The Tamesis
Against the background of the cautious recovery of China’s luxury goods market, Shanghai Fashion Week (SHFW) announced its tentative schedule for autumn and winter 2026.
The schedule will feature 66 brands, internationally renowned Chinese designers will return, Asian regional brands will continue to participate, and the participation of commercial brands will also increase.
Independent designers remain the backbone of the schedule. A group of well-known Chinese creatives who started building their brands almost a decade ago will return to the official schedule, including Wang Fengchen, Wei Yake, Susan Fang, Xu Zhi, 8ON8 and Short Sentence. Industry observers say the shift is noteworthy: Many designers no longer operate solely as experimental brands but as structured businesses with growing wholesale networks and a clearer positioning within the global fashion system. Even as these brands expand internationally, their continued presence in Shanghai reinforces the city’s role as a platform for Chinese design talent.
Labelhood, the influential incubation platform supporting emerging designers, will once again host a series of talks. Since its launch, Labelhood has played a key role in cultivating China’s next generation of creative directors and experimental fashion voices. Designers such as Mark Kong, Oude Waag and Garçon by Garçon are among the participants this season.
Commercial brands will also return in large numbers, indicating renewed confidence in the domestic fashion market. Shanghai-based brand HPLY will host a show called “Mysterious Journey” at the main venue, using sculptural silhouettes and lace elements to explore what the brand calls “adult fairy tales.”
Chinese high-end brand EP Yaying will end the main show schedule with a conference themed on oriental aesthetics and contemporary craftsmanship. But EP Yaying’s participation will go beyond the T stage. The brand will also host industry talks, buyer previews at fashion trade shows and public exhibitions throughout the week – a format that increasingly reflects how Chinese brands are using fashion week as a multi-platform moment that spans both industry and consumer audiences.
This season’s schedule reflects the diversity of China’s fashion market. Functional and technology-driven apparel brands will emerge alongside brands exploring contemporary interpretations of Chinese cultural aesthetics, demonstrating how domestic brands can carve out specialist categories rather than compete for the same consumers.
Participation in Asia remains strong. Korean brands YCH and Jarret will hold fashion shows in Shanghai this season, while Seoul brand Amomento will hold a special conference to celebrate its 10th anniversary. Their appearance reflects the ongoing exchanges between the Chinese and Korean fashion circles, especially among young consumers who pay close attention to the two markets.
