After nine fast and furious days of style, Shanghai Fashion Week (autumn-winter 2015) came to an end on Wednesday. Nearly 50 domestic and overseas brands participated this season, including local labels Ban Xiaoxue and Fake Natoo, newcomers Deepmoss and Black Spoon, and international names such as Diesel, Blumarine and Astrid Andersen.
The week attracted the attention of the media and buyers, and pushed a global agenda with international fashion figures such as fashion writer Colin McDowell and Business of Fashion founder Imran Amed participating in forums.
The Shanghai show has developed a lot since starting in 2003. Inevitably, it has been compared to China Fashion Week in Beijing (which is on a similar scale), but Shanghai considered the mainland's least "official" fashion week. It's more open-minded and endures less government interference.
This also means it has provided more commercial opportunities for organisations and companies, which in turn is helping to build its reputation. For example, this was the third season of its strategic partnership with Apax Group, a leading event marketing agency in Asia-Pacific. And from the venue construction to marketing service, the result has meant a more international, professional event than before.
"This is my second time doing Shanghai Fashion Week, I feel my team and I have grown up a lot from doing fashion shows here. For a newcomer like me, I appreciated the opportunity very much," says Dido Liu, designer of Deepmoss, who graduated from London's Central Saint Martins in 2012.