The label “Made in China” comes with a lot of baggage, but a handful of designers are quietly turning these preconceived notions on their heads, creating some of the most exciting collections in fashion.
“A few years ago, I read a book about the world economy, and it talked about how ‘Made in Japan’ in the 1980s was exactly what ‘Made in China’ in the 2000-2010s was like,” says Wei Lin, co-founder of innovative NYC fashion label PH5. Wei is the daughter of a Chinese knitwear manufacturer, and together with Parsons-trained, award-winning designer, Zoe Champion, the duo have been creating fashion-forward, science-powered knitwear since 2014. “Japan was the hub for low-price manufacturing back in the day, but now, look at what ‘Made in Japan’ has become. Now the label stands for quality, style, durability, and authenticity. I think ‘Made in China’ is getting there.”
Chinese clothing might once be associated with cheap manufacturing and disposable fashion, but what these fashion designers from China are creating is anything but inferior. In fact, they are now some of the most highly coveted labels globally. Just take a look at Robert Wun, who just showed his latest couture collection in Paris. His haunting haute fashion has been seen on every star from Beyoncé to Lady Gaga. Then there's Shushu Tong; the design duo's edgy-femme style have influencers clamouring to get their hands on their babydoll dresses.
Aesthetics aside, where China is also winning is in material science. PH5 has used yarns that are UV reactive, flashlight reflective, and infused with hyaluronic acid and their highly-recognisable prints are actually digitally coded. “Our garments are highly engineered,” says Wei. “For example, our denim pieces are not actually denim. They are computer-programmed denim Trompe l’oeil prints that we, dot-by-dot, coded onto garments.”
From making glamorous, red carpet-worthy designs to meticulously tailored daywear, these are the Chinese designers shaking up the industry, and who are proudly “made in China."
ICYMI: Read about the best British fashion brands and best French fashion brands too.
Robert Wun
Robert Wun, a Hong Kong-born and London-based fashion designer, has become of the most exciting couturiers of our generation. Known for his architectural silhouettes, theatrical aesthetics, and fearless experimentation, Robert's designs are arguably closer to fine art. A graduate of the London College of Fashion, he launched his eponymous label in 2014, quickly gaining attention for his sculptural designs that blend East Asian cultural references (the swallow-tail details being a signature) with avant-garde flair.
Robert's work is best known for their sharp tailoring, exaggerated volumes, and intricate detailing, earning him A-list fans from Lady Gaga to Beyoncé who love to wear his dramatic designs on stage or the red carpet. In 2023, Robert made headlines with his debut Paris Haute Couture show, becoming the first Hong Kong designer to be invited to show on the official couture calendar—a major milestone in both his career and for Asian representation.
Shushu Tong
Shushu/Tong, founded in 2015 in Shanghai by Liushu Lei (“Shushu”) and Yutong Jiang (“Tongtong”), is best known for their signature edgy-feminine aesthetic that reimagines girly motifs. Think bows, ruffles and lace styled with socks you'd see on dolls but designed for grown ups. Both alumni of the London College of Fashion, the designers honed their skills at Simone Rocha and Gareth Pugh, which can be seen through their use of playful tailoring and romantic details.
A highlight at Shanghai Fashion Week, the brand has now become the go-for for It girls and influencers in London who have fallen in love with their dainty knitwear and dollhouse designs.
Mark Gong
Beijing-born, Parsons‑educated designer Mark Gong debuted his eponymous womenswear label in 2018, and dazzled audiences at New York Fashion Week before becoming a standout designer-to-watch at Shanghai Fashion Week. His signature pieces involve combining razor‑sharp tailoring with provocative, playful elements.
Mark is often inspired by iconic female characters in American pop culture. Previous collections drew references from Sex and The City, while his latest autumn/winter 2025 collection is inspired by Hollywood It Girls from the 2000s, namely Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Furry stoles, low-slung skirts and baggy jeans dominated his Shanghai Fashion Week show.
Rihanna, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo are just some of his international A-list fans, but his recent tuxedo dress look for K-Pop sensation Lisa at the 2025 Oscars firmly established him as one of the most exciting Chinese designers on a global stage.
Susan Fang
Central Saint Martins grad Susan Fang founded her label in 2017 and has since become one of the most highly-anticipated designers to show on the London Fashion Week calendar.
Her shows often involve elaborate props like life-sized bubbles or floating spheres on a swimming pool, while her collections exude ethereal femininity mixed with technical innovation. Her hallmark "air‑flower" method, for example, involves layered, folded tulle strips fashioned into three‑dimensional blooms, reminiscent of delicate petals. Intricate wire‑smocking, laser cutting, and spray-paint techniques are also used to create her floating “jellyfish” dresses.
PH5
Contemporary women’s knitwear brand PH5 was founded by Wei Lin, the daughter of a knitwear manufacturer and designed by a Parsons-trained, award-winning designer, Zoe Champion. The label challenges the conventional vision of knitwear by marrying whimsical designs with architectural dimensions of knitting techniques. The name is taken from the numeric pH scale—ranging from 0 to 14, with 7 as neutral—which the designers have used to represent the unisex nature of their aesthetics that balance a sporty-approach to feminine styles.
Through material innovation, PH5 has employed the use of avant-garde fabrics, like yarns that are UV reactive, flashlight reflective, and hyaluronic acid-infused, redefining the possibilities of knitwear and the relationship between technology and fashion.
Huishan Zhang
Huishan Zhang is the first Chinese designer to show on the London Fashion Week calendar. The Qingdao-born, Central Saint Martins–educated designer founded his label in 2012 and has since amassed a fanbase who loves his modern interpretation of the Chinese cheongsam as well as beautiful evening wear. Prim silhouettes belie the technical innovation involved in crafting his creations, including sequinned neoprene, laser-cut floral fabrics, and digitally printed organza. Using 3D tailoring, delicate embroidery, and Asian-inspired details, the designer who once trained at Dior couture, is a master of elegant tailoring.
Didu
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp graduate launched Didu in 2019 and has since become a rising star on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar every season since 2021. Cut-out dresses, corsetry, and sleek tailoring have become her signature and in April 2023, the young designer collaborated with Mytheresa on an exclusive capsule collection as part of their China Designer programme.
Her collections mix dark sensuality with artistic storytelling. For instance, Didu's autumn/winter 2024 collection is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, which saw grunge silhouettes doused in a moody palette resulting in wispy black tops and dresses with unfinished details. Didu recently launched a collaboration with New Balance; the collection of cleverly designed, technical pieces marked Didu's exponential rise on a commercial scale.
Pronounce
Gender-fluid label Pronounce was founded in 2016 by Yushan Li and Jun Zhou. Both alums of prestigious fashion schools like Central Saint Martins and Istituto Marangoni respectively, Yushan worked at Kanye West's fashion label Yeezy soon after graduation while Jun spent time at menswear brand Ermenegildo Zegna.
The brand made history as the first Chinese label to show at Florence’s Pitti Uomo in 2019 and now consistently shows at Men's London Fashion Week. Drawing from their Chinese heritage, the duo take familiar Chinese motifs like Mao jackets, Terracotta Warrior prints, and oracle bone designs and reimagines them through deconstructed tailoring and oversized silhouettes.
Bad Binch Tong Tong
New York–based, Wuhan-born designer Terrence Zhou is the young talent behind Bad Binch TONGTONG, a fashion label known for its outsized silhouettes and immersive performance art. The Parsons and Central Saint Martins alum, uses his expertise in math and engineering to craft his ballooning silhouettes from mermaid tails and octopus skirts to giant spider-inspired dresses.
He made his debut in spring 2023 at New York Fashion Week with a show filled with dancers instead of models, wearing inflatable heads and spinning in his other-worldly pieces. His avant-garde, surrealist pieces have been worn by everyone from Lizzo to Kim Kardashian who celebrate his envelope-pushing designs.
Zidi
Before founding his own label Zidi in 2014, Hong Kong–raised, Central Saint Martins-educated designer Nathan Moy cut his teeth and various luxury labels including JW Anderson and Louis Vuitton. The brand, named after the Mandarin for "sibling," is known for its sustainable luxury designs that play with exaggerated silhouettes and optical illusion.
Zidi made its London Fashion Week debut this year in February with a collection inspired by mathematical genius Einstein and Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher. The ready-to-wear featured trompe-l'œil prints, hidden structures and twisting forms, while his autumn/winter 2025 collection entitled “Flux” explores digital illusions using technical fabrications and electric hues.
His sculptural “Arca Bag” which uses 3D folding techniques has quickly become a sought-after accessory of the coolest gals in the industry.
