Shanghai Tang’s new creative director Raffaele Borriello merges Chinoiserie with Parisienne chic
Shanghai Tang has made Italy-born, Paris-based designer Raffaele Borriello its new creative director. Borriello has formerly worked with Tom Ford at Gucci as well as at Leonard, Balmain, Yves Saint Laurent and Sonia Rykiel. We caught up with the creative mastermind during his stay in Hong Kong.
How do you approach the brand in a different way?
I always keep in mind the DNA of the brand and translate it into a cool way that’s relevant to our everyday life. The DNA is strong. At Shanghai Tang, we have very iconic elements such as the ‘qipao’ silhouette. But there are a million ways to reinvent those elements in a modern way. It’s great also for me because of the rich archive, images and artisans that can inspire my works. I try to stay close to what this brand is, because I think it’s important to respect the history of 20 years, and at the same time, to push far out, each season a little bit more to show you know the newness.
Watch: Korean star Jin Goo in Hong Kong for Shanghai Tang sunglasses launch
What’s the biggest challenge for you as the new creative director?
The challenge is [to create] styles that are not clichéd or too evident. [I envision] a style to be cool yet sophisticated and elegant. I think what’s been really interesting for me is to actually come visit China, [going] to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. I’m very inspired by just seeing what people wear to work and go out at night.
How do you translate Chinese elements into the new Shanghai Tang look?