Shanghai Fashion Week wraps up after nine breathless and optimistic days

Shanghai Fashion Week was bigger than ever this year – almost too big, in fact. While it is the range of events beyond the catwalk shows that has made it such a success in so short a time, this year’s edition spread over a very long nine days and, for all its inclusiveness, could perhaps have been better curated.

“There are a lot of shows taking place during Shanghai Fashion Week. Some of the shows are great, some of them less so,” says Richard Hobbs, co-founder of The HUB, a trade show that also hosted a series of catwalk shows for young British designers. “I like to think that what we do is more selective.”

Still, there was an undeniable air of optimism around Shanghai this month.

“The event is definitely one of the youngest, in terms of atmosphere, and is also the most vibrant one,” says Yichi Zhang, a creative consultant who has styled for Vogue Chinaand Harper’s Bazaar China.

“Part of the reason comes from the fact that a lot of independent platforms and agencies are based here– so emerging brands work with them to get the kind of industry attention they would otherwise struggle to find by themselves.”

One example was showroom concept Labelhood, which hosted a series of presentations by some of China’s emerging and most innovative designers on The Bund. One standout from the showroom was London-based Haizhen Wang, who showed a collection with elongated sleeves, structured coats and raw hemlines.

Back in the main tents, special attention was paid to Ban Xiao Xue, 2012 winner of the China Woolmark Prize. The designer showed a range of romantic looks in white and black, featuring textures and prints that were full of ideas. But with so many looks on offer, the show was a metaphor for Shanghai Fashion Week as a whole – a smaller and more cohesive collection would have been better.

“China represents a huge opportunity for expansion,” says Alexis Holm, founder of Squarestreet. “Comparing Hong Kong as a retail market to China would be like putting a pebble next to a boulder, and we’re not about to miss out.”

Squarestreet not only showed at The HUB but had a booth at trade show Ontimeshow. While positioned for the local market, this event had an impressive array of brands and saw plenty of traffic from store buyers and media on all three days of operation.