Shanghai Tang Celebrates 30 Years With Hong Kong Exhibition

When David Tang launched his brand Shanghai Tang in 1994 the world was very different. The concept of a Chinese luxury brand—or even one that fluttered on the verge of ‘high end’—was unmentionable. Now, 30 years later, the brand has not only gone the distance but is finding new audiences at home with the rise of China chic.

To celebrate this notable anniversary, Shanghai Tang debuted an intimate retrospective exhibition at the local creative hub PMQ during November’s Hong Kong Fashion Fest. Titled A Journey Of Rediscovery, the show presents the brand’s rich history, legacy, and archive through a curated selection of clothing, ephemera, rare objects as well as interactive digital elements such as AR tech.

Distilled here in a number of signature items—an infinity knot bag, a qipao, and a five-button Tang jacket—the brand’s unique blend of East-meets-West was a pioneering aesthetic that extolled the visually seductive lifestyle of 1930s Shanghai. It was a global hit—a constructed expression of Chinese identity, a version that was palatable to the Western world.

This East-meets-West idea is as pertinent today. According to the Commissioner of Cultural and Creative Industries, Victor Tsang, it is a cornerstone of the recent (and rebranded) Hong Kong Fashion Fest. “It’s a powerful reflection of our city’s unique cultural identity, and I believe it plays a significant role in enhancing Hong Kong’s soft power on the global stage,” he states.

Shanghai Tang was clearly a proponent of this, especially given Tang’s larger-than-life personality, style (he was rarely photographed out of his Tang jacket), and a wide circle of celebrity friends—captured in the exhibition’s wall of fame montage. Even though it was sold early on to Compagnie Financière Richemont, its fortunes rose and fell over the years before eventually being acquired by its current owner Lunar Capital in 2018 following Tang’s passing in the year before.

On a recent trip to Shanghai, I was surprised to find it among the ranks of the boutique store LMDS in the Xuhui District—pointing to a revival of shorts on the mainland among younger generations. LMDS was founded more than five years ago, before the pandemic, and saw the rise of the guochao or national wave as it swept the country. In fashion, it’s now a fixture of stores (Ms Min and M Essentials) to fashion weeks (Samuel Guì Yang to Ao Yes). The founder of LMDS Eric Young says in an interview that consumers in China are “paying even more attention” to local culture.

“Shanghai Tang is actually very special,” he explains. “In addition to the changes derived from the traditional design, it always tries to blend in a modern contemporary style too, making it entirely new,” Young says his customers, the city’s affluent and engaged young community, like the details, especially the most recognizable color pops and contrasts—acid greens and vibrant orange. It also does especially well before and after various festivals.

A brand spokesperson stated that A Journey Of Rediscovery which ran from November 27 to December 15, is expected to travel in 2025 (mainland China on the cards) affirming the growing trend of fashion exhibitions to cultivate and deepen brand awareness. Also in Hong Kong for the Fashion Fest was the curator Jamie QQ Wu, who visited the exhibition during her stay, “This is a great example of the rise of showcasing iconic Asian cultural moments that disrupted a universe of Western-dominated aesthetic through the lens of fashion,” she explained.

Among the line-up of physical objects—perfume bottles, homeware, jewelry, and even colorful skateboards (a collaboration with Jacky Tsai, one of many partnerships)—the exhibit includes several effective digital experiences.

With the creative collaborator Fabrix, it uses spaces to convey time: the show opens with a homage to its trailblazing Ginger Flower fragrance that scented the brand’s first boutique; motion graphics digitally recreate that first home in the Pedder building. Later, visitors can try on and take snaps of classic designs brought to life by AR tech.

“It’s a great showcase of Shanghai Tang’s journey through the blend of tradition with cutting-edge technology,” says Annie Siara, CEO of the digital company Onewayx. For her, the main point of interest was how the exhibition “honors Chinese heritage” while introducing “innovative interactions into the visitor’s experience.”

At a time when brands are increasingly trying to stand out, the lucky ones are those with an eye-catching legacy.