How Taiwanese label Shiatzy Chen became a Paris Fashion Week regular – South China Morning Post Feedzy

This year Taiwanese luxury brand Shiatzy Chen turns 45, and we spoke to its founder and design director, Wang Chen Tsai-hsia – also known as Madame Wang – backstage after the brand’s show at Paris Fashion Week earlier this month.

It’s clear that the youthful-looking Wang is as committed to making the company a household name as she was when she started the business in 1978.

That was the same year her son, Harry, was born; he’s now the chief executive of the family-run and privately owned fashion house.

Wang is looking chic-casual in a navy brocade top, shorts and white sneakers from her own line.

She is the consummate workaholic: her daily routine includes getting up at 6.30am; exercising; classes (English among other subjects); spending the day at work; and more exercise at night.

She goes to a few social events, but one gets the impression she’d rather avoid these if possible.

The fact that Shiatzy Chen is a fixture at Paris Fashion Week is a testament to Wang’s resilience. It’s not hard to imagine the barriers that faced Chinese businesses back in 2008 when Shiatzy Chen first appeared at the famous industry event. This season, it put on its 31st show in the French capital.

“It was a great opportunity back in 2008. Every brand wants to be a member of this fashion week so it’s really great to get that endorsement,” Wang says.

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Guests at Paris’ Palais de Tokyo watched Shiatzy Chen’s 68 looks go down the catwalk. There was movement in long floaty separates, and texture in tasselled, flapper-style dresses and trousers. Menswear was tailored and playful.

Serene closing outfits in organza and sustainably produced hemp were topped with painterly embroidery, a collaboration with Brazilian artist Daniela Busarello.

It is a long way from the early days of the brand’s first store in Taipei, Taiwan. Today, the business has an annual turnover of US$70 million, dozens of shops, and more store openings are planned.

What lies at the heart of this success? London-based influencer Wei Sijia – who has more than a million followers on Chinese social media – believes people are increasingly looking to incorporate Chinese-style elements in their daily lives. A recognised name, Shiatzy Chen is the perfect high fashion route to express this.

At the Palais de Tokyo, Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, a Shiatzy Chen patron, sat in the front row with other Asian celebrities, such as actress Tong Yao and fashion blogger Lu Xian Ren.

Wei says the show left a “lasting impression due to the fusion of neo-Chinese and modern styles, along with small-scale classical embroidery”.

Bai Lu, the founder of fashion consultancy B-mint, was equally impressed.

“The trend for this season is the Westernisation of Chinese-style prints. I saw elegant details, sparkling accessories and new Chinese-style elements such as collar cuffs and neck-hanging adornments.”

It’s another sign that the brand is embracing its role at the forefront of what Harry Wang calls “an Asian fusion aesthetic”. He says it won’t be long before the brand approaches another milestone: its 50th anniversary.

He’s excited, sharing plans to move to new headquarters, and the opening of new stores in mainland China, Tokyo and Singapore. He also talks about a leisure line dropping in 2025, with a more accessible price point to appeal to younger shoppers.

In an industry dominated by US$100 billion-dollar conglomerates, there’s a reassuring quality to the family-run brand. As the production crew dismantles the backstage set-up, Harry Wang checks in on his mother.

Earlier, she said: “I tried very hard with work-life balance at the time [Harry was born] … I’m just so glad that it all worked out.”

As they leave for lunch together, you get the impression that even though this season is a job well done, business will still be very much on the menu.