by Jessie Hu

Fashion week, the phrase that immediately sparks a rush of excitement in many fashion lovers is one of the most exciting events in the fashion industry. Fashion weeks occur twice yearly, once in the fall and once in the springtime. As the fashion capital of China, Shanghai has been hosting fashion weeks since 2001. This past year, in 2022, fall fashion week spanned from September 22 to September 30, with the main stage located near TaiPing Lake in Xintiandi, an area in downtown Shanghai. However, due to ongoing covid situations in China, many big-name brand designers have moved their fashion shows to Milan or Paris. In addition, this has led to a rise in brands of Gen Z designers who use their distinct perspectives to challenge the limits of fashion. In this way, newer, less well-known brands are able to gain recognition, therefore evolving fashion weeks for Shanghai. 

Another major component of fashion weeks is the people invited to attend them. We can always spot celebrities, influencers, and fashion editors in the front rows of every fashion show. This year, we noticed many interesting choices of outfits as we also recognize certain trends in streetwear. In Shanghai, we can always notice a lot of all-black outfits, while some specific items match the ongoing trends.

For example, we noticed someone wearing an outfit from the brand “Dear Nikita,” created by the iconic Hugo Comte. Hugo Comte is a well-known French photographer who works for multiple international magazines such as Vogue. His artistic talents have been recognized by brands such as Prada and Marc Jacobs as well. His vision for his brand is to build a connection between modern pop culture and high fashion, two fields in that his fans and audiences are involved. To those ends, his brand’s designs, reminiscent of his photography style, have bright, high-pitched colors while he used dots to illustrate the patterns.

The outfit spotted included a v-neck knitted tank top paired with a pair of relaxed, wide-leg pants with a beige base and faded blacks and blues. The brand’s name has been spread by celebrities such as Jennie from the K-pop group Blackpink and HoYeon Jung, a Korean model, and actress who starred in the viral Netflix Series Squid Game.  

This past fall, we noticed many wearing black leather, including leather jackets, pants, and even gloves. These boxy leather jackets give a laid-back look, perfectly fitting the relaxed, slow lifestyle in Shanghai. They are the perfect addition to anyone’s fall wardrobe as they keep you warm and in style and comfort. Shanghai is also home to many Gen Z lovers of fashion, who gather from all over the country, building a diverse view of street styles in the city. Most of the outfits that have been photographed are those of younger people, who lead the fashion trends in the city and continue to push the limits of fashion in China. 

The overall style in Shanghai remains more practical with darker shades of colors, and fashion lovers definitely dress to impress, building a rich culture of exchange in individual styles. People tend to mimic the style of others around them, noticing pieces and trends they like and adding them to their own outfits. With the impact of social media such as TikTok, it’s even easier for trends to spread while many Chinese designer brands use internet celebrities to raise their fame. Sometimes, a certain brand, item, or style can go viral online, and we can often see people wearing the same piece online and on the streets.

Nevertheless, it’s not to say that international fashion has no impact on the fashion scene in Shanghai. In fact, many people get their inspiration from well-known celebrities such as Bella Hadid or Hailey Bieber. Certain items popular in other countries can also have fame in China, an example being the Adidas samba sneakers. Overall, we can see certain shifts in the fashion of Shanghai, with new, rule-breaking Chinese designers and the adoption of other countries’ fashion trends, making Shanghai an even more global city. 

The retailing of fashion in China explains the cultural differences in the streetwear on the streets of Shanghai. In Shanghai, you can always notice crowded malls with high-end luxury stores that everyone is familiar with. While some might indulge in the luxury of these well-known brands, other fashion lovers might prefer some local designer stores or retail stores that sell a wider collection of brands and products, often located on the sides of streets.

Whenever I go shopping in Shanghai, I see younger generations gearing towards new brands or other retailers with more diverse collections that receive less fame, a popular retailer being The Labelhood, a fashion platform with many stores in Shanghai that support independent designers and sell a combination of products, from hats to dresses to shoes. In malls, people of all ages shop while malls tend to be packed with high-end designers such as Chanel, Dior, and Bottega Veneta. 

Designing for 21st century women from Shanghai to the world

by Jessie Hu

“Ming Ma focused on balancing the unique sculptural silhouettes with effortless sensibility: aiming to revive the elegant ease of the contemporary women.”1 As written on the official Ming Ma website, the ideology behind this colorful, bold brand focuses on expression of the feminine grace. Moreover, from Ming Ma himself, he uses the words “elegant, dynamic and confident” to describe his style. Exactly fitting to such description, when you first take a glance at the designs listed on the website, you see the vibrant, dashing colors and the intricate floral prints. When you take a second look, you start to notice the structure and shapes of these pieces, the airy, puff sleeves, the delicately placed bows and the volumized hemlines. The structural designs of the clothing seem almost architectural through Ming Ma’s “strengths in 3D cutting and draping”.2

Born in WuHan, Ming Ma launched his label under his name in 2018 after studying in London at Central Saint Martins.3 Growing up in a family that was much more passionate about finance, Ming Ma could only dream of studying fashion in the future. His interests in fashion sparked when he flipped through magazines, magazines that revealed to him the infinite possibilities with clothing and fashion. Through watching interviews, he was also inspired by Louise Wilson’s perspectives on fashion, eventually motivating him to apply to CSM with no former knowledge of fashion. In London, the varied cultures and people influenced Ming Ma’s perception of fashion and the world, while his application for the MA taught by Louise Wilson was successful. Despite having spent his entire life learning finance, Ming Ma excelled in fashion by being critical to himself and following his heart with his fashion designs.4 After the founding of the label Ming Ma in Shanghai, a store/platform called Labelhood discovered the talented artist Ming Ma and his brand, bringing in his designs to the stores. Labelhood is a platform created by Tasha Liu in Beijing while they have established several stores in Shanghai as well. The platform collects designs from China-based designers who receive little recognition and fame, therefore, spreading the name of these underrated brands and influencing the China fashion market This discovery led to a blooming fame for Ming Ma and the label soon became well known throughout China and later across the globe. Now, Ming Ma designs are usually found on various online shopping platforms worldwide while they can also be purchased in Labelhood stores in Shanghai. Social media also pushed the fame of the brand with Ming ma’s instagram account @mingma_official.

When looking at the Ming Ma webpage, first we notice a page with only black and white colors while most of the space is left blank. However, once you click into the side bar to view the latest collections, you see a line of photographs of each runway look, all eye-catching with the colorful designs. Scrolling down the page, we see several photographs of models wearing the signature pieces with the letter Ming Ma written across the pictures. The website isn’t just one about fashion, but the incorporation of photography and other media art forms. This probably stems from Ming Ma’s studies at CMS, where individuality and cross-sectional studies are encouraged. The overall style of the website seems bold and mysterious all at once.

In the Spring/Summer 2022 collection, most of the pieces incorporate elements of flowers. We see lots of floral prints on the dresses and gowns while the runway looks include chokers with giant flowers hanging on the neck from them. The edges of the dresses can also mimic the shapes of flowers. For instance, this dress’ edges are shaped like the opening of a tulip. It’s parted in the middle while it encloses at the bottom. Since flowers have a history of being symbolic for elegance and gracefulness, using floral elements adds to the modern yet elegant appeal of Ming Ma’s designs.

In cosmopolitan cities and all around the world, as women fight for equality and start to break stereotypes, more women are pushing the boundaries and revealing their true self with bold choices of clothing, makeup and other expressions of identity. In Ming Ma’s pieces, one notices a lot of saturated, bright colors not seen in many other designers’ pieces that also aim for a show of feminine elegance. Ming Ma’s definition of femininity is traditional, yet with a demonstration of modernity. The contrasting colors may create the opposite idea of elegance, however, when they were put into Ming Ma’s designs, there’s an unexplainiable sense of coordination and expression of the female power. These designs are more than clothing, but an approach to break the feminine mold and an opportunity for women to step outside their comfort zones and attempt new styles.

SS 2022 collection. This dress is unique for the shape of the skirt that is similar to the look of a tulip. The skirt wraps around the body while it slits open in the middle like the way tulip petals are parted and open. The light blue bow on the bodice is a signature touch of Ming Ma in this collection. We can see bows similar to this one on other looks as well, but for each piece, the bow is decorated with different patterns or colors to match the look. The bright green color of the gloves create a contrast with the soft, less vibrant blue of the dress.

SS 2022. Both looks incorporated floral prints, black, ankle-length pencil skirts as well as “flowers” attached to the chokers as accessories. On the left, the bustier top features long sleeves with layered openings, covered in pink and purple delicate floral prints. There’s a pink rose made from fabrics on the neck, mimicking a rose that hasn’t fully bloomed yet, creating an overall elegant and graceful look. On the right, the tube top features pink and yellow floral designs while a skirt drips down on the right from the top. There is a pink rose and a yellow rose on the neck while the pink rose is more open, just like flowers when they are in full bloom. This look is more expressive and bold with the structures and color arrangements.

SS 2022. The left outfit uses a dimmed, light blue to match with a brighter, glittery gold as a skirt. The volumized and sculpted bubble sleeves demonstrate Ming Ma’s playfulness with the structures of clothing. The high-waisted, floor-length golden skirt grabs people’s attention as the golden element is continued with the golden rose necklace. On the right, we see another bow, but in a floral print with yellow, orange and blue flowers. The skirt drapes down the back and is open on the front, showing a sense of power and majesty while the off-shoulder design adds elegance to the look.

1. Ming Ma website. https://www.mingmastudio.com/info
2. Ibid
3. Generation T editors. The Gen.T Asia website. The Gen.T List. https://generationt.asia/people/ming-ma
4. Mayura Jain. Radii China. https://radiichina.com/china-designers-ming-ma/