China's Fashion Labels Are Absolutely Blazing

ZHONG ZIXIN
Zhong Zixin founded her eponymous brand after graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2018. The Hangzhou-born designer was raised in a family rooted in furniture making, a heritage reflected in her sculptural and artistic designs. Her silhouettes – sophisticated lines which enunciate the soft feminine body – are usually embellished with unconventional materials such as bamboo and wood. This unique approach earned her the winning title of the inaugural VOGUE China Fashion Fund Chinese Designer Price and her Spring/Summer 2025 collection was amongst the highly anticipated debut at London Fashion Week. In her latest collection, the East-meets-West aesthetic manifests itself into a mosaic body suit, bodhi seeds beaded top, inspired by materials usually found in Chinese southern home decor.

STAFFONLY
Based in Shanghai, friends Shimo Zhou and Une Yea established Staffonly in 2015 after graduating from fashion school. Its focus lies in breaking the traditional menswear codes through profound humour and sharp, informed concepts. The aesthetic is best described as witty, bright, and innovative that continuously feeds the curious mind. Take their latest Spring Summer 2025 collection, Lost in Errors, as a response to the growing prominence of technology and artificial intelligence. It intentionally incorporates “error” in form of displaced graphics, imposing faces on unexpected shapes of wigs and capes, employing laser cut techniques in its silhouettes which changes in motion and deceives the viewer’s perception of reality.

SHUTING QIU
Designer Shuting Qiu founded her brand in 2018. Her graduate collection, She Lives in a Wonderland, propelled her into Western recognition, whereas people in China might have recognised her brand from pop-star Jolin Tsai’s album cover. Since then, she’s been shortlisted for the LVMH prize and debuted her collection in Milan Fashion Week. The brand ventures into asymmetry that precedes beyond its silhouettes, straddling the in between, as it notes: daring yet soft, powerful yet romantic, strong yet cheerful – a clash of two opposing worlds that live in the harmony of Qiu’s body of work. Elegance remains in her unabashedly colourful and loud prints that blend cultures together. Think jacquard dresses with fur hemlines, graphic tights with clashing patterns, and delicate dresses embroidered with gold sequins, an interplay of childlike wonder and the bold sophistication of a woman, an aesthetic Qiu defines as 'modern romantic'.

AO YES
A fresh face at Shanghai Fashion Week last October, Ao Yes's founders and designers, Austin Wang and Yansong Liu, made waves with their innovative perspective on traditional Chinese dress. The duo unabashedly identify as an “Oriental fashion brand," creating clothing that redefines the modern Orient by transforming Eastern aesthetics from both the past and present. In their latest collection, SENSEI-Mr., Ao Yes explores the concept of wisdom, particularly how any knowledgeable individual can become someone’s wise teacher. Fashioning images of today’s intellectuals, Wang and Liu’s classic silhouettes of Tang suit jackets and pleated skirts come in silk and wool iterations, embroidered with fringes and mandarin collars. The brand’s quirky twist on the conventional shines through its styling choices: Scholar caps, red ribbons, and oversized bows find their way onto gingham dresses, oversized double-breasted jackets, and sweaters. To top off the East-meets-West aesthetic, trousers are lined with silky Chinese jacquards and cuffed to showcase the mix of plush and stiff textiles.

WINDOWSEN
Founded by Sensen Lii in 2019, Windowsen is a portmanteau coined from a combination of his name and the Windows operating system. The designer, who hails from China, began creating the label during his studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp. Since then, Lii has crafted a unique post-human world of “alien fashion,” where digital media, space-age aesthetics, and sportswear collide. The designer’s unconventional silhouettes and intergalactic vision have led to its meteoric rise over the past five years, especially with the support of stars such as Cardi B, FKA Twigs, Doja Cat, and the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race Season 10, Aquaria – all of whom have been spotted wearing his otherworldly designs in music videos and at red-carpet events. In its latest iteration, Windowsen expanded its intergalactic universe with a series of looks that meld bioaesthetics and tech. Think fuzzy Caterpillar jumpsuits, faux-muscle hoodies, game console coats, and bodysuits in pixelated graphics, all in kaleidoscopic colours.

YA YI
Launched in 2022, Ya Yi is a Shanghai-based brand distinguished by its focus on women with multicultural identities. Creative director Yayi Chen Zhou, whose cosmopolitan upbringing informs the spirit of her label, draws on her personal experiences in Shanghai, Madrid, and New York to design meticulously researched garments that reflect the hybridisation of cultures. In its presentations, Ya Yi also explores multimedia formats such as filmmaking and performance to delve into the physical and emotional lives of immigrants and their historical experiences of dislocation. The brand’s Spring Summer 2024 runway show, Offshore Roses, earlier this year, was presented as an art installation merged with dance and body painting. Its recent collection featured delicate constructions combined with folded drapes and sculptural floral accessories. Accentuated with slinky silhouettes, dresses and tops in devore silk velvet and jacquard textures evoke the fragility of peeling wallpaper and portraits of early migrants.

LOUIS SHENGTAO CHEN
For the uninitiated, Louis Shengtao Chen is the eponymous brand founded by the designer in 2021. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Chen aims to redefine luxury through an experimental approach, challenging traditional notions of glamour. The designer incorporates dramatic and narrative-driven designs to create a boundary-breaking yet accessible brand philosophy, seamlessly blending bold colours with unconventional fabrics. Recently, Chen was shortlisted as a semi-finalist for the 2023 LVMH Prize and showcased his Fall Winter 2024 collection at Shanghai Fashion Week. This Fall Winter season, the brand’s new offerings feature a striking clash of textures and materials: puffy dresses contrasted with distorted fabrics, coatings layered over silk wool, and patent leather paired with distressed silk. Voluminous skirts take the form of bouncy bustles, panniers, and crinolines, all infused with Chen’s distinctive eccentricities. From sculpted coats to relaxed slips and hoodies, Chen’s autumn collection offers something for streetwear enthusiasts and fans of bold statement looks.

MARKGONG
Raised in China and a graduate of Parsons School of Design, Mark Gong lived and studied in New York before establishing his eponymous brand in 2018. What sets Gong’s independent label apart is its vision of unconventional female personas and humorous theatrics. For his Fall Winter 2024 presentation at Shanghai Fashion Week, Gong drew inspiration from Sex and the City and its portrayal of womanhood. The independent girl-next-door gets a makeover with a wardrobe featuring leather trench coats, sleeping masks paired with slip dresses, and corset-panelled blazer suits. These looks are complemented by furry boots, undergarments worn over shirts, and golfer caps that inject a touch of nostalgia. Amidst this curated chaos, Gong’s playful collection offers a narrative of authenticity and insouciance.

OUDE WAAG
Having studied at both Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art before establishing Oude Waag in 2021, the designer’s luxury brand is renowned for its sharp tailoring and innovative textiles, honed through experience working with Haider Ackermann and Hussein Chalayan. The Shanghai-based creative director likens the brand to a diary that captures an evolving record of human experiences, marked by small, abstract moments of emotion and intimacy. This season, Oude Waag presented a collection that both celebrates and reflects on war. Bleached and aged fabrics were employed in body-hugging dresses, halter tops, and skirts to evoke the gradient colours of fireworks. Slinky gowns were juxtaposed with heavy fabrics and shearling in deep browns. In addition to minimalist pieces, the collection featured metallic denim, wrap coats, and draped stoles, adding warmth and strength to the overall aesthetic.

MARRKNULL
Founded by Wang Wei and Tim Shi in 2017, Marrknull is a women’s ready-to-wear brand emerging from Beijing. The label seamlessly blends old and new Chinese cultural elements, reflecting the normality of contemporary life while inspiring a younger generation. Marrknull stands out for its focus on silhouette and structural stitching techniques, intertwined with native Chinese styles, offering a fresh perspective on Chinese society that challenges traditional gender norms. At the Spring Summer 2024 show, Marrknull presented a range of edgy looks that blurred the lines between streetwear and club classics. Think asymmetric tops, denim bustiers, and sheer dresses adorned with all-over cat prints, paired with chunky metallic boots and chromatic heels.

FENG CHEN WANG
Born in Fujian, China, Feng Chen Wang is a London-based menswear designer. A graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, Wang’s approach to fashion is best described as minimalist, forward-thinking, and multidimensional. Her technical unisex designs often pay homage to Chinese heritage, blending classic tailoring with deconstruction to create garments that can be worn in various ways. In her latest collection, Wang translated the texture of Chinese ceramics onto denim, knits, and tie-dye fabrics. Currently, Wang has several sportswear collaborations under her belt and is beginning to expand into womenswear. For her Spring Summer 2025 collection, Wang drew inspiration from ancient Chinese artefacts, manipulating fabric textures to mimic the look and feel of handcrafted clay, resulting in technical suits, multi-pocketed denim jeans, and utilitarian bomber jackets.

CHEN PENG STUDIO
Based in Shanghai, Chen Peng Studio was founded by Chen Peng when he was just 24 years old. Originally from Jiangxi province, Chen Peng holds a master’s degree in Menswear Fashion Design Technology from the London College of Fashion. With his expertise in pattern cutting, Chen Peng positions himself as a unisex and one-size-fits-all fashion designer. Beyond crafting performance outfits for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Chen Peng Studio is also the mastermind behind Cardi B’s sculptural gown at the 2023 Met Gala. Currently, Chen Peng Studio is stocked in over 70 boutiques worldwide and is a regular feature at Paris Fashion Week. This season’s collection delves into the designer’s innermost emotions, where red and black symbolise the contrast between passion and solemnity. Chen Peng’s bulbous down jackets and gowns – drawing inspiration from Jingdezhen’s ceramic culture – were paired with top hats and Derbies, blending East-meets-West elegance.

SAMUEL GUI YANG
Based in London and Shanghai, Samuel Guì Yang has garnered critical acclaim for his cultural creativity. His seamless blend of Chinese and Western aesthetics results in a wardrobe that is pragmatic, sophisticated, and contemporary. By mixing and merging Chinese and Western codes, alongside historical and contemporary references, the label embodies an identity rich in character and a sense of mystery. For his Spring Summer 2024 offerings, Samuel Guì Yang amalgamated the lifestyle and charm of Shanghai with Scandi minimalism. The collection includes denim Tang suits, cheongsams cropped into tops suitable for daytime wear, and bias-cut silk and velvet sheaths for evening attire.