How Shanghai Became the Next Fashion Capital

A year ago, Louis Vuitton wrapped the giant warehouse space housing Fotografiska Shanghai in electric blue. The occasion? “Nóng Hó, Shanghai” (Shanghainese for “Hello, Shanghai”), a four-week cultural festival of book clubs, architecture tours, and live music to promote the maison’s City Guide Series. “Everything was built in 48 hours, whereas in London that would’ve taken weeks,” says Shem Jacobs, a recent transplant to Shanghai and Fotografiska’s director of partnerships, Asia. “The efficiency here is really amazing.”

That a luxury brand could transform an entire warehouse in the formerly sleepy Suzhou Creek neighborhood into a branded playground in a matter of days is par for the course in this town. China’s largest and most cosmopolitan city has a reputation for its breakneck pace—neighborhoods that wax and wane in popularity seemingly overnight, skyscrapers that rise up like real-life time-lapse videos, and trends that come and go at a dizzying pace. And despite several months of intense COVID-era lockdowns—not to mention downturns in luxury consumer spending—fashion types are dancing until dawn at clubs like System and Le Baron. Shanghai feels back: busier, and hungrier than ever for fashion.

Balenciaga’s spring 2025 show was held at the Museum of Art Pudong on an elevated walkway.

Shanghai Fashion Week is increasingly a major destination on the global fashion calendar, while Chinese designers are getting more attention from the international press. Among the most prominent are Samuel Guì Yang, a Central Saint Martins graduate whose work takes a modern approach to traditional Chinese style; Jingwei Yin, who worked for Hussein Chalayan and Haider Ackermann before starting the popular line Oude Waag; Mark Gong, whose line Markgong has been worn by Rihanna and is known for viral shows; and Xander Zhou, who focuses on menswear.

“Even before the pandemic, the fashion scene in China was growing, especially with increasing attention toward independent Chinese designers,” says Yang, who was nominated for the LVMH Prize in 2020. “This growth was supported by strong local selective stores and show platforms. During the pandemic lockdowns, there was indeed an increase in awareness and interest in Chinese fashion brands.” That interest has only continued to grow.

A Samuel Guì Yang look.

International brands also have a strong presence. Balenciaga showed its spring 2025 collection atop the Museum of Art Pudong in May, while earlier this year, Prada staged a sweeping retrospective of over 400 artifacts illustrating its history at the Start Museum. At the Shanghai Exhibition Centre this spring, Loewe put on Crafted World, an “homage to all the craftspeople around the world who have dedicated their lives to the handmade.” For 10 days in April, Michael Kors covered popular bakery Basdban with denim to promote the launch of its Denim Collection handbags, while Moncler Genius will close Shanghai Fashion Week with a special show on October 19.

The hotel scene, too, is transforming. Alila hotels—known for serene locations in destinations like Big Sur, California, and Indonesia—just opened an outpost in Shanghai, its first urban hotel in China. The property features a Jiangnan garden with an indoor/outdoor design, a concept not often found in this dense urban environment.

Le Baron.

The post-pandemic moment in Shanghai is not just about the return of international glamour; it’s about a resurgence in endemically Chinese influence as well. “Before 2020, there was always this focus on bringing in creative people rather than working with the talent around us,” says Michael Cignarale, a nightlife promoter and music producer who founded Medusa, an underground queer party and record label in Shanghai. “The last few years ended up being a big moment for local DJs and local talent. Art and culture in China is really focused on itself for a change.”

This article appears in the October 2024 issue of ELLE.

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Todd Plummer is a Boston-based writer who covers style, entertainment, and travel. He is a graduate of McGill University and Saint John’s University School of Law.