“Shanghai Fashion Week was founded in 2003 by Lv Xiaolei, better known as Madame Lv,” Du explained. “The mission was to support emerging designers. The real shift came in 2012, when designers who had studied abroad began returning, showing just how powerful Chinese fashion could be.”

Throughout the week, I witnessed the depth and complexity of Shanghai’s scene firsthand, speaking with designers, journalists, and insiders. This is what happened.

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Landing in China’s fashion capital felt like stepping into a utopian future—and I wasn’t ready. Despite my trip preparations, my phone and VPN were fucked, leaving me anxious without Slack and IG. It was a weird concoction of excitement and isolation, as if the city was buzzing around me while I was stuck in a digital blackout. And after a long-haul flight and a desperate need to shower, I could’ve cried. Fortunately, I was whisked from the airport to the hotel in a Mercedes (because, of course) and straight to my first show.

At one of the two Xintiandi tents—the main hub in partnership with Mercedes-Benz—I caught Xiao Li’s collection of frilly beach sets and frocks, though it leaned toward everyday wear. (Missing Samuel Guì Yang’s show happening at the same time was slightly annoying.) It was a sunny Saturday afternoon, and the jet lag had me dozing off whenever I sat down. The real highlight was my seatmate, Leif, a Swedish angel investor in his early forties who’s called Shanghai home for over a decade. He was optimistic about China’s fashion boom, despite economic caution. After I mentioned meeting Angel Chen during my studies, he snapped a selfie with me and sent it to her.

Next up was Chinese American designer Joyce Bao, whom I first covered for a Central Saint Martins feature earlier this year. Her show revisited elements from her graduate collection, like feather-light corsetry, while introducing fresh silhouettes, like billowing slips and structured jackets. Although her talent is undeniable, we were left wanting more. Still, Bao is one to watch. “My debut collection is about setting the tone—the modernization of craft, and the coexistence of delicacy and strength,” she shared post-show. “It’s also about calling out to the woman, as it no longer just exists as a language, but as obtainable products.”

Later, I ran into Blake Abbie, editor-in-chief of A Magazine Curated By, who gave me a tour of LABELHOOD’s showroom. Founded by Tasha Liu, LABELHOOD scouts emerging talent, providing a platform to showcase and sell in six stores across Shanghai. Abbie made sure I found my way back to the hotel—still navigating without a SIM card or VPN. “I’ve been coming here since 2017, and it’s super energizing,” he said. “China’s market might seem closed off, especially post-COVID, but that’s allowed designers to develop their own worlds without heavy Western influence.”

That evening, I caught the JUDYHUA and OUDE WAAG shows. The former fixated heavily on black with pops of neon—some hits, some misses. In contrast, OUDE WAAG, led by Jingwei Yin, delivered a striking, ultrasexy lineup that showcased his technical prowess, honed from his time with Haider Ackermann and Hussein Chalayan. After a day packed with shows, it became clear that excessive looks and looping soundtracks were a misstep. I needed a bowl of wonton noodle soup to wind down.

After a gorgeous breakfast binge of xiao long baos, I spent the day with Gemma A. Williams, a Forbes and Vogue Business contributor who’s been visiting Shanghai since 2014. “It’s been amazing to see the scene evolve,” she told me. “Independent designer brands were just starting to emerge back then—names like Uma Wang and Xander Zhou existed, but they didn’t always show. This season, the crowds are smaller, shows are concentrated, and there’s less buzz on the streets, which likely mirrors the wider economic challenges.”

We ventured out to Not Showroom, nearly an hour outside the city, to explore three floors of brand spaces. There, we met designers like Rui Zhou, who’s rebranded as RUIbuilt; Yuhan Wang, an old friend from my CSM days; and viewed Louis Shengtao Chen’s ethereal creations, though he wasn’t there in person. I also discovered menswear designer Zhuoran Xiao of the brand ZR, who crafts functional, slate-toned pieces with a gorpcore edge. One collared jacket had me ready to place an order on the spot. Afterward, we enjoyed a lunch of traditional Shanghainese cuisine, with fried fish and prawns atop fresh broccoli florets. My guide for the day, Xinhui Chen, helped me sort my phone situation, and I was officially back on the World Wide Web—though this largely meant intermittently shitposting with shared hotspot and WiFi.

At the next stop, Ontimeshow—I showed up late—I ran into some familiar faces: designer Yueqi Qi, who walked me through her sleek, intricate collection featuring pieces in collaboration with adidas, and the KNWLS duo, Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault. We bonded over the fact that we all had our cats as phone screensavers.

Dinner was its own spectacle, featuring dumplings shaped like swans, carrots, and mooncakes, all served amid swirling dry ice mist. Afterward, we explored Hengdi Wang’s ethereal, albeit slightly costumelike, creations. I then encountered AO YES, a brand I’m now hooked on for its modern twist on traditional Chinese aesthetics. Its minimalist separates in delectable pastel hues are a winner (and yes, they’re stocked on SSENSE).

Room service for breakfast—dumplings, congee, and fried dough sticks (I’m turning into a dumpling)—and then I headed to the Tube showroom. There, I caught up with designers Mark Gong and Jacques Wei, whose shows I had missed due to arriving a couple of days late. Gong took me through his collection inspired by Sex and the City’s Charlotte York, including a viral dress with hand-embroidered handprints on the back, nodding to a legendary Charlotte moment (although he noted that Charlotte’s his least favorite character from the show). Wei, meanwhile, waxed lyrical about his ultraluxe celebration of femininity, with cuts so exquisite I could have died. One dress even featured real gold thread, priced at an eye-popping $30,000. Casual. “Let’s meet in Paris,” he said. I also discovered office h, a menswear brand led by Zewei Hong, showing potential with its colorful, puffed-up take on luxe activewear (another show I sadly missed).

I also met China’s supermodel Xiao Wen Ju, who recently launched her brand, STRUCTURA, with her model husband, Jin Dachuan. The pieces were impeccably tailored, though some insiders dismissed it as just another celebrity brand lacking depth. After trying a few pieces myself, I disagreed—they fit with comfort and precision. Naturally, we snapped a mirror pic for the ’gram.

After a delightful dumpling lunch (yes, again) at Din Tai Fung with my guide that day, Yujie Gu, I caught a couple of shows. First up was Short Sentence at the Xintiandi venue, featuring vibrant tones and prints layered in a playful mix. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if each piece would stand out without the show’s styling. And once again, the looping soundtrack had my head ready to burst—the jet lag wasn’t helping.

That evening, I experienced Yunnan cuisine for the first time with some fashion friends, hosted by PR powerhouses Gia Kuan and Bohan Qiu, alongside Abbie, Vogue Runway’s José Criales-Unzueta, photographer Peter Ash Lee, and others. We swung by the WMWM show around the corner, where models dressed as charming sailors caught my eye—I definitely made a note of the shorts sets that must be in my wardrobe next summer.

Today was a big day for Shanghai’s blockbuster brands, SHUSHU/TONG and Angel Chen. But I had some free time that morning. After a spout of writing, I went for a lonesome local brunch, including sesame noodles and, you guessed it, dumplings. Oh, and fried shrimp cake (love her). I met Criales-Unzueta at the Assignments presentation at the LABELHOOD showspace, where we saw models lounge about in dreamy little dresses and miniskirts in shades of cream. Afterwards, we popped by the PRONOUNCE store to meet design duo Yushan Li and Jun Zhou. I was impressed by their taste levels and execution of garment construction.

Then it was showtime. For SHUSHU/TONG, LABELHOOD’s largest venue was transformed into a faux swimming pool complete with turquoise tile-covered walls. The setup was giving big budget, and the fashions were lovely: off-beat preppy pieces showcasing the brand’s signature coquette silhouette, if not slightly more mature than usual—though a couple of looks leaned a little too heavily on Prada (yes, that Spring/Summer 2009 gold two-piece). Still, very pretty.

Next up was Chen’s long-awaited return after three years. Rumors had swirled about a minor “canceled” drama involving some family issues within her team, but that didn’t hold her back. Dubbed the region’s John Galliano by the Chinese media, Chen lived up to the hype with bold hats that echoed Galliano’s earlier work. Her collection paid homage to Chinese heritage, spotlighting traditional craftsmanship, while the Xintiandi showspace was transformed with sand, grass, and horse statues. I left feeling overstimulated and conflicted—was it brilliance or chaos? And the prevalence of very thin models without representation for other body types was becoming impossible to ignore.

I kicked off the morning with—you guessed it—dumplings (spare you the details). Then, Criales-Unzueta and I went for a traditional massage, courtesy of Abbie. I was kneaded like dough, twisted into a pretzel, and had my back cracked into bliss. It was glorious.

In the car afterward, I asked Criales-Unzueta, who’s been reviewing Shanghai shows over the past year, for his take on the city’s fashion scene. “The first season I was here, it felt massive, as it was after the second lockdown,” he said. “But since then, things have scaled back, and it’s been a challenge for designers.”

Next was the Ya Yi runway show at the Xintiandi tent, where the 2024 LVMH Prize semifinalist served up modern elegance and flawless construction. A live performance featuring models breaking through paper boxes added a theatrical touch. After a quick recharge with fries and juices at a nearby spot, we caught the J-E-CAI show. Models clad in technical, customizable garments strutted down the runway with dogs. One uncomfortable moment involved a blind model and her guide dog, who seemed spooked by the flashing lights, causing a slight detour. Beautiful clothes nonetheless.

I wrapped up the day with dinner alongside a CSM classmate, diving into fragrantly spiced Xinjiang cuisine that had hints of Moroccan flavors.

Sleeping in was a much-needed reset. After a dim sum brunch at Tao Tao Ju—where I accidentally ordered enough for a family of four—I headed to XC273, a concept store owned by Not Showroom founder Ying Zhang. By chance, I ran into Abbie, along with Kiko Kostadinov and his wife, Deanna Fanning (her twin sister and design partner Laura Fanning was sleeping off jet lag). The shop, a four-story concrete oasis of cool, featured brands from Kiko to XIMONLEE, whose show I’d catch later. Upstairs, we explored an archive space where the owner, Brain, gave us a tour of his enviable collection, including pieces from Phoebe Philo’s Céline and Nicolas Ghesquière’s Balenciaga. I finally snagged a structured felt pair of Comme des Garçons Fall/Winter 2012 shorts, decorated with pop art camouflage and floral motifs, that I’d been hunting for years.

I ended the night at the XIMONLEE show, which wasn’t on my original agenda, but I’m glad I made it. The collection was packed with skin-baring, party-ready pieces—perfect for the club—and enough variations of boxer shorts (a personal obsession) to keep me hooked. Afterward, Abbie helped me order some local hand-pulled noodles before I headed back to the hotel to take some calls. Still working, after all.

The next morning I had pan-fried dumplings (variety, I swear) with British Vogue’s Daniel Rodgers, who was in town for the Moncler event the following day. We took a stroll on the Bund, took some funny pics of, well, me.

I then met Du, director of Shanghai Fashion Week, for tea near my hotel. When he asked for my honest take on the week, I didn’t hold back—I mentioned the need to streamline the number of looks and fine-tune the music production. It was refreshing to see how open he was to feedback.

Later that day, I met with LABELHOOD founder Liu, who took me on a tour of her stunning concept stores. I was blown away by the chic interiors, meticulous attention to detail, and her commitment to nurturing talent—her immaculate taste was evident in every corner. “I started as a multibrand shop called Dongliang with my ex-partner in 2011, and by 2014, we began collaborating with Shanghai Fashion Week to help designers showcase their work,” she explained. “Having an independent platform lets us handpick the brands we want to support, and in 2016, I launched LABELHOOD on my own, establishing it as an official showcase. Our mission is simple: Champion Chinese designers. When scouting talent, I look for unique traits in them as individuals, because that’s what leads to truly interesting designs.”

The night ended with an event at the ASICS store alongside the Kiko crew, followed by their dinner at a local spot. It was the best meal of the trip.

For my last full day, I made a return to Tao Tao Ju for one final dim sum feast—couldn’t risk any food regrets. After a quick stop at trendy store Nice Rice to pick up a shirt for my boyfriend, I headed back to the hotel to gear up for a marathon evening, courtesy of Moncler Genius.

The final leg of my trip was all business—we had content to shoot for SSENSE. A massive 300,000-square-foot historic shipyard had been transformed into a mini city where each designer created their own universe. I linked up with our photographer Jedi Zhuo and producer Yve Xu outside the venue, and the night kicked off in a blur of mayhem and serendipity. We arrived early enough to catch Rihanna rolling in, draped head-to-toe in Moncler by A$AP Rocky. We even stumbled upon Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy strolling hand-in-hand down a private roadway. Luck stayed on our side, landing us a prime spot at Rocky’s spectacle, with clean sightlines on Rihanna and her man watching the show together—content gold. Jil Sander’s runway was another standout, with minimalist designs in shades of pink, cream, and red gliding past us.

Though I intended to crash afterward, sleep eluded me as I replayed my Shanghai adventure—an initiation into China’s fashion epicenter. Thanks to the warm embrace of locals and fashion insiders, both familiar and newfound, I felt fortunate to be there—even if the looming 14-hour flight home was a buzzkill. One thing’s clear: anyone not paying attention to Chinese designers is seriously missing out. Sure, there’s room for growth in areas like look curation, sound production, and size representation, but the creative energy is undeniable. And yes, eating dumplings daily is absolutely as good as it sounds.