If New York City is the fashion capital of the USA, then Shenzhen is China’s, with over 800 fashion brands, 2,500 clothing companies, and a collective valuation of $29 billion. With numbers like this, it’s hard to ignore the fact that something major is, in fact, happening. For Fashion Shenzhen’s presence at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, three established Shenzhen-based brands showed collections, Lizzy (founded in 1997), Haiping Xie (founded in 2005), and Ellassay (founded in 1995).
I had the chance to speak with Lizzy’s lead designer Ren Xin backstage, as well as Ellassay’s lead designer, discussing inspiration and challenges behind their latest respective collections. Ren Xin based her silhouettes upon the fascinating deep-sea creatures that lurk in the oceans. Hues of blue are sourced from the sea as well and, perhaps surprisingly, shades of orange and yellow were inspired by candy confections. The primary challenge for Ren Xin lied within the circumstances – New York is a known fashion empire, and she felt concerned the collection would not succeed with American tastes and styles.
Ellassay, who received a twenty million dollar investment from the Carlyle Group, found inspiration in old world creatives, citing Martha Graham as a primary muse. Her artistic nature and sophisticated simplicity drove the collection. As for challenges, keeping the energy lively and communicating a love for art and dance were at the top of his list. Ellassay retained John Paul Knott (who spent 12 years at Yves Saint Laurent) as design consultant.
Ellassay presented a thoroughly modern collection, opening with a stunning group of broken grid jacquard trench coats in monochrome. From here, there is a shift into elegant, warm-toned jacquard dresses (in contrast to the white/black of prior looks), with the fabric choice giving an air of extreme luxury. Intricate embroidery contrasted nicely with the minimalism of hemp pants. The collection concludes with an introduction of a striking International Klein blue trench coats and dresses.
Lizzy’s collection was an intimately detailed body of work, with sophisticated lace, beading and embroidery. Incorporating Swarvoski crystals and pearls throughout, the collection communicates the glimmering, mysterious beauty of the deep ocean effectively. A classically couture show, pieces are relatively consistent in silhouette but develop tastefully at eye level, with the craftsmanship in full view.
Haiping Xie tastefully composed classical Chinese graphics on dresses of silk and organza- striking images of fish, dragons, and flora native to the Far East. With a color palette initially limited to white and blue, the complexity and conceptual vision of Haiping Xie becomes quickly apparent with the introduction of blazing orange accents. From there, billowing shapes of fabric, sheer cut outs and other fantastic techniques allow the feeling of the sky and air to weave itself into the aesthetic in a very literal way. The pieces become sculptures rather than simple dresses or gowns. For example, a model’s head emerges from a bouquet of blue fabric cut in the shape of oversized grasses.
These three individual designers only represent a small portion of the many that exist in China. Their respective collections have limited availability in the United States, but can be found in the upscale shopping districts of China’s largest cities.
-Benjamin Schmidt
