms find inspiration in their rich past, which spans thousands of years and encompasses culture, history, and craftsmanship. They differentiate themselves from other internationally known businesses with their own styles and concepts. We frequently favour companies that expertly combine remarkable craftsmanship and fascinating Chinese aspects with modern aesthetics and design.”
According to Tran, the designers at this season’s SFW embraced their millennial past and incorporated it into a collection of clothes for contemporary men and women. Chinese symbols were once prominently displayed on clothing as a way to show off national and cultural pride, but these days the story is quite subtle, giving designers more freedom to express their creativity.
