EYES ON THE PRIZE: “I’m very proud to see the shift from ‘made in China‘ to ‘created in China,'” Wendy Yu enthused Monday night in Paris, reflecting on three years since launching her namesake fashion prize. “The creative industries and also the global fashion market should put more of a spotlight on young Chinese designers, especially focusing on original creativity.”
At an event co-hosted by Renzo Rosso of Italian fashion group OTB, Yu gathered 11 finalists from all editions of the prize. Each installed one look on a mannequin and networked with the power players in town for Paris Fashion Week.
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Yu, wearing a sequin and tulle gown by Huishan Zhang, gamely posed for photos with guests including Chinese actress and singer Yu Yan.
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In an interview, Yu noted that several participants in the prize have already broken through internationally.
Chen Peng, a designer known for his outsize down puffer jackets and the 2021 winner of the Yu Prize, has logged a collaboration with Moncler and costumes for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics; Susan Fang, who took home the Creative Pioneer Prize in 2021, has collaborated with Zara, and Shuting Qiu last week staged her second show on the official Milan Fashion Week calendar.
Rosso, who serves on the jury of the Yu Prize and has mentored winners, noted that Chinese designers have a unique way thinking about fashion and creating silhouettes, and that he finds the country endlessly inspiring when he visits, which is frequently.
“We always are looking for creativity,” Rosso said, noting that OTB shelters two couturiers — John Galliano at Maison Margiela, and Glenn Martens at Diesel, who did a one-off couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier in 2022.
He also noted that other prominent designers in the industry, including Bottega Veneta’s Matthieu Blazy and Balenciaga’s Demna, both passed through Maison Margiela earlier in their careers.
In Rosso’s estimation, young designers can choose many paths and creative expressions in order to build a “solid foundation” for a fashion career.
The designers present at the event were Haoran Li, Siying Qu of Private Policy, Li Gong of 8on8, Louis Shengtao Chen, Mark Wang and Tim Shi of Marrknull, Ming Ma, Ruohan Nie of Ruohan, Sensen Lii of Windowsen, Shuting Qiu, Wanbing Huang of At-one-ment and Yueqi Qi.
The next Wendy Yu Prize is to be bestowed in early 2024.