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Danielle Popov

Haute couture, which means “high dressmaking” in French, has historically been associated with Parisian culture. But the concept of high fashion is no longer confined to France, or the West, as more Chinese designers make headway in the fashion industry.
Beijing-born fashion designer Guo Pei’s current solo exhibition at Hong Kong’s M+ museum of visual culture, in the West Kowloon Cultural District, features the sensational gold dress Rihanna wore at the 2015 Met Gala in New York.
Grace Chen, who in 1999 became the first Chinese designer to graduate from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, counts Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan and Oprah Winfrey among her clients.
Fang Yang, the designer behind Atelier by Fang, has dressed celebrities including Gong Li, Angelababy and Katherine Langford in her Asia-inspired designs.
This success is not solely my effort; it represents the rise of ethnic confidence
Hu Sheguang, a Dutch-Chinese designer of Mongolian descent
The arrival of such Chinese designers on the international high-fashion scene was propelled by the growing appetite for haute couture at home, which was in turn fuelled by China’s rapid economic growth.
“It’s fair to say that there’s a huge audience [in China], quite young as well, that have the desire, the need and interest in luxury fashion,” says Robert Wun, a Hong Kong-born designer who has dressed the likes of Beyoncé, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga and Adele.


Celebrities wearing Western designer items led to greater awareness of high fashion among Chinese people as purchasing power grew. Now, the focus is no longer just on international brands.
Wun says consumers in their thirties and forties are now interested in having clothes tailor-made. Such expensive items are “something they might only buy once or twice in their lifetime” for special occasions.
“The idea of couture itself comes hand in hand with custom-made, and it’s special, and it’s worth spending money on, and it’s something they want to put into the closet and be able to pass on to future generations,” Wun adds.

Some fashion designers have turned to traditional Chinese culture for inspiration, notably seen in a “new Chinese style” that charmed social media users in China earlier this year: think traditional dresses with modern silhouettes, hanfu horse skirts paired with flowy blouses for city strolls, qipao dresses for coffee dates, and embroidery and silk brocade with frog fastenings.
Hu Sheguang, a Dutch-Chinese designer of Mongolian descent who has dressed the Dutch royal family, has shown his collections at fashion weeks in Paris, London, Beijing and Shanghai.
His “Silk Road” haute couture collections were showcased at the National History Museum in London in 2017.
“When designing, I strive to balance heritage and innovation, extracting the cultural essence from traditional designs while innovating within modern fashion silhouettes,” he says.
He recently received a lot of attention in the fashion world and on social media for his “Northeast Floral” collection.

In a nod to traditional Chinese rural culture, the collection features capes, angular trousers, caps and more emblazoned with China’s dong bei da hua, or “Northeast floral pattern” – large pink peonies and green leaves on a red background.
The pattern is reminiscent of that on quilts and cotton-padded jackets worn by Hu’s family members in northern China.
For many, the pattern evokes fond memories of visiting relatives living outside cities. The once-humble design can now be seen on everything from T-shirts to dresses. In Malaysia, a Lamborghini wrapped in the pattern went viral.
“This success is not solely my effort; it represents the rise of ethnic confidence, as contemporary individuals increasingly appreciate and embrace the treasures left by national culture,” Hu says.
“The ‘Northeast Floral’ [collection] is a successful example of this commercialisation of cultural symbols. I believe this is my original intention: to help more people understand and appreciate outstanding traditional culture, promoting and disseminating it while it seamlessly enters consumer contexts and truly becomes part of our lives.”

This is just one instance of Hu’s work that features classical Chinese motifs redesigned in modern silhouettes.
His Peking-opera-inspired collection “Qu Er” featured puff sleeves, wide-leg trousers, pom poms, tassels, thick-soled boots, and even red and black opera masks – red symbolising loyalty and courage, black symbolising severity and ruthlessness.
He created the collection after studying Chinese literature and ethnography.

Chinese designers often embrace minimalism, showcasing smooth lines and balance while avoiding excessive decoration.
In contrast, designers in the West blend traditional craftsmanship with modern technologies in their catwalk shows, featuring elements like 3D art, laser cutting and installations. There is a strong emphasis on individualism, dramatic creativity and avant-garde styles.
“Many Western designers are increasingly integrating Chinese cultural symbols into their work, influenced by Eastern aesthetics, while Eastern designers are becoming bolder with their use of silhouettes and colours,” Hu says.
He adds that cultural cross-pollination is natural and necessary in the high-fashion world, where merging Eastern and Western design trends can create high art.

In contrast, Wun believes in the separation of his designs and his heritage, preferring not to be pigeonholed on the basis of his background.
“When I came out to be a designer, [I’d] never once thought about, ‘Oh, I’m a designer with Chinese heritage, how do I design with that,’” he says, adding that rather than his culture, he is inspired simply by things that he loves and is passionate about, like movies.
“I just think about the emotions or the philosophy behind it and how that can connect to any other people that might not understand our language or might not come from our background,” he says.
“Whether the world desires more Chinese designers, that is a question I cannot answer. I simply don’t know.”
Wun says society should celebrate individuals “not only because of their background, the colour of their skin or their culture, but because of their talent”.
Only then, he says, can diversity and representation be achieved. “We believe that talent comes from everywhere and it’s not only specific to one region, and we can let talent speak [for itself, to tell] the story they want to tell on a global platform.”

London-based fashion consultant Yvette Jelfs has worked with Chinese designers for more than 20 years.
She marvels at how Hu’s designs cater for older Chinese women, pointing out that, despite young people’s increased interest in haute couture in China, it is actually older, divorced women who are the biggest consumers.
“There are a lot of women who have divorced their rich husbands in China. And luckily they have good lawyers that assist them financially, and they decide that they want to make themselves beautiful again,” Jelfs says.
“So they get their hair and nails done and get a new haute couture wardrobe annually.

“As a designer, China is the place to be at the moment. Every fabric you could ever want is here. You have tailors coming out of your ears, and people that love creating things,” she adds.
“Back home [in the UK], people have lost their way in design. The ideas are not so flowing.”
When asked about her predictions for the future of haute couture in China, Jelfs says: “Give it 10 years and you’ll have a designer brand that’s just as good as YSL [Yves Saint Laurent].
“They’re just not all there yet.”


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Chinese culture

How Chinese haute couture is taking on the fashion world

Rihanna wears a dress by Guo Pei at the 2015 Met Gala in New York. Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Outfits from Dutch-Chinese fashion designer Hu Sheguang’s “Silk Road” collection at London’s Natural History Museum in 2017. He is one of many designers making waves with looks inspired by traditional Chinese culture. Photo: sheguang-hu.com

Robert Wun is a Hong Kong-born, London-based designer.

An outfit featuring Hu Sheguang’s “Northeast floral pattern” is shown at Shanghai Fashion Week 2024. Photo: sheguang-hu.com

One of Hu’s outfits that incorporates Chinese cultural elements.

Rihanna wearing “that” dress at the 2015 Met Gala in New York. The garment is currently on show as part of Guo Pei’s solo exhibition at M+. Photo: Getty Images

Guo Pei’s “The Qing-hua Porcelain” dress is displayed at her exhibition at M+. Photo: Elson Li

Outfits designed by Guo Pei are displayed at the Chinese fashion designer’s exhibition at M+. Photo: Elson Li

Guo Pei, one of China’s most prolific fashion designers, currently has a solo exhibition at M+ in Hong Kong. Photo: Production Avenue

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Centrestage, an annual fashion showcase in Hong Kong, features home-grown brands. Photo: Elson Li

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Lifestyle

Fashion & Beauty

Chinese high-fashion designers have dressed everyone from Rihanna to royals in recent years and their presence is growing on global catwalks


Chinese high-fashion designers have dressed everyone from Rihanna to royals in recent years and their presence is growing on global catwalks.


Fashion

Haute Couture

Luxury brands

Fashion in Hong Kong and China

How Chinese haute couture is taking on the fashion world

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese high-fashion designers have dressed everyone from Rihanna to royals in recent years and their presence is growing on global catwalks

Chinese high-fashion designers have dressed everyone from Rihanna to royals in recent years and their presence is growing on global catwalks