New Chinese-style clothing is enjoying surging popularity in domestic and overseas markets, especially demonstrated in Shanghai, one of the gathering places of Chinese trendy culture.
New Chinese-style clothing is typically defined as attire that seamlessly integrates traditional Chinese elements with contemporary styling.
"The new Chinese-style has been super popular the last couple of years, and so many fashion influencers are styling it. So, we decided to hop on the trend and picked up a few outfits ourselves," said a resident in Shanghai.
"My friends who are studying abroad are really into the new Chinese-style these days. They think it's not only stylish, but also has a lot of cultural meaning and it's getting pretty popular overseas too," said another local resident.
New Chinese-style clothing not only encapsulates traditional aesthetics and cultural heritage but also integrates materials, techniques, and technologies stemming from modern science, according to clothing shop owners.
"New Chinese-style clothing keeps classic details like the mandarin collar, frog buttons, and double-breasted design, but with a modern twist such as new cuts, styles, and details. It's way more casual and not as fancy as traditional Hanfu," said Su Su, a staff member at a new Chinese clothing store named Chunye.
At another clothing store, the manager said that since the end of last year, their sales have gone up by about 40 percent, corresponding to the rise of new Chinese-style clothing, especially in the surging popularity of high-end fabrics among middle-aged groups.
"The fabrics used in new Chinese style are really carefully chosen with luxurious materials like silk, Song brocade, and fragrant cloud silk. But because these fabrics are pretty pricey, they're not as attractive to younger people or the general public. For us, our main customers tend to be women over 30," said Zhu Xiaofang, manager of Luoyi Garden.
New Chinese-style clothing offers new inspiration and direction for the fashion world, said Chinese designer Taoray Wang, whose women's collections have been a regular at New York Fashion Week for the past decade.
As the creative director of Chinese clothing brand JUZUI, she is now busy preparing for New York Fashion Week in February next year.
At 2024 winter New York Fashion Week, Wang presented her women's collection inspired by peony, a flower rooted in Chinese culture, showcasing China's unique aesthetics and traditional craftsmanship to the rest of the world.
"If Chinese style doesn't change and adapt, it won't be able to carry on. Therefore, the designs I create are definitely modern takes on traditional Chinese styles, in line with today's trends. For the upcoming 2025 New York Fashion Week, JUZUI will present a collection titled 'Autumn Splendor, Winter Essence'. Incorporating new Chinese-style elements throughout, the collection will feature innovative designs and color use, fabric manipulation, tailored silhouettes, and three-dimensional embroidery," she said.
In addition to innovative designs, Wang also partnered with a heritage enterprise specializing in traditional pleating techniques in east China's Jiangsu Province to develop new molds, giving the garments a unique style that blends both structure and fluidity.
New Chinese-style clothing enjoys surging popularity in domestic, overseas markets
