There’s endless talk about the opportunity for luxury and fashion in the Chinese market. But this is also true the other way. Just ask the talented designers for the four Chinese labels – Li-Ning, ChenPen, Peacebird, Clot – that showed as part of Tmall China Day during New York Fashion Week: Men’s.
At a morning press breakfast at Hotel Americano before the day of shows, the designers (and, in some cases, reps for them) were brimming with excitement about the opportunity to showcase their creativity to an American audience as part of a partnership between CFDA and Suntchi in association with Alibaba’s Tmall.
As guests took their seat, the snow outside picked up, which, we learned, means good luck for the Year of the Dog in China.
“We started Clot to bridge gap between the East and West,” said Kevin Poon, who co-founded and creatively directs Clot with Edison Chen.
And we were proud to welcome them! The collections impressed each in their own way. Li-Ning kicked off the day of shows with an athlete-inspired lineup that exuded a cool Berlin vibe. Peacebird’s slouchy luxury also honed in on the athletic vibe, though standouts including denim overalls that nodded to Americana tropes. ChenPeng already sells at Dover Street Market in London which makes sense, given the oversize, circular puffer coats in bright color combinations that would appeal to fans of Rei Kawakubo. Finally, Clot’s Poon and Chen perfectly delivered on their East-West ethos with a strong collection that made the case for Chinese cool.
“A few years ago, we were fortunate to be introduced to Paul Fang at Suntchi and he’s been a great friend and an incredible advisor,” said CFDA President and CEO Steven Kolb. “As part of that relationship, we realized here is a lot of talent in China…China Day is our first international activation. It’s the cultural connection, it’s the human connection.”
And the added bonus about the day: Instant gratification.
“All pieces in China Day can be purchased immediately by millions of Chinese consumers,” said Jessica Liu, President of Tmall Fashion & Luxury, “while they are watching the fashion show.”
