Fashion veterans on New Chinese Style
Jan 13, 2025
It’s not new but New Chinese Style is a trend that’s been exploding across Chinese social media and beyond. A group of veterans in the space speak to Zaneta Cheng about how the fashion movement derives from cultural curiosity, a desire to embrace a once-ignored Chinese identity, and what that looks like in the present day
When was the last time you wore anything with a Mandarin collar? If the answer was last Chinese New Year, I’d be slightly disappointed but not too surprised.
Tang jackets and qipaos have traditionally always been reserved for the Chinese New Year season. Only once the tangerines and red stickers of good fortune have been placed, the goodies set out on the table and the whole house swept do young and old head to the backs of their wardrobes or rifle through the bottoms of drawers to find the traditional frog-button jackets with standing collars in bright reds, oranges, pinks or yellows. It’s something of a pity, given that people in other Asian countries such as Japan and Korea continue to wear their traditional clothing well beyond festive occasions and incorporate elements of traditional culture into everyday wear.
Lately, however, this has changed. While the roots of New Chinese Style are hard to pin down, Bohan Qiu, founder of Boh Project, a communications and content strategy agency based in Shanghai, explains, “We’ve seen an evolution of New Chinese Style and have naturally integrated this into our design aesthetic and everyday style over the past few years. As China has risen in the past decades, there has been a growing appetite and desire, particularly among the youth, to discover the immense history and tradition of homegrown fashion.
“The term ‘Neo-Chinese Style’ has been widely promoted and discussed, leading to the emergence of diverse voices. The once-obvious symbols of Chinese dressing are evolving into a more philosophically Chinese way of life – reflected in the looseness of silhouettes, the choice of fabrics, the sense of ease, the techniques used, and even the way images and events are created.”
The trend has taken a firm hold among the fashion circle in China, where designers such as Samuel Guì Yang, Pronounce, Ms Min and Chen Sifan have been supported by Shanghai-based fashion incubator Labelhood, which has served as a platform for emerging independent Chinese designers for over a decade, giving importance to original design in a market that has looked to international labels as markers of success.
Jillian Xin, the buying director at Labelhood, attributes the trend’s growth to curiosity and pride among younger consumers for Chinese design and culture, saying, “It’s really an exploration by Chinese consumers about our own identity and an increasing confidence to be Chinese.”
On Ying Lai, one half of the design duo behind Hong Kong fashion brand Yat Pit, confirms Xin and Qiu’s thesis that the trend (at least for her) is due in large part to burgeoning curiosity behind Chinese culture. “I still remember my graduation ceremony in London. I couldn’t help but notice my Japanese classmates and their parents who were all well dressed in kimono,” she recalls. “That image has stayed with me over the years because I also remember looking at what I was wearing and wishing that I was wearing something that could represent who I am and where I’m from.”
This moment led Lai to start collecting qipao pieces and mixing them into her daily outfits. “I found the traditional construction of the qipao, which is very tailored to the woman’s body and curves, a bit too constraining for my taste. Because of this and because my personality is driven to try to create something different, we’ve really experimented with the qipao at Yat Pit, using this sensual viscose knit fabric to give a modern and comfortable update to the traditional piece without losing its traditional sensuality.”
Similarly, Lai’s design partner Jason Mui approaches their brand as a vehicle to reacquaint himself with his roots and culture. “Growing up in the UK, there were no reference points to my heritage until I set foot in Hong Kong and I could really start to relate to and eventually embrace my Chinese roots,” he explains.
“Making the brand is a way of exploring the love I have for the Chinese side of me. On top of that I still have a massive love and curiosity for researching Chinese culture. The history is so vast that the inspirations are almost endless. We mostly design based on our own preferences in style and fashion that we really love but what’s also at the heart of the brand is to research topics on Chinese art and culture that we both really love. Through learning new things about our history, we’re celebrating our ancestors. And it seems every time I research, I find something new about myself that I want to share with our audience through our creations.”
Yat Pit’s inspirations are unique and manifold. On Instagram Stories, Mui and Lai showcase not only their own collections but vignettes from life on Hong Kong streets, particularly Sham Shui Po, an area of the city in which “traditional”, “local” Hong Kong culture is still alive and thriving. In addition, their Stories feature movie scenes and celebrities from Cantopop’s heyday. They draw from this mishmash as well as Western references they admire such as photographer Michael Wolf and create what Lai calls “East meets West”, referencing a trench coat inspired by the direct translation of a men’s cheongsam, or “Chinese long overcoat”, using trench coat colours and materials that are associated with the Western garment but adding frog buttons and cheongsam cuts to give it Chinese flair.
Their design is also what Mui describes as a sort of enjoyment: “Dressing up should be a fun ceremony, so it’s not about looking at Chinese style in its traditional sense but breaking the rules because now, more so than ever, when you know what silhouettes, colours and prints look best on you, you won’t be afraid to explore what elements of Chinese style you’ll want to incorporate into your daily wardrobe.”
For Phyllis Chan and Suzzie Chung, partners and designers of YanYan Knits, a Hong Kong brand redefining Chinese clothing through colourful knitwear, it’s easy incorporating Chinese elements in their outfits.
“I feel like Chinese style is always evolving and growing. It’s super diverse and broad and there are so many elements of inspiration from history to pop culture to fantasy. All the different cities have their own flavour and concepts, whether it’s through details like knot buttons on our clothes or little charms we hang on our bags and phones,” Chan says.
“It’s sometimes as simple as referencing the styling or proportions of a concept that you like, such as a shi fu outfit. It sounds funny but it’s a vibe! It’s also fun to represent what you love and your identity in how you dress. For us, we always start with some fun quirky references to movies, or craft or a childhood memory. Some of these references are evergreen, which we reference over and over again.”
From traditional Chinese window panes and an auspicious classical painting of a hundred children, YanYan Knits works with different weights, yarns and gauges to create ensembles that reflect a fun, playful take on Chinese culture from cardigan sets to jumpers and woollen trousers that look completely at home outside of any Chinese festive season. “We want to design in a way where you can wear the piece year after year. Take our annual zodiac sweater. This year’s snake sweater was inspired by the art of Chinese paper cutting. The elements of paper cutting were so inspirational we’ve since added the motifs to other styles through the year as well.”
Perhaps at the helm of the New Chinese Style movement is Samuel Guì Yang, one of the earliest brands designed by a young, internationally trained Chinese creative working to incorporate traditional Chinese elements in fashion. Growing up in a Cantonese family, Yang developed a love for Chinese style through Asian film and pop culture, particularly that of Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan in the ’80s and ’90s.
According to Yang, New Chinese Style is “a modern reinterpretation of traditional Chinese clothing elements, drawing inspiration from Chinese cultural heritage while incorporating practicality and contemporary aesthetics that make it approachable for today’s lifestyle.”
Working to remove Chinese-style garments out of the designation of special-occasion-only pieces, Yang makes “subtle adaptations, like modern takes on Mandarin collars or the use of meaningful motifs. My brand captures Chinese style by drawing from both the past and the present. I find inspiration in the beauty of traditional culture and the often- overlooked elements of our heritage while also reflecting on what it means to be Chinese today.
“We aim to reinterpret these influences through a modern lens – sometimes subtly through details that echo traditional aesthetics, and sometimes more directly, by paying homage to classic forms. For me, it’s about bridging the layers of history, culture and identity to create something that feels authentic yet forward-thinking. As a designer, I’m constantly reflecting on how to celebrate cultural richness without turning it into something overly symbolic or disconnected from real life. It’s a process of balancing tradition with innovation to create designs that resonate on a deeper level.”
While there are theories that the trend exploded in the mainland as a result of the old money trend helping to bring New Chinese Style into the spotlight, the market and social media searches for it continue to increase exponentially among Gen Z in China – so it’s not about to go away any time soon. Regardless of the fluctuations of hype, Xin at Labelhood remarks that nuanced design remains at the heart of it.
“From the beginning, our mission at Labelhood has been to support Chinese designers as we felt they were underrepresented and misunderstood in the fashion industry and in the Chinese consumers’ eyes,” she says. “I think it’s important that they interpret Chinese design in a new, memorable way, whether through adaptations in silhouette, fabrications, or innovative storytelling and styling to push boundaries. It’s been great to see the growth in popularity of New Chinese Style, mirroring the rise of Chinese designers. For me, we’re simply embracing our heritage, our culture and our own identity.”
