Shanghai Tang teams up with Chinese designers to appeal to mainlanders
Collaboration seeks to update perception of brand
With Shanghai Fashion Week coming to an end, the appearance of Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman on the red carpet at Okura Hotel on October 22 sent a buzz through the city. Dressed impeccably in an Imperial Tailoring bespoke Shanghai Tang qipao-style gown, Kidman's appearance was a coup for the Hong Kong-born luxury brand during its 20th anniversary extravaganza.
"I met her at the last Shanghai movie festival in May and we just discussed it," says the brand's executive chairman, Raphael le Masne de Chermont. "She's a big fan of the brand."
The event was also billed as the first edition of Shanghai Tang's China Fashion Chic initiative, which is the start of many collaborations between the Hong Kong-based luxury brand and native Chinese fashion talent.
"We are doing something to give back to China, to help Chinese designers to become more well known internationally," says le Masne de Chermont, "I set up this platform to energise Chinese creativity in a modern way."
"I think it's vital to engage with younger designers," says Masha Ma, one of this year's collaborative designers, along with Beijing-based couturier Wang Peiyi.
"But when a Chinese girl looks at the branding of Shanghai Tang, they might feel a little awkward. So my purpose with this capsule line is to talk to the younger customer in China and to modernise the perception of it."
