Fashion Shenzhen catwalk show report for NYFW S/S 2016

Various Chinese designers made their debut at Fashion Shenzhen’s S/S 2016 show. This year’s designers, Kavon, Haiping Xie, and Deng Hao, showed off their delicate and intricate collections, every artist in some way incorporating Chinese culture into their new works. The overlapping trends of the three designers seemed to be loose-fitted dresses, oversized blouses, wide-legged trousers, cowl-neck collars, asymmetrical hems and seams, and the use of sheer lightweight materials.

Kavon, recognized as the first-ever Chinese designer to successfully use “colour art”, combines 3D cutting with vibrant colors to create thoughtful pieces of different shapes and sizes. With elaborate designs and statement patterns, hues of reds, yellows, blues, and whites were present in the majority of her dresses. Asymmetrical hemlines, maxi dresses, and cowl neck collars were key to many of her pieces as well. The lightweight materials that she used for her flowy and oversized pieces were often seen paired with wide leather waist belts.

Every piece by Haiping Xie strongly incorporated Chinese heritage and culture. Black and white dresses with cutting-edge drapery in combination with sheer linen head-pieces flooded her runway show. She turned simple gowns into edgy and playful works of art. Gold, red, royal blue, and black were debuted on many of the pieces promoting a sense of Asian royalty. Collages of Chinese tradition adorned many of the dresses as well making them come to life in a story-like manner. She used sheer and silky, lightweight materials and asymmetrical hems to express the intricacy and art of her designs.

In China, the designer, Deng Hao, has been nicknamed the “Chinese knitting queen”. As seen today, it is clear why she was bestowed such a name. Every piece by Deng Hao is unique and custom-made. Her collection consisted of a multitude of beautifully knit day dresses, blouses, and gaucho pants. In addition to the art of knitting, Deng Hao has also mastered the act embellishing her pieces with gems and floral patterns, making her dresses feel magical and unique. Her collection debuted a variety of dresses and gowns with intricate designs and embellishments showered in layers of fabric with gems and rhinestones adorning the seams. She utilized colors of spring, popping to life her outfits with pastels of pinks, greens, blues, and whites.

Rose Leadem
Photos: Adnan Mohamedy