7 avant-garde Chinese fashion designers with a large millennial following
Brands such as Particle Fever and SHUSHU/TONG, and designers including Angel Chen and Ximon Lee, come up with urban clothing that strikes a chord with fashion forward millennials
This article was written by Tamsin Smith and originally published in Jing Daily
As China’s fashionistas seek unique urban clothing, Alibaba announced this week that Taobao will increase its support for emerging brands and local Chinese designers. With millennials no longer swept away by traditional luxury alone, China’s young and talented designers are riding the wave of a growing appetite for alternative, fresh brands. Alibaba Group is the owner of the South China Morning Post.
Here are seven local designers making their mark on the budding fashion scene.
1. Particle Fever
Founded by Zoe Liu, Lin Hai and Renata Wang, Particle Fever places itself at the intersection of technology, art and fashion. Offering high-end sportswear, Particle Fever is enjoying the success of China’s growing athleisure trend. Stocked at Lane Crawford and the label’s flagship Shanghai boutique, this week the brand will open the doors to its first Beijing store.
The brand’s garments blend wearable, breathable fabrics with bright colours and sharp minimal designs. Creative director and co-founder Hai said: “Fashion is never only about craft or technology, it’s about the whole image – only the whole image can build a lifestyle. I have seen a lot of products in wearable technology and intelligent garments that just can’t catch the luxury shopper’s attention. The way we use technology is more invisible, we use it to create better materials and draft better designs – you can feel it when you wear it.”
2. ANGEL CHEN