France is keen to attract Chinese tourists to Paris to buy luxury goods. Now the French government wants to attract Chinese fashion brands to expand their business there. 2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the two countries forming a cultural alliance and launching the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism.
Erasay Fall/Winter 2024 – Erasay
To mark the full resumption of travel, several cross-sectoral events have been planned to promote exchanges in culture, education, language, publishing, film and television. In the fashion sector, the two governments, especially in the Shenzhen area, have brought three major Chinese fashion brands to exhibit during Paris Fashion Week.
The Shenzhen Futian Fashion Day, held at the Palais Brongniart in La Bourse, was organized and co-hosted by the International Fashion Strategy Committee (IFSC) of the Futian District People’s Government of Shenzhen and the SFDA (Shenzhen Fashion Design Association), and supported by the Futian District People’s Government of Shenzhen, as part of this season’s Fédération de Haute Couture et de Mode’s “Welcome to Paris” program. The showcase featured three brands: Ellassay, Yiner and La Koradior.
The first show was a commercial success. The designs may be very close to the vibe of brands like Michael Kors, Brunello Cucinelli and Max Mara, but the items are priced between $500 and $800 and made from Milanese fabrics or similar fabrics used by Loro Piana, Martin Shen, an interpreter for the design director, told FashionNetwork.com. Elasey has about 300 independent stores in China and was founded about 30 years ago. Shen noted that Paris has more diversity in terms of designers, adding, “The top brands are here.”
“There’s no other brand like us. We focus on simple tailoring with a touch of femininity to achieve the perfect balance,” Shen said.
A theme that continued throughout the collection was tailored styles such as black dresses with contrasting white necklines reminiscent of tuxedos, which featured large gold buttons for a feminine touch. Similarly, dresses with large black sequin beads and black fringes were paired with tailored long vest jackets. Soft grey and pink combinations added a feminine touch to tailored suits and overcoats, while marabou feather ruffles were used for a subdued look when paired with simple, high-quality embellished knitwear.
Yiner is also a Chinese brand with a 30-year history, more than 350 stores and an average price range of $500, said Liu Rui Yue, creative director of Yiner, who has led the company for the past four years. Speaking to Yiner in English, Yue explained that the brand targets sophisticated and mature women over 40 years old.
“Our brand is really focused on things that are soft and easy to wear, so it was important for us to showcase that in this collection,” Yu said, noting that most of the cashmere-based fibers are sourced from China, Japan and South Korea. Yu noted that women are also drawn to the brand’s high-quality cashmere products, not just for their comfort, but also for their cashmere-down puffer coats, which she is selling.
Indeed, there was a carefreeness to the clothes that exuded a relaxed, non-intimidating ease, perhaps referencing the ethos of current versions of Loro Piana or Gucci.
“Chinese women have always preferred to show off the curves of their shoulders, waists and hips and are not attracted to oversized clothes,” Yue continued, noting that current popular trends in China are grey-on-grey looks, all-black and monochrome brown looks.
So, fitted yet draped knits with shawl collars, puffy skirts with cinched waists, streamlined long sleeve tops, soft wool-cashmere styles in midi lengths and skirts with lots of slits characterised a collection that was mainly in the aforementioned neutral colours with splashes of purple ombré effect and light blue, while cream textured fabrics used on skirts and trenches added interest.
View the Catwalk La Koradior – Autumn Winter 2024-2025 – Womenswear – France – Paris – ©Launchmetrics/spotlight
The third and final collection is for the group’s newest brand, which was founded in 2012 and is helmed by its second head creative, couture director Han Bin Xue. Speaking to reporters through an interpreter, Xue told reporters that the brand’s DNA is romantic and elegant occasion dresses to be worn for “weddings, parties, birthdays and other important occasions.”
Xue explained that La Coradior was based on spelling conventions that were in vogue at the time of its creation: “The inspiration for this collection was based on the Phalaenopsis flower, which means ‘happiness flies to you,'” she said. The collection has a more flirtatious feel than the previous two and represents the most unique perspective.
Ironically, the first half of the collection, as the name suggests, seemed to reference Dior’s New Look with cream-coloured dresses with cinched waists, which felt particularly true to shoulderless dresses with capes and floral appliqués, as well as shirtwaist-style dresses with side-waist pleats and thin straps tied with bows to accentuate the torso.
Purple and lavender styles followed, with olive oil-inspired dresses with 1930s-inspired ruffles, minidresses, capes, cropped jackets with slit skirts and large floral embellishments. Cream tones continued with zigzag fringe on long skirts paired with simple tops and boxy minidresses. Lavender tones continued with glamorous eveningwear styles, such as simple sleeveless minidresses worn under open-front, shoulder-baring capes and long trains made of puffy chiffon appliqués at the back.
After the show, the designer was delighted to show in Paris for the third time, saying it was a “dream come true.” Expanding business to Europe or the United States is a dream for many brands, although they are at different levels of readiness. For La Coradiol, it is a top priority, but there are no concrete plans to sell outside of China.
Yue said the Innerbrand is looking forward to starting projects to open stores in Europe and the US, and is one of China’s top 10 fashion brands. Chen said Elacai plans to open stores in Western markets in the future, but will first enter Russia in the next year or so.
According to Wu Hong, chairman of the Shenzhen Fashion Design Association, the city is focusing on high-end ready-to-wear fashion brands for women, with support from the government.
“These brands were chosen because they are already well-known in China, have established distribution networks and want to expand internationally. They feel that now is the time and the Chinese government will support them in this.”
That same day at the Hôtel de Crillon, outgoing Vogue China editor-in-chief Margaret Chan hosted Chinese designer Zhong Zixin of ZhongZixin, a 2018 Central Saint Martins graduate who is also the inaugural recipient of Vogue China’s 2023 Fashion Fund Chinese Designer of the Year, one of many programs and changes Chan has brought to Condé Nast.
At the Salon des Aigles, designer Zixin, whose unique aesthetic is comprised of sculptural textures and feminine lines, continued to explore the female form with a velvet dress that featured separate molded plastic breasts and midriffs popping out from the midsection of the dress; another paired a bib with a sequined white dress in laser-cut floral fabric. Though Zixin primarily designs ready-to-wear, her thoughtful accessories were also a big part of her collection, showing off glasses made from jade beads and other semi-precious stones that obscured the view but made a dramatic statement.
Caroline Hu Fall/Winter 2024 Collection – Courtesy
Another Central Saint Martins BA graduate, Caroline Foo, also exhibited during PFW.
Her “Reverie by Caroline Hu” collection was shown as one of seven Chinese designers taking part in the Fashion Firm Foundation’s (FFF) Hong Kong Fashion Guerilla AW24 showcase, but Hu also gave a separate solo presentation – a smart move for the designer, as her clothes were well-deserved. The Parsons School of Design MA graduate and 2020 LVMH Prize finalist used the opportunity to present a couture-level, bespoke collection interspersed with some key RTW pieces.
Hu’s designs, which are in the romantic yet edgy avant-garde realm, evoke fans of brands like Comme des Garçons, Simone Rochas, and Cecilie Bahnsen, at least in terms of her US retail in stores like Ikram & Maxfield. (The brand is based in Shanghai, has an office in Hong Kong, and sells at its Alphabet showroom in Paris.) Hu’s unique approach involves combining five different textiles into one textile through a technical process, resulting in fabrics that are complex yet ethereal.
The collection included pieces that were equal parts craft and couture, combining inflatable plastic cushions and stuffing with traditional sewing and draping techniques. Particular standouts were a floral chiffon inflatable dress and a giant black off-the-shoulder poet’s shirt-style gown with around 1,000 hand-applied bow-tie ribbons. A padded tiered gown was also intriguing.
Hu spoke to FashionNetwork.com about his inspiration for this season.
“This is about the relationships I keep at a distance. It doesn’t mean I don’t touch people or hug them. It’s about inner feelings, rather saying, ‘I need some personal time and more space,’ protected through bright and fun florals. The cushions are a tool to express what I want to say. On the inside, it’s a bit dark, but life is also hopeful. Although wearing these clothes makes me feel a bit sad,” said Foo. Maybe so, but looking at them was pure joy.
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