Chinese designers spotlighted at London Fashion Week

As London Fashion Week continued its 40th-anniversary celebrations this season, Chinese designers, including Huishan Zhang, Consistence, and Mithridate, utilised the global fashion showcase to bridge the gap between the West and Asia to highlight their spring/summer 2025 collections.

Consistence ‘Useless But Fabulous’ SS25

Consistence, founded in London by married couple Tien Lu and Fang Fang in 2015, who graduated from Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion, joined the LFW line-up this season as part of Hu Bing Selects curated by Chinese actor and model Hu Bing to celebrate his 10th anniversary as the BFC LFW Ambassador for China. The new initiative aims to provide a platform for Chinese design talent on a global stage as part of the British Fashion Council’s strategy to build closer ties with the Chinese fashion industry.

The Shanghai-based brand, which has previously shown at Milan Fashion Week sponsored by Armani and taken part in the Tranoï Paris emerging designer support programme, used its on-schedule spot at LFW to present its first womenswear collection, ‘Useless but Fabulous’.

The collection drew inspiration from the duo’s menswear expertise and highlighted the brand’s signature tailoring, with suits and trench coats, alongside its sustainable design practices, where they transformed fabric scraps from previous productions into accessories, such as headscarves, gloves, and scarves.

It also features a fabric collaboration with leather company Scabal, including the use of its patented 24-carat gold-infused fabric, as well as fluorescent pink and fluorescent yellow wool fabrics.

Yuhan Wang SS25 ‘The Rose Fist’

London-based Yuhan Wang, from Weihai in Shandong province, graduated from Central Saint Martin's and honed her skills working with Marni and JW Anderson. Wang has been part of LFW for several seasons, debuting in 2018 as part of the talent incubator Fashion East, before becoming part of BFC’s NewGen designers.

For SS25, the designer continued her tribute to the spirit of women, taking inspiration from trailblazing female boxers with a collection balancing strength with softness, featuring athletic leotards, biker shorts, and tank tops cut from sensuous Chantilly lace, paired with swinging skirts reminiscent of ballerina tutus.

Other highlights included American football-inspired silk tops with voluminous shoulder pads adorned with lace trains and 3D floral motifs, alongside waist-cinching corsets and sporty zip tops decorated with ribbons and hand-drawn numbers reminiscent of competitive sports gear, and baseball shirts styled with lace-trimmed boxing shorts and kitten graphic crop tops. Wang even covered boxing gloves in lace.

“It’s about embodying a duality: celebrating fierce determination intertwined with delicate femininity,” explains the brand in the show notes. “The collection marries the audacious spirit of female fighters with Yuhan Wang's romanticism, offering a vision of womanhood that is both resilient and graceful.”

Huishan Zhang SS25

Huishan Zhang, who is based in London and a regular on the LFW schedule, took inspiration from Wong Kar Wai's erotic short film ‘The Hand,’ for his spring/summer 2025 collection offering elegant and sexy daywear ensembles with beaded fringes, embellished scuba gowns, shirts and cardigans styled open over sheer bras, statement trench coats and shift dresses with sheer and cut-out detailing.

Commenting on the collection, Poppy Lomax, head of superbrands and international designer buyer at Harrods, told FashionUnited over e-mail: “Huishan Zhang presented a sophisticated collection featuring dresses and skirt sets suitable for all occasions.

“The show had a dark, moody feel which embraced sexier, more structured pieces, while still incorporating Huishan's iconic sequins and heavy embellishments that are always a favourite part of his collection. The attention to detail on the pockets was impressive, showing his skill in dressing women.”

Mithridate pays homage to Yunnan in China

Luxury Chinese fashion house Mithridate, founded by creative director Demon Zhang, a Central Saint Martins graduate who assisted both Lee Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, joined the official LFW schedule this season with a vibrant demi-couture catwalk show at the historic Royal Horticultural Society’s Lindley Hall.

The SS25 collection is described as a personal journey for Zhang, paying tribute to her hometown roots of Yunnan, the southwestern province of China, blending local traditions with a modern aesthetic inspired by the natural elegance of the landscape.

Yunnan is known as the ‘Flower Kingdom’ and the second-largest flower trading city globally, and floral motifs are a recurring theme throughout the collection, with Zhang using colourful pom poms to symbolise their beauty and delicate nature. Zhang also highlights ancient techniques and rich cultural traditions, placing a spotlight on Yunnan’s traditional tie-dying method, which has been reimagined with contemporary fabrics and tailored silhouettes and includes local traditions, such as the region’s distinctive silverware and accessories.

Highlights included boxy silhouettes with beaded floral embellishments, exquisite gowns with sheer panelling and floral adornments, blazers adorned with silverware trims, sunset-hued bomber jackets and streetwear, and tailoring crafted from locally sourced cotton that feels similar to soft linen to highlight the natural elegance of the Yunnan landscape.

JD.com highlights Chinese talent at LFW

JD.com, the official Chinese retail partner of LFW, brought a selection of Chinese designers, including Shenzhen’s sportswear and fashion brand Ellassay and womenswear labels Marisfrolg and Pure Tea to London to host a Jingdong Fashion ‘Red Journey’ catwalk show in the courtyard of Somerset House.

The move followed the Chinese e-tailer announcing a new partnership with the British Fashion Council to enhance the presence of British designers in the Chinese market while uplifting Chinese and Asian designers on a more global level with the launch of a dedicated campaign on its app.

In a statement, JD.com added that it would leverage its advanced e-commerce infrastructure and extensive consumer reach to help British and global fashion brands navigate the complexities of the Chinese market, highlighting its sophisticated in-house supply chain and logistics network, which delivers 90 percent of retail orders within 24 hours.

Sherrin Kong, president of Jingdong Fashion, said: "JD.com, Inc. supports brands and designers by offering one-stop solutions from consumption insights, e-commerce operations, promotion and marketing to logistics and customer services.

"We help international brands better understand the Chinese market and we support Asian and Chinese brands in continuing to enhance their image in the international market."

The back-to-back catwalk showcase drew inspiration from Jingdong’s signature red and showed Ellassay exploring its contemporary urban fashion with a feminine, elegant touch, drawing inspiration from the freedom of women with a collection of dresses and tailoring featuring embellishments.

Marisfrolg, a brand aimed at the modern urban woman, showcased its newly launched ‘Glazed Art’ collection, which takes inspiration from contemporary handcrafted glassworks with sculptural silhouettes, textured prints and cut-out detailing.

While Pure Tea, a womenswear brand that embodies the spirit of Eastern art and culture, showcased its ‘Floral Wardrobe’ collection filled with vintage-inspired floral and embroidery designs.