Wendy Yu opens Paris Fashion Week with a special Yu prize cocktail event
©Wendy Yu | Paris Fashion Week
By The Yu Prize
First Published: 26th September 2023 2:00PM GMT
Celebrating and presenting a new generation of Chinese design into the international arena.
The YU PRIZE proudly announced its participation at Paris Fashion Week with The New Wave of Chinese Fashion - a celebratory cocktail event for 11 Chinese designer brands, all of which were finalists of the YU PRIZE 2021 & 2022, hosted on the evening of 25th September 2023, in the opulent settings of Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris.
The cocktail reception was hosted by Wendy Yu, Founder of the YU PRIZE and President of Yu Holdings, in official association with Shanghai Fashion Week and Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.
She was joined by Renzo Rosso, Founder and Chairman of OTB GROUP, a supporter of the YU PRIZE since its very beginning, Madame Lyu, Secretary General of Shanghai Fashion Week, and Pascal Morand, Executive President of the Fédération française de la couture.
Together with the official partners – Raffles, Harrods and Xiaohongshu – this event allowed the East and the West to celebrate Created-in-China together, with the shared vision to discover unparalleled creativity, providing critical support for the domestic fashion industry in China and a platform for international exposure and collaboration.
Meanwhile, Xiaohongshu has initiated an online topic #FashionWeekGroupChat to invite designers, creative professionals and other stakeholders all over the world to share their expertise and opinions about the fashion and creative industry.
Since its inception in 2020, the YU PRIZE, which has received top-level recognition from the media and the fashion industry as a whole and whose jury consists of leaders such as Mary Katrantzou, Madame Lyu, Pascal Morand, Sarah Mower, and Renzo Rosso amongst others, has scouted and empowered 36 groups of Chinese designers to date. The event, part of the official fashion week calendar, brought them outside of China for the very first time, to an international stage, to engage with industry leaders and media from around the world.
A powerful group of 11 designer brands had the opportunity to expand their networks by getting to know and to get known by the right cohort of guests. The evening was a special occasion of dynamic conversation between inspiring individuals, who gathered together to celebrate their achievements with an international crowd.
Di Du - DIDU
Haoran Li, Siying Qu - PRIVATE POLICY
Li Gong - 8ON8
Louis Shengtao Chen - LOUIS SHENGTAO CHEN
Mark Wang, Tim Shi - MARRKNULL
Ming Ma - MING MA
Ruohan Nie - RUOHAN
Sensen Lii - WINDOWSEN
Shuting Qiu - SHUTING QIU
Wanbing Huang - AT-ONE-MENT
Yueqi qi - YEUQI QI
“I have always been passionate about scouting and empowering young talent. I founded the YU PRIZE with the aim to support local creatives globally and really accelerate their careers effectively. I am beyond humbled and grateful that we are able to be part of the official Paris Fashion Week calendar this season, in association with Shanghai Fashion Week and Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, along with our long-term partners - OTB GROUP, RAFFLES, HARRODS and XIAOHONGSHU. As a patron of the arts, I see fashion as an art that enables the celebration of ourselves everyday. These young minds are here to bring newness at all stages of designing, and for this, they should be celebrated as it should.” - Wendy Yu, Founder of the YU PRIZE & President of Yu Holdings
“Since its inception, YU PRIZE aimed at being an opportunity for young Chinese talent to be connected and presented to the industry leaders of the world. Unfortunately the pandemic forbade us to do it properly so far. With this celebration event we want to start a dialogue between these designers (and many more who couldn’t be here) and the international world of fashion which hasn’t yet had the possibility to see their work in real life. Presenting in international calendars, meeting international buyers, collaborating with international brands, will allow these talents to test themselves, their vision, their ability to service a global market. It is fundamental though that they also stay closely connected to the Chinese audience, their home but also the world’s most important market for fashion and luxury today.” - Renzo Rosso, Founder and Chairman of OTB Group
“Shanghai Fashion Week has been joining forces with the YU PRIZE since 2020. Both organisations dedicate themselves in constructing and bridging support systems for Chinese designers locally and internationally. Three years into our partnership, a generation of talented young aspirational designers have been gaining industry support from China and beyond. As the world reopens and reconnects in 2023, Shanghai Fashion Week is relaunching the “Going Global” program, gathering previous finalists of the YU PRIZE to exhibit in assembly during Paris Fashion Week in an historic moment. We want to showcase to our friends and colleagues from around the world, across industry professionals, buyers, media alike, to witness together the evolution of Chinese design. I believe it’s only through further cross-cultural exchange and integration, can Chinese fashion truly go further and forward. We are dedicated to making the YU PRIZE a crucial platform presenting Chinese designers internationally, helping them to expand globally, and by and large enhancing Sino-Franco collaborations within the fashion industry. Shanghai Fashion Week 2024 Spring / Summer season will take place right off the back of Paris, and we will uphold an even more inclusive approach to stimulate the development of Chinese design and creativity.” - Madame Lyu Xiaolei, Secretary General of Shanghai Fashion Week
“The Fédération is dedicated to supporting promising talents. The Paris Fashion Week Official Calendar is built with equity in mind, including the big players but also emerging talents. The attractiveness for young brands is reinforced by the support policy put in place by the Fédération. In addition to year-round support initiatives, the Fédération holds the SPHERE Paris Fashion Week Showroom, which spotlights a selection of emerging brands each season, including the winners of the YU PRIZE (CHENPENG and PONDER.ER from previous editions). The Federation has also set up a financial fund aimed at international emerging brands, financed by contributions from Fédération members.” - Pascal Morand, Executive President of the Fédération française de la couture
“Over the past three years, our partnership with the YU PRIZE has created a strong connection between Chinese designers and the Harrods customer base. Our customer base has shown a growing appreciation for the unique creativity and craftsmanship that Chinese designers bring to the world of fashion. At Harrods, we have embraced the unique designs and perspectives, as well as the cultural influences found in these collections, making them an integral part of our overall fashion offering.” - Michael Ward, Managing Director of Harrods
“As the authentic heart of a destination, Raffles champions fine art and design, and fosters culture in all its forms. We bring together the maestros in their own field to steward and support the world’s next. We are very fortunate to have Wendy as a Raffles brand ambassador, as she leads the way in bringing Chinese artistic talent to the world stage. We are delighted to be able to celebrate the future of Chinese fashion and artistry at Paris Fashion Week in partnership with Wendy and the YU PRIZE. Our partnership provides a stage where promising creative talents can be recognized, nurtured and presented to the right audience who appreciates the evolving face of sophistication and elegance. Raffles connects people - we celebrate the warmth and eloquence of the human encounter in everything we do.” - Omer Acar, CEO of Raffles & Orient Express.