Feminists, Blitz Kids and Oompa Loompas: Meet Shenzhen Class of 2023
People and papers tend to talk about the talent of fashion graduates as if it were to start and end in the Big Four. The reality, of course, is that there are international fashion institutions with schools in emerging fashion capitals that are producing just as many shining stars. Think of Shenzhen, a hothouse of boundless creativity, where Istituto Marangoni has just unveiled the future of Chinese fashion.
Finale at the 2023 Instituto Marangoni Shenzhen Graduate Show. From left to right, the creations by students Li Ziqi, Chen TingTing, Gao Yiran, Liu Qihuan, Zhuang Kehuan, Liu Ying and Gong Wenze
On a night like no other, under a dazzling starry sky, the latest annual Istituto Marangoni Shenzhen Graduate Show celebrated the school’s 10 best students of 2023. Held at Shenzhen Fashion Week’s main hall venue, next to a palm tree coastal bay, over 800 glamorous, fancy-dressed international guests, including fashion lovers and industry professionals, gathered for the ultimate fashion event of the season.
Guests attending the 2023 Instituto Marangoni Shenzhen Graduate Show
A night at the Palace starring an avant-garde royal court
This year’s theme was the Palace, an imaginary safe space where the students of the class of 2023 had the opportunity to express their fears, fantasies and, above all, creative freedom. Each graduate led us into the rooms of their imagination to appreciate their personal visions and aesthetic alphabet in terms of colour palettes, fabrics and volumes. The combination of these spaces creates the IM Palace: mysterious, unique and unexpected.
Backstage models wear pieces by Istituto Marangoni Shenzhen graduate Qin Jiali
As they created their graduation collections, the emerging designers analysed the contemporary, discussing the Zeitgeist on the challenges of inclusivity, gender equality, and cultural heritage, critically reflecting on the relevance of fashion as a representation of their personal opinions on a piece of fabric, and why it should matter.
Model in a look by Istituto Marangoni Shenzhen Fashion Designer of The year 2023 Chen TingTing, wearing a special wig with customised hairstyle
While ten original videos portrayed the tenor and provided the background to the fashion show, the catwalk looks were crowned by a set of impressive wigs with customised hairstyles, echoing the grandeur of the royal court but with a contemporary twist, such as artist Alexander Calder’s Mobiles – they were dyed to match the hues of the dresses.
A cathartic journey into a personal past, a path to sustainability, and a feminist manifesto took centre stage
Models hitting the catwalk while showing looks by Li Ziqi, a graduate of Istituto Marangoni Shenzhen
The opening act was presented by Li Ziqi, who showcased his work under the name On The Endless. He was inspired by the sense of order he received from his family as a child, the process of losing it over time, which eventually led to chaos and disorder, and his way back to a disciplined, mundane life routine. He investigated this tension by creating new silhouettes with countless details, such as collars or cuffs made from fine men’s summer wool, enhanced by tailored finishes and recycled vintage leather travel cases.
Looks by Istituto Marangoni Shenzhen student Guo Yaxin
The show continued with Guo Yaxin’s sophisticated and sustainable Chinese wardrobe, with prints made from hand-picked local summer flowers. The finishing touches included needle felting techniques to tie mulberry silk and chiffon together.
IM Shenzhen talent Liu Qihuan's feminist manifesto
Liu Qihuan’s feminist manifesto presented clothes as a symbol of womanhood, including masterful tie-dye macramé on cut-out organza dresses printed with the red symbol of fertility, resembling a Georgia O’Keeffe painting.
Inspiration is literally everywhere, from a pilates squad and the Oompa Loompa factory to London’s Blitz club in the 1980s
Three outfits created by IM student Gao Yiran
Examining the pulling and stretching of muscles, Gao Yiran’s pilates squad brought fluid silhouettes to the stage.
Head-to-toe lilac optical looks by Liu Ying, a graduate from Istituto Marangoni in Shenzhen
Liu Ying’s extravagant head-to-toe 3D optical lilac outfits gave the impression of having come straight out of the Oompa Loompa factory, ready to be chewed on, yummy!
IM student Gong Wenze's graduate collection takes inspiration from London's Blitz kids
London’s Blitz club, the heart of one of the defining post-punk British youth cultural movements of the 1980s, the New Romantics, was the starting point for Gong Wenze’s irreverent and unapologetic collection, enhanced by the legendary Leigh Bowery-ish masks.
Meet the Shenzhen Fashion Designer of the Year 2023
Looks by IM student Chen Tingting
Finally, Chen TingTing was celebrated as Istituto Marangoni Shenzhen Fashion Designer of The year 2023 after she showed her Forest attires, influenced by her mother’s compulsive hoarding disorder, exploding the memory of chaos.
Models backstage wearing pieces by Istituto Marangoni Shenzhen Fashion Designer of The year 2023 Chen TingTing
The up-and-coming designer developed voluminous silhouettes as well as restrained pieces in a vibrant colour palette, combined with authentic origami fabric manipulations, overprinted with an original design and embellished with handmade upcycled embroidery.
Rainbow grading tones were the recurring theme of the show, sending out a joyful message of hope. To provide a holistic experience, our sound designer, Yu, created a highly emotional soundtrack, bringing all designers together as a family and linking the legacy of IM youth from the Palace to the world of tomorrow.
