Everything you missed from Shanghai Fashion Week SS25 – Culted

If your eyes haven’t been on Shanghai this week, don’t worry – we’ve rounded up all the brands you need to know that just showed this season at Shanghai Fashion Week. From avant-garde silhouettes at Office h to refined detailing at SEJIE, keep reading to find out everything you might’ve missed from Shanghai Fashion Week SS25.

Hengdi Wang brought exoskeletons to the runway

Hengdi Wang, the eponymous label founded by designer Hengdi in 2023, hasn’t been around for long and it’s already a standout brand at Shanghai Fashion Week. Playing with geometry, digital biometrics, surrealism and transhumanism in its designs, Hengdi Wang brought the exoskeletons to the surface at SS25, revealing the structures of bones on the exteriors of dresses and shaped out of solid black tops and pants. 

ADSB ANDERSSON BELL celebrated the “Art School Kid”

ADSB ANDERSSON BELL’s collection took inspiration from the rebellious style of the “Art School Kid” – the name of its SS25 collection – referencing artists like Kurt Cobain and Chloë Sevigny through oversized knits, distressed fabrics, excessive layering, and blends of textures. The collection had a Western edge to it, played out in buckled shoes, cowboy hats, classic chaps, and more, with some looks decorated with pencils and other art supplies as a reference to the art school kid we all recognise. 

STAFFONLY took fringing to another level

STAFFONLY’s SS25 presentation was titled “LOST IN ERRORS” and it played with proportions in a really fun way. Not only were items of clothing deconstructed and reimagined in strange new silhouettes, with hoodies worn incorrectly and pockets sewn in the wrong place; but, STAFFONLY also deconstructed and reconstructed model’s faces.

Commenting on the errors of digital technology, Creative Director Hito Steyerl explained that the disproportionate depictions of models’ features are meant to celebrate the “mistakes” tech makes, “becoming a form of resistance against the pristine facade of digital capitalism.”

Short Sentence was “Almost Normal”

Short Sentence’s SS25 collection, titled “Almost Normal,” was inspired by the psychological impact of the ‘Placebo Effect,’ which is when a person’s physical health improves despite them taking a fake treatment – basically, their minds are tricked into recovery. Demonstrating the concept of “quiet transformation,” the collection is supposed to symbolise “positive energy, real change, and a return to the self,” played out in comfortable silhouettes designed to be lounged in – playful, bright colours that bring a fun energyand an overall youthfulness throughout every look.

Sultry Virgin made confessions on the dance floor

In a collection inspired by “party,” Sultry Virgin brought feminine silhouettes and styles to the runway in a collection dominated by mini skirts, layering, and the most unusual hair extensions. Linking up with artist Lilla Lin for the collection which was titled “Confession On The Dance Floor,” Sultry Virgin brought bassy music and looks inspired by dance culture scenes to Shanghai Fashion Week.

J-E-CAI put pets on the runway

LCF graduate Jiaen Cai usually applies a “product design approach” to his J-E-CAI collections, seen at SS25 in the form of structured lines, layered fabrics, and sewing patterns intentionally printed on clothes. Inspired by Cai’s everyday walks through the city, each of the looks in the collection was a depiction of the people he sees walking the streets… and their pets. Yes, there were dogs on the runway at J-E-CAI’s SS25 show, dressed in intricately constructed coats and jackets of their own.

ANGEL CHEN’s models walked through a desert

ANGEL CHEN, the eponymous label founded by Chinese designer and CSM grad Angel Chen, brings avant-garde silhouettes to a blend of Eastern and Western aesthetics. This season, Angel Chen took inspiration from her three-year journey, deepening her appreciation for Chinese heritage through a representation of traditional craftsmanship. The collection was rooted in the nature and culture of her homelands regions, and as a nod to this the showspace was staged with sand, grass, and statues of horses.

SEJIE took us above the clouds

SEJIE’s SS25 collection, titled “Above the Clouds,” offered an elevated and refined take on wet weather-ready apparel. Rooted in its heritage as a Chinese brand, SEJIE looked to modern Chinese imagination for inspiration, pulling on traditional Chinese painting, as well as the spirit of martial arts, to represent the strength of Eastern women. The collection itself was textured and beautiful, revealing a whirlwind of jade green gowns and mesh floral shirts.

LeavesFashion delivered on attention to detail

LeavesFashion was inspired by the depiction of women in traditional oriental poems, and their gentle, refined characteristics, for its SS25 collection, which revealed an intricate collection detailed with tiny images. From sheer tops to silk slips, the collection was printed with depictions of flowers and birds as well as pictures of traditional Chinese architecture.

Office h blew up its collection

Zewei Hong, the designer behind Office h, blew up his SS25 collection with the help of inflatable fashion items like trousers, bags, and hoodies. Split into three categories – white collar, blue-collar, and outdoors – the collection isn’t all inflatable, as it also incorporates tailored silhouettes and denim workwear. The giant inflatables that were bulging across the runway might’ve been a star of the show, but they didn’t distract from the innovative silhouettes of the collection itself.

MOUTION was a surreal garden party 

MOUTION kicked off its latest collection at Shanghai Fashion Week with a silent disco in a green maze garden which doubled as the runway, before revealing some surreal puffered looks. Blending the chicly old fashioned refinement of trimmed gardens with the playfulness of MOUTION’s outdoor apparel, seen on jackets, hats, mini skirts, and more, the collection had a fun yet surreal edge and we can’t get enough of it.

MOROMORO brought retro romance vibes

MOROMORO was inspired by the aesthetics of retro fashion for SS25. Playing on our love of nostalgia, the collection blended different looks: one puppy-carrying model wore a soft, knitted sweater with fur trim; whilst another more grungier look incorporated vintage slogan tees in a “biker” font worn as both a top and skirt. The whole collection was a mixture of sweet and romantic retro references, that blended femininity with sportiness, preppiness, grunginess, and more.

EVVLY made the avant-garde sustainable 

EVVLY aka Evelyn is known for its rebellious styles and innovative sustainable materials, and it brought both those things to SS25. With a goal of sparking “a fresh fusion of avant-garde and traditional aesthetics,” EVVLY brought cloud-like frills, lace gloves, and woven tulle to the runway, juxtaposing these avant-garde styles with traditional Chinese silhouettes and motifs: because EVVLY can do both.

Featured image via Hengdi Wang/Shanghai Fashion Week©

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