T: I think it was the anime and manga I was obsessed with in middle school. Back then, all my classmates were reading Nana and I was inspired by the fashion. During class, I would secretly draw illustrations in my notebook in the Nana style.
S: Me too. I wanted to be a cartoonist in the beginning, but after reading Nana in high school, I aspired to become a designer.

S: We attended the same high school, but were in different classes, so didn’t even know of each other’s existence until we met at university. Chengdu is different from Shanghai. Surrounded by mountains.

S: Yeah. We were in the same design class at Donghua University. That’s when we discovered we were not only from the same hometown but also the same high school. We quickly became close friends.
T: Afterwards, we met practically every day to share info and talk about our interests. Then we ended up going to the London College of Fashion together, where we became roommates and launched our brand while still students living together under the same roof.

T: China has a short history when it comes to fashion, so I think the fashion education here is still quite behind.
S: In Shanghai, I think the concept of fashion itself was new, so honestly the education was pretty new. I felt there was a time lag on the information reaching us from the larger world. But by the time we were working part-time jobs in Shanghai before heading off to London, I already sensed that the city was changing.

S: It all started when we were looking back on photos taken during our time in London, remembering the everyday clothes that were part of our lives at home. You know, relaxing on the sofa in underwear and a T-shirt. We developed that idea to construct short proportions, overall. Based on this concept, we then looked at household materials and furniture, transposing them into clothes. For example, our organza top is modeled after a curtain, earrings are shaped like curtain hooks, and shorts echo underwear. During the collection’s show, we even covered the floor in material from a bed mattress.

S: LABELHOOD is essential for young Chinese designers. Honestly, I think LABELHOOD is an important reason why Shanghai Fashion Week is doing so well recently. Back when LABELHOOD was still only a boutique called Dongliang, they started putting on shows for young brands sold in their shop. They always check out graduation collections, so are a kind of gateway for young brands.

T: Five or six years ago, there were a few independent designers, but they were more into shining the spotlight on “Chinese culture.” I mean, they kind of took that stance to a ridiculous, excessive place. Then our generation stepped in and paved the way for the new changes we’re beginning to see today.
S: Can you believe that we’ve only been able to access fashion magazines for the past 30 years? Before, lots of people in the industry were working on government projects, and as a result, there are two fashion weeks held in China alone. From the aspect of the government, a fashion show is more like a press event to present the culture and value. Obviously, they don’t care about the true essence of fashion. Still, there are people in the industry who do care and worked proactively to build Shanghai Fashion Week into the platform it’s become.

T: Nowadays, we don’t need to carry cash or a wallet in China, but we can’t live without WeChat or Alipay. Come to think of it, we sold our first collection on WeChat. That’s where it all began.

S: We sold a small collection we made as students. In order to get a visa to stay in London, we were supposed to write a 6,000-word essay as part of the application. We created the mini collection to back up the essay, to make it more persuasive. Of course, we didn’t get the visa, and here we are. Anyway, our friend ran a Chinese restaurant in London called the Chinese Laundry and posted a lookbook of the collection to WeChat. Her network of buyers and stylists was interested, and that’s how we got our first order.

S: I suspect the industry will not be as interesting for at least the next 10 years. I mean, everything about the industry has moved so unbelievably fast. Buyers and stylists have just established themselves over the past two or three years, and I think we’re still growing along with them. There was no buying system in place until recently, but now everyone is operating per international standards. Everything has changed.

S: Right, but individual style hasn’t yet reached the level of diversity you’ll find in places like Harajuku. KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders, i.e. influencers) wield enormous clout, and everyone immediately follows their lead.

T: Think how, in Japan and other parts of the world, vintage clothing is widely accepted. But we don’t really have that culture in China. Our parents definitely wouldn’t understand why you would want to wear someone else’s old clothes, and it’s still a foreign concept for a lot of the young generation.
S: After the war, everything was new. External influences flooded into China, and I would say that this imported foreign culture now accounts for around 60-70% of our backgrounds. I watch Japanese anime, I watch Hollywood movies, I read English novels. In the long-term future, maybe the next-next-generation, I think there will be more vintage shops. It’s still just the beginning. The barriers will start to fall, starting with our generation. We are a mix of everything, not just Chinese culture, and I think we’ll preserve this identity while we continue to seek out our voice. It’s up to us to build something new.