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Unique hype hk1/27/2024 Shanghai Tang has never simply aped the traditions that it embraced-it’s always found a way to somehow make them ‘their own’, evolving fresh perspectives on its rich heritage in everything from its logo and graphic styling to homeware and fashion. “We make traditional Chinese clothes and we modernize them."īut the brand does much more than this. “Never describe it as East-meets-West’ because it’s not, it’s Chinese”, David Tang once said. That pride in Chinese design is pivotal to the brand’s spirit and distinctive personality. Shanghai Tang is frequently referred to as China’s first luxury brand, and considers itself a frontrunner in the shift from ‘made in China’ to ‘designed in China’. A sign perhaps that the domestic market in China is finally ready to embrace homegrown luxury brands. From a previous share of 70 per cent, Shanghai Tang’s Western audience now accounts for only 50 per cent of the brand’s market, with the other 50 per cent in Asia and the majority of its customers in mainland China. With a name that conjures the romance of jazz nights on the Bund, Shanghai Tang found its first loyalists in a Western audience-a target who were captivated by the mix of exotic, old-world glamour and modern fine tailoring that the brand so deftly captured. (Today the brand more frequently uses an understated logo, below.) It’s a recipe of reinvention that’s served the brand well. The original logo that adorned the façade of the iconic Pedder Street store (above) drew on the graphic traditions of communist China and threw them together with a pop-art aesthetic. It became known for its stylish reinterpretation of the Mao jacket and the qipao, as well as for its tongue-in-cheek appropriation of Maoist era print and iconography. Shanghai Tang made a name for itself with a style that blended 1920s and 1930s Chinese fashion, Han dynasty imperial clothing and traditional Chinese graphic motifs. Place in the fashion world through an elegant, flamboyant and very distinctive design aesthetic. Founded in 1994 by Hong Kong entrepreneur David Tang, it has forged a unique Shanghai Tang is a Hong Kong brand that’s inspired by its provenance but that’s directed by its personality. Editor's note: This is the first in a series of columns highlighting Asia-based brands that make effective use of design.
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