Zhang Qian

zhqcindy@163.com

WITH Shenzhen’s local brand AUM staging its runway show yesterday evening at the Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition, the A/W 2018 Shenzhen Fashion Week officially rolled up its curtain for fashionistas.

Over 80 runway shows are going to be held during the fashion week at the new downtown cultural landmark and a dozen others will take place at subvenues in Futian, Nanshan, Longgang and Longhua districts from today until Monday.

Themed “Fashion as Art,” the annual fashion week is hosted by the Shenzhen Municipal Government, organized by the local economy, trade and information commission and elaborated by the Shenzhen Garment Industry Association.

This year’s carnival has also been strengthened through cooperation with the global leading fashion management group IMG, a producer of the New York Fashion Week.

“The 2018 Shenzhen Fashion Week focuses on the commercial brands and independent designers that present cutting-edge fashion design and strong market connection,” said Chen Biao, a member of the Shenzhen Municipal Government’s leading Party members’ group, at a press conference yesterday.

“Shenzhen is home to more than 2,000 apparel companies and 20,000 designers,” said Chen. “And we hope the fashion week can further boost the city’s fashion industry, thereby making Shenzhen a fashion capital.”

Shen Yongfang, chief of the Shenzhen Garment Industry Association, introduced a range of highlights for the fashion week.

In particular, she shared that the fashion carnival aims to integrate independent design and commercial brands, connecting design and the market as well as drawing attention away from professional fashion insiders and to fashion end-consumers.

“Over 200 designers from home and abroad were invited to showcase their latest fashion collections in both runway shows and static showrooms,” said Shen at the conference.

She also pointed out that although the Shenzhen Fashion Week is still in its growth stage, it has gained a high degree of international recognition.

“The designers we have invited for the event over the first few years not only brought runway shows, but nearly 40 percent of the designers also signed deals with local fashion companies,” according to Shen.

Magnates from the fashion industry such as Mario Boselli, the honorary president of the Italian Fashion Chamber, and Jennifer Taylor, vice president of IMG’s fashion department, also attended yesterday’s conference before the first runway show.

“I think the festival has grown in professionalism and international recognition, definitely, but also the number of local brands that are showing here in Shenzhen,” said Taylor.

The fashion guru said that she sees that local brands have paid a lot of attention to creativity and detail, and that the industry is closely connected with manufacturers in Shenzhen, which helps the brands grow rapidly.

Taylor said she is looking forward to seeing more creativity from local fashion brands. “It’s interesting to see how the fashion industry transfers and scales up so quickly from the runway to the stores.”

The runways are arranged in a V shape and C shape, allowing audiences an up-close look at the models. Following standard international practice, each room can accommodate some 1,000 audience members.

On the third floor will be another 400-seat showroom, which provides a stage for fledgling designers who have yet to make their names. On the fifth floor will be static shows and pop-up stores as well as an exhibition of contemporary art, aimed at giving the audience a new experience of exploring the boundaries between fashion and art.

Audience members are reminded to only bring small bags with them when attending the runway shows, as large bags and backpacks are not allowed in the showrooms and there are a limited number of lockers at the museum.

Audience members are also encouraged to take public transport due to the limited number of parking lots around the museum. The nearest Metro station is Children’s Palace Station on Lines 2 and 4.

ID cards will be checked along with tickets. Outside food and beverages are not allowed in the museum.