Jolts of pink and duck-egg blue saturated the ShuShu/Tong SS23 collection, titled ‘Pretty Woman’. A continuing exploration of frills, pussy-bow blouses, saccharine mini dresses, and darling loafers was the root of the hyper-feminine collection produced by founders Liushu Lei and Yutong Jiang.
Recent adoptees of the subversive Shanghai-based label include Florence Pugh and Ayo Edebiri, and every month it seems as though a particular look from the tooth-achingly sweet Chinese label will go viral on social media, with tastemakers proclaiming their love for the beloved brand that has gained a cult Gen Z following recently (footwear collaborations with Charles & Keith and Asics have both caused a stir).
In an act of rebellion, the designers eschewed their usual preppy formula to investigate slightly more off-kilter and polished styles for autumn/winter 2023. ‘We usually create styles with very similar silhouettes, for example, we love tailored minimalism,’ they tell ELLE hot on the heels of their daring Shanghai Fashion Week show. ‘We did mix it up slightly this season – we recreated our signature puffy dress but without so much of the ruffle,’ explains Jiang.
Demure and quietly powerful, the line, which was inspired by ‘The Backroom’ (a concept which originated from online exchanges of images of eerie, dungeon-like spaces shared on forums in 2019), runs the gamut of diverse styles: pristine cut tailoring, speckled coffee-hued outerwear, sleeveless structural tea dresses with underskirts, and refined skirt sets, to name but a few stellar standouts. Lei and Jiang offer up plenty of enthusiasm in an obscure world of their making. ‘Every season, we’re expanding our femininity narrative. We change it up slightly each season, but this season our ShuShu/Tong girl is far cooler, slightly odder,’ notes Lei. Thirteen years into their friendship, the pair who come from China and studied together at the London College of Fashion before setting up the brand 2015, credit their ‘pretty smooth design process’ to their close bond.
As well as exploring distorted cyber realities, the pair looked to their community of creatives in China, who they attribute to ‘inspiring them’ when they began planning the new season collection merely three weeks after debuting SS23. ‘China is our main market, therefore showing in Shanghai Fashion Week is so important to us,’ says Jiang. They’re both confident the talent stemming from Shanghai will soon make a global impact. ‘If everyone continues putting in the effort, then Shanghai Fashion Week will eventually become one of the main fashion capitals.’
Beading is intricate as ever and takes centre stage. A halter neck with a smattering of gems gathered at the neckline is a showstopper, alongside cardigans festooned with gems and bejewelled eveningwear. ‘The beaded closing look is our favourite as we continuously worked on the pattern,’ they both share. ‘And then finally at the last stage of our design process, we cracked it. There’s always some drama making a collection, but it’s so worth it in the end – we love challenges.’
Just who is the AW23 ShuShu/Tong woman, you may ask? This season she’s as unpredictable and dynamic as ever.
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