France loves to lure Chinese luxury shoppers to open their wallets in Paris. Now, the French government hopes to attract Chinese fashion brands to expand their businesses here. In 2024, it will be 60 years since the two countries formed a cultural alliance and inaugurated the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism.
Various events are planned across all sectors to commemorate the full reopening of travel and promote cultural, educational, linguistic, editorial, film and television exchanges. The fashion segment led the two governments, specifically the Shenzhen district, to bring three Chinese mega fashion brands to showcase during Paris Fashion Week.
Held at the Palais Brongniart in La Bourse, Shenzhen Futian Fashion Day was planned and co-organized by the IFSC (International Fashion Strategy Committee of the People's Government of Futian Municipal District of Shenzhen) and the SFDA (Shenzhen Fashion Design Association). Shenzhen Fashion), supported by Futian Municipal of Shenzhen. The People's Government of the District is part of the “Welcome to Paris” program of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode for this season. The showcase featured three brands: Ellassay, Yiner and La Koradior.
The first outing was commercially strong; The aesthetic may closely resemble the mood of brands like Michael Kors, Brunello Cucinelli and Max Mara priced between $500 and $800 and is made from fabrics sourced from Milan and similar textiles used by Loro Piana, a design interpreter. director, Martin Shen, told FashionNetwork.com. Ellassay has approximately 300 independent stores in China and was established approximately 30 years ago. Shen noted that Paris offers more diversity in terms of designers. “The best brands are here,” he added.
“There is no other brand like us; our emphasis is on simple tailoring with touches of femininity for a perfect balance,” Shen said.
Of note were the tailored styles, such as a black dress whose contrasting white neckline resembled a tuxedo, a theme seen everywhere, had large gold buttons for a feminine touch; The same goes for black dresses with large rhinestones or black fringes combined with long tailored vest jackets. Soft combinations of gray and pink offered a feminine touch on tailored suits and coats, while marabou feathers softened when paired with fine, austere knit trims.
Yiner is another Chinese brand with three decades in business and more than 350 stores with prices averaging $500, according to its creative director, Liu Rui Yue, who has been at the helm of Yiner for four years. Conducting her interview in English, Yue described the brand as targeting the mature, sophisticated woman over 40.
“Our brand focuses on really soft and wearable things, so it's important to show that with this collection,” Yue said, noting that most cashmere-based textiles are sourced between China, Japan and Korea. Yue said women are also drawn to the brand's quality cashmere items, noting that they sell a cashmere down puffer coat in addition to its comfortable appearance.
In fact, there was simple clothing that gave a relaxed feeling of tranquility without being overwhelming, citing the spirit of Loro Piana and Gucci, presumably the current version.
“Chinese women always like to show off their curves, shoulders, waist and hips and don't gravitate toward oversized clothing,” Yue continued, noting that some popular trends right now in China are gray-on-gray styles. , all monochromatic black and brown styles. .
Thus, tight but draped fabrics with shawl collars, full skirts with fitted waists and elegant long-sleeved blouses, mid-length styles of soft wool cashmere and many slits in the skirts marked the collection that was presented mainly in the colors aforementioned neutrals, punctuated by hints of a purple and light blue ombre effect. A cream-colored textured material over a skirt and trench coat intrigued.
The third and last collection, was the group's newest brand, founded in 2012 and with its second creative chief at the helm, Han Bing Xue, director of haute couture. Speaking through an interpreter, Xue told reporters that the DNA brand is a romantic and elegant special occasion garment that can be worn on “weddings, parties, birthdays and other important days.”
Xue explained that La Koradior relied on a fashionable spelling convention during its founding. “The inspiration for this collection is based on the Phalaenopsis or moth orchid flower, and it means 'happiness will fly to you,' she said. The collection had a flirtier tone than the previous two and showed the most unique point of view .
Ironically, given the name, the first part of the collection seemed to draw inspiration from New Look Dior with the cinched-waist style dresses in cream; an off-the-shoulder one with a cape and floral appliqués and another shirt style with side pleats at the waist and thin straps tied in a bow to emphasize the midsection rang especially true.
Purple and lavender styles followed, ranging from 1930s ruffles on an Olive Oyl-style dress, mini dresses, capes and a cropped jacket with a slit skirt and large floral embellishments. The cream hue continued as a zigzag fringe over a long skirt paired with a simple top or boxy minidress. The lavender hue continued into stunning evening wear styles, such as a simple sleeveless minidress worn under an open-front off-the-shoulder cape with an extended back train made of chiffon appliqués.
The designer was elated after the show and said that showing in Paris on her third visit to the French capital was a “dream come true.” Having a business in Europe and the United States is the dream of every brand, even in different degrees of preparation; For La Koradior, it is a priority, but it has no specific plans to sell outside of China.
Yue said that the Yiner brand was looking forward to starting a project to open in Europe or the United States and that it is among the top ten fashion brands in China. Chen said Ellassay plans to open in the Western market in the future, but first plans to expand to Russia over the next year.
According to Wu Hong, president of the Shenzhen Fashion Design Association, the city focuses on high-end RTW women's fashion brands and has government support.
“These brands were chosen because they are well known in China and have a well-established distribution network and because they want to expand their business internationally; they feel now is the time for the Chinese government to support them in this.”
On the same day, at the Hôtel de Crillon, outgoing Vogue China editor-in-chief Margaret Zhang hosted Chinese designer Zhong Zixin of ZhongZixin. Zixin, a 2018 graduate of Central Saint Martins, is also the inaugural winner of the Chinese Designer Award for Vogue China's 2023 Fashion Fund, one of the many programs and changes Zhang brought to the Condé Nast title.
At the Salon des Aigles, Zixin, whose unique aesthetic is comprised of sculptural textures and feminine lines, the designer continued to explore the female form in a velvet dress that revealed molded plastic breasts and stomach that protruded separately from the midsection of the dress. , another paired a breastplate with a white dress with laser-cut floral fabric sequins. While Zixin is primarily a ready-to-wear designer, her clever accessories are also a big part of the collection; to show that glasses made of jade beads or other semi-precious stones blocked her vision but made a dramatic statement.
Another Central Saint Martins Bachelor graduate, Caroline Hu, also participated during the PFW.
While her collection 'Reverie by Caroline Hu' was exhibited as part of the seven Chinese designers who participated in the At Hong Kong Fashion Guerilla AW24's Fashion Farm Foundation (FFF) exhibition, Hu also held a separate solo presentation, a shrewd move for the designer as her clothes deserve it. The designer, also a master's degree holder from Parsons School of Design and a finalist for the 2020 LVMH Prize, took the opportunity to present a bespoke Couture-level collection, interspersed with some key pieces from RTW.
Hu's designs fall in the romantic but avant-garde and avant-garde zone, so think enthusiasts of brands like Comme des Garçons, Simone Rocha and Cecilie Bahnsen, at least in terms of merchandising at a store like Ikram and Maxfield, where she sells in United States (the brand is headquartered in Shanghai, has a commercial office in Hong Kong and sells at the Alphabet showroom in Paris). Hu's unique approach includes a patented technique in which five different textiles are turned into a singular fabric through a technical process that results in complex yet ethereal fabrics.
The collection included styles that used inflated plastic cushions and padding combined with traditional sewing and draping methods for creations equal parts craftsmanship and couture. In particular, highlights included a floral chiffon puffer dress and an enormous off-the-shoulder poet's shirt-style black dress with around 1,000 hand-applied bow tie ribbons. A padded tiered dress was also intriguing.
Hu spoke to FashionNetwork.com about her inspiration for the season.
“It's about the relationship between people where I create a distance. It's not that I don't touch or hug people; it's about internal feelings, but more about saying, 'I need personal time and more space.' through bright and cheerful floral patterns. The pillows are tools to translate what I want to say: It's a little dark inside, but life is also about hope. Although it feels a little sad in these clothes,” Hu said. Maybe, but it was pure joy to see them.
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