As Liu Yu or 刘宇 enters the Palais de Tokyo for Shiatzy Chen’s show at Paris Fashion Week, it causes a sensation. Dashing in a flowing royal-blue organza maxi-coat, the blonde Chinese star has legions of fans following his every move.
This obsessive adoration is not uncommon for idols in China and the 24-year-old—appointed as Shiatzy Chen’s ambassador last year—is doing a remarkable job of amplifying the brand’s appeal among younger audiences. Two related topics about the eye-catching embroidered coat quickly drew around 28.4 million views on Weibo.
Shiatzy Chen’s founder, Wang Chen Tsai-hsia—known as Madame Wang—confirms the “increasingly profound” influence ambassadors play in the fashion industry today. “Their activity and influence can achieve better market performance and brand value for us. This is why we put so much due diligence into our choices,” she says in an interview. The intention is clear: “Liu Yu has allowed more young people to hear about Shiatzy.”
Ahead of the show, the CEO of Shiatzy Chen Harry Wang, is upbeat. He discusses working with celebrities, explaining how it built up a relationship with Liu over a number of years before it officially appointed him last season. “We are always looking out for these stars that connect with the younger generation and male celebrities, especially, are very popular. It’s a great way for us to educate and draw in new consumers,” he explains.
The Autumn 24 collection certainly feels edgier—the styling, New Wave soundtrack and model casting reinforce this. Cropped sequin bombers and leather two pieces, oversized or boxy blazers, tiny shorts, babydoll silhouettes and miniskirts, 90s-inspired slips all build on last season with signature suiting, menswear and eveningwear interspersed.
The Chinese touch is evident too in its rich iconography: “scenes of ink” is the theme of this season. Embroidered ink blossoms appear on handbags. Oriental-style embroidery layered on Western ribbon creates the effect of “piled ink,” Madame Wang points out. It’s in the details too. “The gold yarn hidden within the black metallic jacquard demonstrates layers of ink embedded with [this] energy,” she says.
Super-influencer Tao Liang—otherwise known as Mr. Bags—who sat front row at the show, refers to “新中式 style or modernized Chinese style”, a dominant force shaping China’s taste levels. “Superstars like Yang Mi and Ni Ni are wearing clothes and accessories in this style now. It’s literally one of the hottest trends in China.”
Livestreamed on Weibo and WeChat to over half a million viewers, the brand’s 32nd show on the prestigious schedule attracted many high-profile guests like actresses Karen Mok and Ruby Lin as well as the idol Yu Yan. Sitting amongst them, the model and influencer Ninii who flew into the city for the fashion week says: “Many teenagers are obsessed with old Chinese style and culture. They want to try traditional things. Personally, I love it too. Shiatzy is doing a great job [with this].”
CEO Wang confirms the design nods to local heritage are helping market penetration in mainland China—its biggest market. Overall, it saw around $70 million in sales during 2023. “We know there’s a recession in China but a lot of the figures are still high. We’ve benefitted from a government push towards spending locally,” he adds.
To capitalize on the momentum, continued expansion is on the cards. New stores in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan and Xiamen are in place with 3-4 more locations in the pipeline. The team is looking at Dubai for 2025. A round of interior refreshes is planned for this year (that happens every 10 years). 2024’s new stores will be “brighter and in keeping with luxury store trends.”
The Taiwanese-based company is on track to launch an accessible line at the end of 2025 to fully capture Gen Z shoppers with an average price point of around €300. Until then, it plans to “test out the segment”. Back to Liu. The first of these experiments saw Shiatzy Chen tap the star for a Chinese New Year with a gift box containing a T-shirt. 500 boxes sold out in 46 seconds on China’s Dewu platform; the remaining took only 6 minutes to disappear on Tmall. Posts about the partnership garnered around 637 million views on Weibo.
“Collaborating with Shiatzy Chen was such a pleasure. It felt like a really serendipitous connection,” states Liu, who was a fan long before his appointment. According to Madame Wang, the main ambition now is to, “bring it to the next generation.” Based on Liu’s star appeal, it’s a formula that seems to be working.