On March 25, Chinese national fashion brand EP YAYING presented a fashion show-themed “Elegance” (Ya), kicking off this season’s Shanghai Fashion Week. With the concept of “Shaping New Dimensions, Building the Unseen,” the Shanghai Autumn/Winter Fashion Week 2025 showcased nearly a hundred new product debuts, a thousand brand-first exhibitions, and dozens of high-profile international collaborative launch events.
On the opening day, EP YAYING showcased an opening show at the Xintiandi venue, themed around three narrative dimensions: “Elegant Realm” (Ya Realm), “Elegant Melody” (Ya Melody), and “Elegant Motion” (Ya Motion). Featured were cross-disciplinary collaborations with Yang Jinqiu, an inheritor of Miao paper-cutting, and Zou Yingzi, a national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor (Suzhou embroidery), deconstructing the urban fabric of Shanghai and the cultural genes of the Jiangnan region with contemporary artistic techniques.
EP YAYING presented a fashion show-themed “Elegance” (Ya), kicking off this season’s Shanghai Fashion Week. – Credit: EP YAYING
Beyond the runway, EP YAYING also launched several initiatives at the 2025 Shanghai Autumn/Winter Fashion Week. One notable initiative is the Shanghai EP YAYING House, a key venue in the brand’s commercial strategic layout. This cultural lounge, housed in a century-old mansion, was co-created with architectural designer Lv Yongzhong and reconstructed under the concept of “home culture,” reviving the essence of “home.”
Additionally, EP YAYING collaborated with renowned costume designer Huang Wei to present the fashion art exhibition “Time-Woven Brocade: Peony Dream.” This exhibition, centered around the brand’s signature elements—peonies and jade—recreates millennia of fashion evolution through installation art, showcasing the dialogue between traditional patterns and modern silhouettes.
EP YAYING not only brought its fashion show to Shanghai Fashion Week but also deeply participated in Shanghai’s fashion “infrastructure” construction, co-creating and prospering in multiple dimensions such as creative design, intangible cultural heritage inheritance, spatial art, and channel construction. This opening of Shanghai Fashion Week also foreshadowed the brand’s focus on the global market, with Shanghai as its pivot.
Chairman Zhang Huaming emphasized in his speech: “The beauty of great elegance, inherited in a single garment. With its long history, the 36-year development journey of Chinese culture has nurtured EP YAYING’s growth. In this new era of national rejuvenation and cultural confidence, EP YAYING is guided by outstanding traditional Chinese culture, striving to cultivate this beautiful career, focusing on creating beauty, and serving customers’ beautiful lives with heart.”
The ecology of Shanghai Fashion Week has continuously supported more young Chinese design brands from the creative level to the commercial level. The two official show venues of Xintiandi and Labelhood are based on such positioning settings.
This season, established designer brands Comme Moi, Xuzhi, Short Sentence, Shushu/Tong, Yirantian, Oude Waag, WMWM, Private Policy, Ruiruirul, and Youwei insisted on connecting with their buyers and key consumers through runways. In contrast, emerging brands such as Zita Tan, Guest House, Tongwang, and Papi Lav debuted during fashion week. To commemorate its 88th anniversary, Three Gun, the prestigious national brand, hosted a fashion show at Xintiandi and concurrently held the “Three Gun 88th Anniversary Brand Exhibition” on Huaihai Road.
Xuzhi presented his 10th-anniversary show at Xintiandi. – Credit: SHFW Committee
In the trade sector, the total area of the 2025 Autumn/Winter Fashion Week Mode exhibition reached 15,000 m², attracting over 200 brands from 34 countries, with overseas brands accounting for 57%, demonstrating the strong magnetic effect of the Chinese market. The number of visitors on the first day of the Mode exhibition increased by 29% compared to the previous season (October 2024), and the number of buyers and agents visiting the exhibition also increased during the five-day event.
The international elements of this season’s trade exhibition were also fully displayed. Driven by the “Africa Reimagined China Market Program,” 22 top African brands—highlighting handmade weaving, natural dyeing, and environmentally friendly processes—were able to showcase the global potential of African fashion at Mode.
MIK Fashion from South Korea brought 12 local Korean brands, presenting the innovative momentum of the Korean fashion industry with cutting-edge technology, experimental design, and sustainable concepts. The Royal Thai Embassy Shanghai Office (DITP) and the Commercial Office of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Shanghai joined hands with Ontimeshow to bring 16 Thai fashion and lifestyle brands this season.
The “Bangkok Showroom” series of events made its China debut in Shanghai. It presented the unique charm of Thai design to Chinese consumers and industry professionals and promoted in-depth cooperation between the Chinese and Thai fashion industries. In addition, brands from more than 30 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Japan, Vietnam, and India, gathered at this season’s fashion week to explore the diverse opportunities in the Chinese market.
Notably, in the broader context of global fashion integration and in-depth exchanges, Deary Raphael, a senior buyer from Paris Printemps‘ menswear department, and Ash Ghazali, creative director of Singapore’s luxury multi-brand retailer Club 21 under the COMO Group, were in attendance. Their participation underscores the growing collaboration between the global fashion industry and China.
“The Chinese market presents significant potential. As a vast and rapidly evolving fashion landscape, it is undergoing increasing maturation. Consumers are becoming more discerning, recognizing the distinctions between the international fashion industry and its domestic counterpart. Chinese designers aiming to compete globally must be acutely aware of these nuances. Nevertheless, this market offers an exceptional launchpad for many designers within China,” commented Raphael.
Deary Raphael, from Paris Printemps, was in attendance this season. – Credit: SHFW Committee
In the events schedule, two special projects initiated by the Shanghai Fashion Designer Association (SFDA) were presented during the week. In collaboration with Yehyehyeh, the Sustasia Fashion Prize 2025 exhibited eight finalists from across Asia with their unique design pieces based on sustainable materials and creative craftsmanship, redefining the intersection of fashion, cultural heritage, and global sustainability, and announced Chinese designer Ruohan as the winner of the prize.
In partnership with SFDA and Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), the “Supported by Dolce & Gabbana” program collaborated for the first time with the Chinese designer brand Susan Fang. Following the Milan Fashion Week showcase, a special exhibition and forum were organized, aiming to explore how international brands can empower and accelerate global and Chinese creative talent from a global perspective.
As Angelo Flaccavento, an international independent fashion critic, commented, “The last time I came was six years ago. Everything was very pop, very booming, and very bold. Instead, I find everything in Shanghai now—I mean, of course, the market is having a downturn, and it’s a little bit smaller, but I also find the proposal very interesting because many designers are working around their Chinese roots in the crafts or the colors or the shapes. And it gives a very strong identity to what I’ve seen. I really like the shows and showrooms here because I found them very well-defined as an aesthetic, very personal, and very well made.”
Today, the significance of Fashion Week to a city has far surpassed that of a mere fashion event; it is a pinnacle showcase of the city’s capabilities. From the global debut of Chinese designs to the first exhibitions of international brands, Shanghai Fashion Week is redefining fashion discourse with its “premiere power.” As global creativity converges here, the world’s fashion trends are set in motion.
Written by SHEN Yin Edited and translated by Sissi CHU
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and fashion brand Staud have teamed up to create an exclusive resort accessories collection.
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and Staud launch resort capsule collection. – St. Regis x Staud
The capsule blends the modern, effortless novelty of Staud’s West Coast aesthetic with the legendary glamour of the St. Regis brand. The result is a four-piece collection including accessories crafted in raffia and embossed Italian calfskin, designed to transition seamlessly from sun-drenched mornings to champagne-filled evenings.
The collection includes The Raffia Squillo Tote offering a spacious, effortless option for days spent by the water, while the Raffia Bucket Hat adds a playful yet polished touch to breezy afternoons.
Compelting the collection is the Raffia Moon Bag bringing refined elegance to moments like the signature St. Regis Afternoon Tea, and the Tommy Bag reimagined as a collector’s item featuring bespoke artwork inspired by St. Regis’ signature rituals.
“The idea of travel has always been a source of inspiration for me,” said Sarah ‘Staud’ Staudinger, CEO and founder of Staud. “St. Regis represents some of the most iconic destinations in the world, and together we’ve designed a collection that embodies that sense of adventure, indulgence, and style.”
The collection will make its debut through exclusive retail activations at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort and The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, where select pieces will be presented in-suite for guests to explore in the privacy of their own wardrobes.
The collection will also be available online, at The St. Regis Boutique, and for a limited time at the Staud Soho store.
“Our guests seek pieces that are both effortless and elegant, designed for every moment of their journey,” said George Fleck, senior vice president and global brand leader, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts.
“Fashion has long been an essential element of travel, and this collaboration allows us to elevate the guest experience in a new way. With our guests at the heart of our vision, Staud for St. Regis has created something truly unique, an exclusive collection that reflects the essence of resort living, complementing the art of travel and embodying both brands’ distinctive approach to modern luxury.”
The House of Dior has created a fashion odyssey that will be the key installation inside the French Pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, which opens this Sunday.
Dior Fall 2025 campaign – Yuriko Takagi
Dior’s display is a blend of fine art, haute couture, sporting excellence, architecture, fragrances, original sketches, 3D printing and hundreds of toiles.
The Paris-based couture maison is very much on a full-court press in Japan. On Tuesday, it stages its fall women’s ready-to-wear collection in the historic city of Kyoto. Today, it released its latest campaign, where the house’s couturier, Maria Grazia Chiuri, is inspired by the Land of the Rising Sun. Seen in a series of graceful, poetic shots by Yuriko Takagi, a faithful collaborator of the house, the campaign features a fusion of Japanese savoir-faire and French couture through designs that revisit the traditional kimono jacket, with its ample and enveloping lines adorned by an enchanting garden sketched on silk.
Embroidered silhouettes from Dior’s Fall 2025 campaign – Yuriko Takagi
In Osaka, Dior’s installation is organized around the theme of “Hymne à l’amour,” in a tribute to the fervor for craftsmanship and handmade work, reflecting the excellence of Parisian haute couture.
A plural homage to the beauty produced by gestures, embodied alternately by a Rodin sculpture, the timeless Bar suit – a symbol of Dior elegance presented in three variations: blue, white and red – and by the legendary “Amphores Tricolores” designed by Christian Dior in 1949 and reissued for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Echoing the first vocation of Christian Dior, who aspired to become an architect before turning to couture, is the Lady Dior bag reinterpreted by Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima for the “Lady Dior – As Seen By” project in 2024.
Back in Paris, Sejima’s best-known building is the futurist glass structure that ripples along the Rue de Rivoli, acting as the entrance to the Art Nouveau La Samaritaine department store, which is controlled by luxury conglomerate LVMH, the owner of Dior.
Signature looks with floral embroidery from Dior’s Fall 2025 campaign – Yuriko Takagi
Turning to fashion, precious three-dimensional expressions of original sketches and more than 400 emblematic white toiles—presented on different scales—are spotlighted at the heart of a monumental installation. All are placed alongside bottles of iconic Dior fragrances, reinterpreted through 3D printing. In the center, Dior models come to life in poetic images created by Japanese artist Yuriko Takagi.
The installation features a dreamlike choreography punctuated by the works of Japanese designer Tokujin Yoshioka, who revisited the iconic Medallion chair in 2021.
Mytheresa has been pretty quiet about its plans for Yoox Net-A-Porter since announcing it was acquiring the business from Richemont and changing the wider group name to LuxExperience BV, but that all changed on Friday when it unveiled a raft of key management developments.
Michael Kliger – Mytheresa
The new senior leadership team for the combined group will be effective on closing of the YNAP acquisition and “has been nominated to drive and create the leading, luxury multi-brand digital group for true luxury enthusiasts around the globe,” we’re told.
The company said that “to further strengthen the unique and differentiated identities of each store brand, separate dedicated management teams are put in charge to deliver the best curated brand offerings, to create highly engaging inspiration and develop lasting customer relationships”.
That said, at the group level, functions will be consolidated into a shared group infrastructure “that will deliver best- in-class and efficient services for the multi-brand luxury business across technology, operations, customer data analytics and corporate functions”.
A newly transformation function at group level will also steer the group-wide transformation.
The completion of the deal is imminent — planned for 23 April — and the new name and leadership team will hit the ground running at that point.
Who’s who
So who’s in the new team? At the most senior level, existing execs retain their roles although with an expanded remit for the larger group. Current Mytheresa CEO Michael Kliger will be CEO and MD, continuing to lead the group’s overall strategy.
Current CFO Martin Beer, who led the 2021 IPO and was crucial to the YNAP deal, will continue as CFO but will also be an MD.
Existing CTO Philipp Barthold will be group CTO, driving the continued enhancement of Mytheresa’s technology platform and overseeing the migration of Net-A-Porter and Mr Porter onto Mytheresa’s advanced tech stack. He’ll also lead the group’s fraud prevention initiatives.
COO of 10 years’ standing Sebastian Dietzmann will be group COO responsible for customer care, studio production, and all warehouse operations. But when the deal completes, he’ll step down from the Management Board.
Gareth Locke, Mytheresa’s current chief growth officer, will be chief data & analytics officer (CDO), a new role in which he’ll be responsible for the development of group-wide customer insights and customer analytics tools, “thus leveraging the power of the combined data pool to support the store brands in serving all customers”. He’ll also step down from the Management Board.
The firm’s current commercial chief Richard Johnson, will become chief business officer for the group, another brand new role. He’ll manage vendor partnerships including budget, planning, category expansion, operations of the Curated Platform Model as well as the group’s sustainability initiatives. Since joining in 2017 he’s been key in “cultivating outstanding and enduring brand relationships and spearheading various category expansions including menswear, fine jewelry & watches, kidswear and home”.
Current chief people officer Björn Kastl will take that role at a group level.
DR
YNAP’s existing president of the Online Flagship Store, Francesca Tranquilli, will become chief transformation officer and will orchestrate the transformation of YNAP’s four brands, as well as the combination of the businesses into the new LuxExperience Group. She’ll also continue in her YNAP president role.
Mytheresa’s North America president Heather Kaminetsky will become Net-A-Porter CEO and “will be responsible for defining and driving a re-energised customer proposition across the globe as well as simplifying the organisational structures”. She previously worked for that business as VP global marketing until 2016.
At Mr Porter, Toby Bateman will return at its CEO having earlier in his career been responsible for many of its key developments.
Meanwhile YNAP’s COO Mirko Nobili will “transition” from that role and becomes CEO of Yoox.
The Outnet’s MD Sabah Naqushbandi will continue in that role, again “spearheading the brand’s ongoing transformation by sharpening its value proposition and reinforcing its unique portfolio of previous-season luxury fashion”.
Net-A-Porter
Michael Kliger said of all this: “We have selected our future management team at store brand and group level to bring together the most experienced and capable leaders for each role. All these outstanding leaders share a passion for customers, the willingness to drive change and a deep understanding of their business areas. This thoughtfully selected team draws on Mytheresa’s established management strengths, the experience of strong leaders from the YNAP organisation, and is further enhanced by highly accomplished external hires.
“The strong store brand management teams for Mytheresa, Net-A-Porter, Mr Porter, Yoox and The Outnet will create individual brand identities and a differentiated, yet complementary, multi-brand luxury offering for customers. At the group level, the new established leadership team will strategically focus on efficiency and thus boost the profitability of the store brands.
“The team’s shared goal is to deliver an exceptional luxury experience for our customers and to increase the profitability of the group. I am excited and confident that, with our passion and expertise, we will rapidly improve all businesses and achieve our financial goals in the expected timeframe.”