March marks a turning point for rebounding consumer demand and serves as a critical moment for brands and industries to flex their muscles through a flurry of local fashion weeks. For 2025—a year still navigating an “uneven recovery”—this season carries heightened significance. From Shanghai to Beijing, the rise of young designer brands, the transformation of heritage labels, and the influx of international brands and trade resources suggest that China’s fashion industry is striking a balance between localization and globalization, steadily advancing its ambition to establish the “Fifth Major International Fashion Week.”
A hybrid model—one that harmonizes international and local influences, cultural exchange, and commercial synergy—is beginning to take shape.
On April 1, as Nike’s “Pace Setter” show concluded, Shanghai Fashion Week officially wrapped. Similarly, China International Fashion Week, held concurrently, ended on March 25. March, the close of Q1, is when brands present their first major showcase of the year—and through the lens of fashion week, that showcase becomes vividly tangible.
Challenging conditions appear to be forging stronger brand identities. Whether domestic or international, designer and heritage brands alike are approaching trends with greater discernment, following without blindly conforming, and carving out paths that align with their DNA while resonating with the current market.
Shanghai Fashion Week is emerging as a formidable contender for the “Fifth Major Fashion Week.”
Once a niche gathering for emerging designers seeking exposure, it has evolved into a marquee industry event—drawing global brands, high-profile talks, and exhibitions. Both on the runway and at trade shows, this season’s output was undeniably robust, with its platform effect earning praise from both fledgling and established brands.
Australian label Auteur and Vietnamese brand LSOUL made their Shanghai Fashion Week main-stage debuts with highly distinctive showcases. In post-show interviews with WWD CHINA, both designers emphasized Shanghai’s irreplaceable role in their growth strategies, calling it a “mecca” for expansion. LSOUL will soon open its first Chinese flagship in the city, while Auteur plans to return for future shows.
At Mode, Shanghai Fashion Week’s official trade show, the Africa-focused “Vibrant Africa” and Korea’s “Mik Fashion” zones drew significant buyer attention. Vibrant Africa assembled 22 brands, including David Tlale—a commercially successful label worn by international celebrities and a veteran of Paris trade shows—alongside emerging designers.
In a conversation with Wandile Molebatsi, founder of Molebatsi, we learned that one of the brand’s most sought-after dresses ingeniously blended African tribal motifs, French tailoring, and Hanfu-inspired elements—a fusion reflecting the designer’s background and the ethos of Development Reimagined, the zone’s organizer. Molebatsi’s first trip to China in 2023, facilitated by the agency, sparked his exploration of traditional Chinese culture. That single dress epitomized the industry value and global influence of fashion weeks.
Italian newcomer Contr’Ora put it more bluntly. After gaining traction in Tokyo with its comfort-driven, versatile womenswear, the brand chose Shanghai Fashion Week for its China debut. The reason was simple: “Just as you’d always pick Milan, Shanghai’s platform offers undeniable ‘gilding’ for entering the Chinese market,” they noted.
Also of note: As part of the official calendar, WWD CHINA partnered with Bailian Group and Yong’an Department Store to present the 2025 HERITAGE NEXT exhibition, “Fashion Forward: Butterfly Effect,” featuring 24 global young designers.
Beyond the main Xintiandi Hongting runway, satellite venues like Labelhood at Rockbund showcased established names like ili node and JarelZhang alongside newcomers ZiTa Tan and AAAD. Online wits joked, “Judging by the uncles photographing outside, Labelhood has become Shanghai’s second main stage.”
Elsewhere, the “Fashion Weekend” at Nanjing West Road’s兴业太古汇, Monsshowroom’s dual-format “B+C” exhibition on Yunyao Road, and晨风 Group’s “XC Show 2025—Igniting Inspired Living” on Jiaozhou Road featured appearances by LVMH Prize winners and U.S. accessory brand Dunton Ellekam, a social media darling on Xiaohongshu.
