The colour-blocked shirt dresses, parkas and tracksuits were aimed at the lucrative Chinese youth market and were sold online as the show streamed live to audiences all over China.

Less catwalk and more nightclub performance, Angel Chen had street dancers in oversized baggy streetwear looks and an orgy of colours, feathers and celestial motifs.

The part athleisure, slouchy, puffa jacket look is still strong in both menswear and womenswear, as evidenced in fun and often fabulous iterations at Chen, 8ON8, Private Policy and Angus Chiang.

Judging by street style at Shanghai Fashion Week, the oversized, slouchy, street style aesthetic still has a hold on China’s youth, but is being repeated so often by designers, we feel it’s only a matter of time before the trend gets tired.

Thankfully, there are designers such as Daniel Xuzhi Chen of Xu Zhi and Wanbing Huang (of her eponymous label) who are giving us some grown-up sophistication in shape, fabrics and silhouette. Xu Zhi’s art gallery presentation showed off sublime woven fabrics and painted latex dresses inspired by Pre-Raphaelite muse Jane Morris.

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Dark and romantic, Huang’s see-now, buy-now collection featuring shimmering, inky purple tones and precise, sculptural frills proved to be a stand-out.

Ffixxed Studios’ draping and utility/outerwear checks showed their knack for youthful, unisex “slow fashion” styles. Also making an impression was ShuShu/Tong, whose subversive, prim femininity offered a twist on vintage uniforms.

Dior brings haute couture

It wasn’t part of the official schedule but the timing was perfect. Maria Grazia Chiuri delighted Chinese fans with a Christian Dior Haute Couture show and Masquerade Ball in Minsheng Wharf in Shanghai’s Pudong district. Shanghai’s VIPs and influencers, including Yuyu Zhang, Natasha Lau, Leaf Greener and Anny Fan all arrived decked out in Dior, as 78 looks paraded down the catwalk.

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Chiuri designed 12 new looks especially for the Shanghai show: show-stopping red suits and gowns and pretty pink dresses. This collection is best viewed close up to properly take in the super fine details, micro drapes and pleating.

Lush feathers complemented the strict classic Dior lines and corset piping – all lending some European powerhouse glamour to a week usually focused on rising Chinese talents.

Sustainability is this season’s buzzword

The fashion industry is still the world’s second biggest polluter. And in China, a world hub for both manufacturing and consumption, there’s no escape from the industry’s eco damage. Only time will tell if China’s fashion crowd are just paying lip service or creating change on a mass scale.

“Everything comes from nature … we must protect the earth,” says Jimmy Choo when explaining his couture collection’s ‘earthy’ theme.

Events like Greenevery[day] included workshops to promote sustainable fashion.

Woolmark ran a forum on the topic, inviting speakers including designer Zhang Na (of ReClothing Bank), Modern Media’s Shaway Yeh (who consults on sustainability) and Hong Kong stylist Denise Ho. Kering’s Asia VP of communications Charlotte Judet joined another panel of five to speak on sustainable fashion.

“Creating sustainable and ethical fashion is a goal we must work on together,” says Judet. “China has the capacity to implement large-scale innovation in sustainability at a pace not seen in another country. And as a matter of fact, several Chinese brands and manufacturers are leading the way.”

On the official Shanghai fashion week catwalks, it was Chinese sustainable upcycling brand ReClothing Bank’s show that proved to be one of the most poignant moments with real people as models as their life stories were projected onto a screen behind.

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“These latest few years have seen the rise of more effective green NGOs; and also for the consumer and media, there’s definitely more interest in how the fashion we buy effects our immediate environment,” says Zhang. “With regards to sustainability, China has gone through so much change since I started my brand, and there’s more change to come.”