‘There’s a hunger to express yourself’: A dispatch from China’s most fashionable city

EDITOR’S NOTE: A version of this feature ran in the Big Style newsletter — a weekly portal into a world where clothing meets culture. Sign up here .

One of China’s most exciting art curators, X Zhu-Nowell, is giving me a very Shanghai morning. We share a breakfast of traditional staples –– scallion pancakes, salty bean curd and soup dumplings –– in an Art Deco museum building as she recalls the work of the Chinese American writer Eileen Chang, who was born in 1920s Shanghai.

“They’re the first thing that comes to mind,” Zhu-Nowell said of Chang’s vivid descriptions of the cheongsam, or qipao , which often serve as sociological lenses through which we understand her characters –– from how the textiles match, to the fit and even how humidity comes into play.

Historically, Shanghai (which birthed the modern qipao) has always been very open to different styles, they added. “People have always been inspired by so much of the landscape and the cityscape, and also the international influence that comes into the city.”

I’m in the “Paris of the East” for the tail-end of Shanghai Fashion Week to see what some of China’s most exciting designers are working on today. But I also want to interrogate Shanghai’s style identity, beyond the runways, through the people who live here .

“It’s probably China’s most dressed-up city,” said the curator. “The kids are really adventurous with their style, and it’s always personal. Guangzhou people like to wear flip flops. Beijing is very chill.”

Zhu-Nowell is executive director and chief curator of Shanghai’s Rockbund Art Museum, which occupies a 1930s building renovated by British architect David Chipperfield in 2010. The five-story brick structure anchors the historic Rockbund neighborhood, a charming area near the iconic Bund riverfront with an impressively high concentration of Art Deco buildings. Blue-chip art galleries, indie boutiques and lifestyle brands –– like Beast, a Chinese perfume maker whose store heaves with floral displays and dispenses perfumes from playful wood-carved animals, and Songmont, which creates architectural, Chinese heritage-inspired bags.

A collision of art and architecture, the area has also become a photogenic backdrop for fashion lovers. By around 9 a.m., I’d seen over a dozen photo shoots taking place – a bride-to-be in a strapless wedding dress and knee-high boots; a 20-something aspiring model in a white winter puffer posing for a Taobao store ad; a woman embracing Old Shanghai-style glamour with finger-wave curls and a green floral qipao; and a gaggle of well-turned-out grannies striking poses.

“The children have grown up, and now we’re enjoying our lives into old age, but our hearts are young,” said one of them, 69-year-old Didi. She humbly described her style as “sui yi,” or very “whatever,” though it seemed anything but. “Shanghai is more forward when it comes to fashion, it’s true. I like to look cleaner… more put together.”

Waiting to get into Mark Gong’s Shanghai Fashion Week show, I stood beside Abigail Man, a 30-year-old influencer styled in a sheer, lacy, high-necked top and leopard-print jeans (both by the designer’s eponymous brand). I’d seen her earlier that day at Samuel Guì Yang’s show, where she stood out from the crowd thanks to both her striking bob, reminiscent of Japanese anime character Paprika, and her unexpected pairing of a loose-fitting poppy-motif tunic with the label’s Adidas collaboration track pants.

Man told me she moved to Shanghai after years in New York and Dalian, her hometown in northeastern China. She liked it here because the people are “willing to look bolder, compared to other places.”

Shanghai, and China as a whole, has become turbo-charged and hyper modern with high tech infrastructure and AI. The city itself felt largely quiet with the hum of so many electric vehicles. No one uses cash, everything is on an app, everything can be bought at lighting speed.

That speed contributes to a palpable sense of possibility. Landon Du, the project director of Shanghai Fashion Week’s organizing committee, talked about how compared to style capitals like Milan and Paris, and their heritage brands, in China: “Fashion is young. Brands are young. Designers are young. The audience is young.”

Samuel Guì Yang, who showed off-schedule at another 1930s venue, epitomizes what many young people in today’s China desire: reinterpreting and bringing traditional Chinese aesthetics into design. For that, the work by him and co-founder Erit Litzén, who met at London’s Central Saint Martins, is often categorized as “new Chinese style.” They don’t necessarily identify with the label that is often thrust upon them –– as they’ve long merged Eastern and Western visual codes –– but the pair recognize they’re part of a wider movement built around China’s growing cultural confidence.

“There’s an energy, a hunger, and a will to express yourself here,” said Litzén. “Not just in Shanghai, but in China. There’s a huge surge of people who want to explore fashion and culture in a broader sense. It’s really fertile ground for young businesses.”

Based in both London and Shanghai, Samuel Guì Yang has opened its first physical store last weekend. The label chose a spot on Julu Road, a popular tree-lined street in Shanghai’s former French quarter packed with little boutiques and independent Chinese designers.

Outside one of its cafes I find 30-year-old Ma Xue Li, who is visiting from nearby Zhejiang province to work at the Rolex Shanghai Masters tennis tournament. She’s tucking into a good-looking slice of cheesecake and sitting next to her friend’s equally good-looking dog (in a yellow pastel vest embroidered with flowers and a ruffled white trim).

“It’s daring, its fearless,” she observes of how people in Shanghai dress. “More importantly, it’s a way of life where you don’t have to fit into certain social norms or expectations.”

Osschaert, one of the event’s last shows, took me by surprise. Designer duo Kong Yue and Xie Yonghao eschewed a traditional runway for a poignant, at times unsettling theater presentation about memory and loss, with the actors mostly in white garment prototypes, before eventually appearing together in their finalized, ethereal forms.

It appeared to resonate with the crowd. Richard Chan, who heads product development and design at Disney’s fashion department in Shanghai, said he felt the show represented how Chinese brands are increasingly connecting with people through storytelling, not just clothes.

More broadly, Chan said, “there’s a big shift in the way people have chosen to exercise their creativity in society.”

“It can be across food, clothing, the way people enjoy tourism,” he said, pointing to barbecue street snacks that can now be had in bright, glamorous eateries, or the new bars that serve cocktails based on ingredients used in traditional Chinese medicine.

“Everything becomes more authentically Chinese, but through the lens of the modern world.”

Scroll down for some of shows from Shanghai Fashion Week.

Shanghai Fashion Week featured over 80 runways shows and presentations. Du, the project director of its organizing committee, said that over the past decade, Chinese labels have developed “stronger brand DNA.”

“I think in the past, when Chinese designers graduated from Western design schools, they followed trends. But now when they do their own collections, they have more self-expression… which makes them more distinctive,” he said, speaking after the Shuting Qiu runway. “In recent years, they will incorporate more Chinese identity and elements in their designs, in a modern and contemporary way.”

Shanghai Fashion Week Organizing Committee

Designer Mark Gong, worn by the likes of Rihanna, Charli XCX and Jennie, put on a romantic show. The skirts were super flirty and bounced a lot and everyone in the audience looked hot.

Samuel Guì Yang’s latest collection is named after, and inspired by, the 1990s Hong Kong film “Green Snake,” starring Maggie Cheung. They were both figurative and literal references to the animal, with snakeskin patterns and fabrics that moved as if they were slithering. A painting of tides by Southern Song dynasty painter Ma Yuan influenced the collection’s notions of water and fluidity. The designers spoke about “feeding themselves” with inspiration from Shanghai by going to old bookshops, the parks and ghost markets.

Models literally ran down the catwalk at times during Adidas’ high-octane show with multiple acts. Singer Veegee wore a voluminous skirt layered with cuts of tracksuits and flannel during one performance. The event, held at the ROJO Art Space, included exhibition-like experiences and a tennis court. It’s all in the details. Even the mini bamboo baskets serving up little delicacies before the show bore the brand’s signature three stripes.

At Osschaert, the audience was transported to a forest with leaves scattered on the ground and turf, entering a dream-like set that centered around a young, aspiring designer’s workshop. One by one, her cohorts are led away by a ghostly figure, who says, “When time is up, I appear.”

A parade of nerdy chic models strutted down the Shushu/Tong runway. I was obsessed with the girly girl vibe struck by the brand’s new collection. It’s giving quasi-nerd who loves a little retro styling and a cute bubble skirt.

Shanghai Fashion Organizing Committee

Backstage at Youtopia, I spoke with Tasha Liu, a leader on the Shanghai fashion scene for co-founding Labelhood, an incubator for Chinese brands, that also helped to stage shows like Mark Gong and Shushu/Tong during the event. Youtopia platformed the work of emerging Chinese designers, many recent graduates. “More and more designers will focus on their own culture,” Liu said. “They will be true to themselves.” At the finale, models walked down with boxes for audiences to cast votes for their favorite look.

编者按：本文的早期版本曾刊登于 Big Style 时事通讯——一个每周带您走进服装与文化交融世界的门户网站。点击此处订阅。

中国最令人瞩目的艺术策展人之一朱诺薇（X Zhu-Nowell）带我度过了一个非常上海式的早晨。我们在装饰艺术风格的博物馆建筑里享用着传统的上海早餐——葱油饼、咸豆腐和汤包——她一边回忆着出生于20世纪20年代上海的美籍华裔作家张爱玲的作品。

“我首先想到的就是旗袍，”朱诺威尔谈到张艺谋对旗袍的生动描述时说道。旗袍常常作为社会学的视角，让我们通过这些视角来理解她笔下的人物——从面料的搭配，到合身度，甚至湿度是如何发挥作用的。

他们补充说，从历史上看，上海（现代旗袍的发源地）一直对不同的风格持开放态度。“人们一直以来都从上海的自然风光和城市景观中汲取灵感，也深受这座城市国际化氛围的影响。”

我来到“东方巴黎”，正值上海时装周尾声，想看看中国一些最令人兴奋的设计师们如今都在忙些什么。但我也想超越T台，通过生活在这里的人们，来探究上海的时尚身份。

“这可能是中国最讲究穿衣打扮的城市了，”策展人说。“孩子们在穿衣风格上非常大胆，而且都很有个性。广州人喜欢穿人字拖。北京则非常休闲。”

朱诺维尔是上海洛克·外滩美术馆的执行馆长兼首席策展人。该美术馆坐落于一栋建于20世纪30年代的建筑内，由英国建筑师大卫·奇普菲尔德于2010年进行了翻新。这座五层砖砌建筑是历史悠久的洛克·外滩街区的标志性建筑，该街区毗邻著名的外滩，拥有大量装饰艺术风格的建筑，景色迷人。这里汇聚了众多一流艺术画廊、独立精品店和生活方式品牌，例如：中国香水品牌Beast，其店铺内摆满了鲜花，香水瓶则以造型可爱的木雕动物为容器；以及以中国传统建筑风格为灵感，设计包袋的品牌Songmont。

这里艺术与建筑交相辉映，也成了时尚爱好者的拍照圣地。早上九点左右，我就看到十几个摄影棚正在拍摄——一位准新娘身着抹胸婚纱和过膝长靴；一位二十出头的年轻模特穿着白色羽绒服，正在为淘宝店铺拍摄广告；一位女士以波浪卷发和绿色印花旗袍展现老上海的迷人风情；还有一群打扮精致的老奶奶摆着各种造型。

“孩子们都长大了，我们现在安享晚年，但我们的心态依然年轻，”69岁的迪迪说道。她谦虚地形容自己的风格是“随性”，但实际上却并非如此。“上海的时尚潮流确实更前卫。我喜欢看起来更干净利落……更得体一些。”

在等候入场参加Mark Gong的上海时装周秀时，我站在Abigail Man旁边，这位30岁的时尚博主身穿一件透视蕾丝高领上衣和豹纹牛仔裤（均来自设计师的同名品牌）。当天早些时候，我在Samuel Guì Yang的秀场上见过她，她凭借着引人注目的波波头（让人联想到日本动漫角色Paprika）以及出人意料的搭配——宽松的罂粟花图案束腰上衣搭配该品牌与Adidas联名的运动裤——在人群中脱颖而出。

这位女士告诉我，她在纽约和家乡中国东北的大连生活多年后，搬到了上海。她喜欢这里，因为与其他地方相比，这里的人“更愿意展现自己大胆的一面”。

上海乃至整个中国，都已发展成为一座高速运转、高度现代化的城市，拥有先进的基础设施和人工智能。城市里到处都是电动汽车的嗡嗡声，显得格外安静。这里几乎没人用现金，一切都可以在手机应用上完成，购买任何东西都快捷无比。

这种速度感营造出一种触手可及的无限可能。上海时装周组委会项目总监杜兰登谈到，与米兰和巴黎等时尚之都及其历史悠久的品牌相比，中国“时尚年轻，品牌年轻，设计师年轻，观众也年轻。”

曾在另一处建于20世纪30年代风格的场地举办过非官方展览的杨桂（Samuel Guì Yang）完美诠释了当今中国许多年轻人的愿望：重新诠释并将中国传统美学融入设计之中。因此，他和联合创始人埃里特·利岑（Erit Litzén，两人相识于伦敦中央圣马丁艺术学院）的作品常被归类为“新中国风”。他们并不一定认同这个强加于他们的标签——因为他们长期以来一直在融合东西方视觉元素——但他们也意识到，他们是围绕中国日益增强的文化自信而兴起的更广泛运动的一部分。

“这里有一种活力、一种渴望，以及一种表达自我的意愿，”利岑说道。“不仅在上海，整个中国都是如此。越来越多的人想要更广泛地探索时尚和文化。这里对年轻企业来说真是一片沃土。”

Samuel Guì Yang品牌总部位于伦敦和上海，上周末开设了首家实体店。该品牌选址于巨鹿路，这条绿树成荫的街道位于上海昔日的法国区，遍布着众多精品店和中国独立设计师作品。

在一家咖啡馆外，我遇到了30岁的马雪莉，她从邻近的浙江省来上海劳力士网球大师赛工作。她正津津有味地享用着一块看起来很诱人的芝士蛋糕，旁边坐着她朋友同样漂亮的狗狗（穿着一件绣着花朵、带有白色褶边的黄色浅色背心）。

她评价上海人的穿着时说：“这很大胆，很无畏。更重要的是，这是一种生活方式，在这种生活方式中，你不必迎合某些社会规范或期望。”

Osschaert是本次时装周的压轴秀之一，让我感到惊喜。设计师组合孔悦和谢永浩摒弃了传统的T台走秀，转而呈现了一场感人至深、有时甚至令人不安的戏剧表演，探讨记忆与失去。演员们大多身着白色服装原型，最终以最终定型的空灵造型亮相。

这场秀似乎引起了观众的共鸣。迪士尼上海时装部门产品开发与设计主管陈先生表示，他认为这场秀展现了中国品牌如何越来越多地通过讲故事而非仅仅通过服装来与消费者建立联系。

更广泛地说，陈表示，“人们在社会中发挥创造力的方式发生了巨大转变。”

“它可以体现在食物、服装、人们享受旅游的方式等方面，”他说道，并指着现在可以在明亮、迷人的餐馆里吃到的烧烤街头小吃，或者供应以传统中药成分调制的鸡尾酒的新酒吧。

“一切都变得更具中国特色，但都是通过现代世界的视角来看待的。”

向下滚动查看上海时装周的部分秀场照片。

上海时装周举办了超过80场时装秀和发布会。组委会项目总监杜女士表示，过去十年间，中国品牌已经发展出“更强大的品牌基因”。

“我认为过去中国设计师从西方设计院校毕业时，往往追随潮流。但现在他们设计自己的系列时，更注重自我表达……这使他们的作品更具特色，”他在邱淑婷时装秀后说道。“近年来，他们会以现代的方式，将更多中国元素融入到设计中。”

上海时装周组委会

设计师Mark Gong的作品深受蕾哈娜、Charli XCX和Jennie等明星的喜爱，他带来了一场浪漫的时装秀。裙摆飘逸灵动，极具挑逗性，现场观众个个都光彩照人。

Samuel Guì Yang 的最新系列以 1990 年代由张曼玉主演的香港电影《青蛇》命名，并从中汲取灵感。该系列既有对蛇的具象描绘，也有对蛇的字面解读，例如蛇皮纹理和面料仿佛在蜿蜒游动。南宋画家马远的一幅潮汐画作也影响了该系列中关于水和流动性的概念。设计师们表示，他们从上海汲取灵感，例如逛旧书店、公园和鬼市。

在阿迪达斯这场活力四射、包含多场表演的时装秀上，模特们有时甚至在T台上奔跑。歌手Veegee在其中一场表演中身穿一件蓬松的裙子，裙摆内搭运动服和法兰绒衬衫。这场在ROJO艺术空间举办的活动还包括类似展览的体验区和一个网球场。细节之处尽显匠心。就连秀前盛放精致小食的竹篮上也印有品牌标志性的三条纹。

在奥沙特剧院，观众仿佛置身于一片落叶遍地的森林，进入一个梦幻般的场景，舞台中心是一位年轻有抱负的设计师的工作室。她的同伴们一个接一个地被一个幽灵般的身影带走，那身影说道：“时间到了，我就会出现。”

一群书卷气十足的时尚模特在Shushu/Tong的T台上款款走来。我完全被这个品牌新系列散发的少女气息迷住了。它完美契合了那些既有点书呆子气又喜欢复古风格和可爱泡泡裙的女孩们。

上海时装组织委员会

在Youtopia后台，我采访了上海时尚界领军人物刘塔莎（Tasha Liu）。她是Labelhood的联合创始人，Labelhood是一个中国品牌孵化器，也曾协助举办过Mark Gong和Shushu/Tong等品牌的时装秀。Youtopia为众多中国新锐设计师，其中许多是应届毕业生，提供了展示作品的平台。“越来越多的设计师会关注自身的文化，”刘塔莎说，“他们会忠于自我。”在闭幕式上，模特们手捧投票箱走下舞台，让观众投票选出自己最喜欢的造型。