A new look in town

By Sun Shuangjie Source:Global Times Published: 2014-4-20 18:58:01

Shanghai Fashion Week is one of the most significant platforms for discovering and promoting new fashion talent and independent designers based in China. These have included Uma Wang, who has outlets in China and across Europe, and Ji Cheng, who has also featured at London Fashion Week.

During SFW 2014 Autumn and Winter (April 9 to April 17), some local designers who are making their SFW debut have attracted the eyes of fashion followers with their ingenious outfits. Global Times met three of them.

A model on the Shanghai Fashion Week runway showcases design from Ban Xiaoxue. Photos: Cai Xianmin/GT and courtesy of the organizers



Natural Breath

On the afternoon of April 10, on a stage set amidst the high-rise buildings of downtown Shanghai, fashion designer Ban Xiaoxue presented a show inspired by Zen and seclusion.

Female models wore long skirts that fell straight with cascading strips and wires, while male models were dressed in loose shirts and pants. They confidently walked on the runway to background music interspersed with sounds from nature.

The basic colors of the showpieces were black, white and red, which are also the major colors of the Ban Xiaoxue brand. Black and white, according to the designer, represent the greatest spacing of extremes, while red symbolizes the vitality of life.

Ban Xiaoxue



Ban, who graduated from Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts in 2007, once amazed the panel of the Woolmark Prize for the China region with his innovative blending of wool and silk, which won him the champion title in the China Region Award of the prestigious international prize in 2012.

In his latest collection, Ban's experimentation continues as he combines natural fibers with modern and hi-tech materials such as paper fibers. Meanwhile, he also combines traditional skills such as embroidery with modern techniques.

Pursuing a natural ethos, Ban said his brand, which was initiated in 2012, will on one hand use natural fibers and materials and be environmental friendly, while on the other hand aim for comfort and freedom with a fashionable look.

Ban Xiaoxue outlets will open in major cities in China this autumn.

A model on the Shanghai Fashion Week runway showcases design from Celia B. Photos: Cai Xianmin/GT and courtesy of the organizers



Celia B

Audiences at SFW must have sensed something was different with the designer behind Celia B when they were charmed by a group of enthusiastic models who were waving, winking, or even throwing kisses at them.

Celia Bernardo



That was the first show of Spanish designer Celia Bernardo at SFW, which also marks the first time a Spanish designer has been featured at the event.

Bernardo's passion for different colors, textures and patterns was apparent on the stage with a range of colorful and cheerful clothes inspired by tribal cultures from China, Thailand, Mexico and Guatemala, to name a few.

"I'm very interested (in ethnic elements) because the way they deal with color and pattern is very similar to what I do. When I go to see what they do, I feel super connected, I think maybe in a past life I was part of one tribe," Bernardo told the Global Times after the show.

The designer, who worked for Spanish brand Zara before she came to Shanghai four years ago, released her first collection for the 2012 Spring/Summer season. She describes the DNA of her brand as being the mixing of colors and patterns, handmade crochet, and favoring shiny materials.

"I want my designs to be colorful and to bring happiness to people," said the designer, whose clothes can be found at Alter (L112, Xintiandi Style, 245 Madang Road, 6302-9889) in Xintiandi.

Living and working in Shanghai, Bernardo said that she loves the way Chinese people approach fashion, as they are willing to try fresh new things. She also runs a workshop (1/F, Bldg 78, 1025 Nanjing Road West) for people who are crazy about colors and crochet.

A model on the Shanghai Fashion Week runway showcases design from Yirantian. Photos: Cai Xianmin/GT and courtesy of the organizers



Guo Yirantian

Born in 1991, Guo Yirantian is one of the youngest fashion designers featured at SFW. The modernist designs of her Yirantian brand have won her plenty of acclaim over the past two years.

Guo Yirantian



In 2012, Guo caught people's attention with her Unconventional Combinations series, a graduation project for her bachelor's degree at London College of Fashion. It took inspiration from cubism, and combined accessories made of unusual materials such as metal alloy and broken mirrors with stiff and neatly tailored fabrics.

During SFW, Guo - who just gained a master's degree at the same college this year - has presented an artistic interpretation of space through shapes and textures in her 2014 Autumn/Winter series.

Although the designs emit a strong sense of power and confidence with their flowing lines and asymmetric cuts, Guo said the subtle details of the clothes also reveal the tender side of a female dresser.

"The beauty in my eyes is to be spontaneous with the body, and not too elaborate," said the designer, who now splits her time between Shanghai and London, and has her eyes set on the next London Fashion Week.



Posted in: Metro Shanghai

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