The 2026 Autumn/Winter Shanghai Fashion Week is underway, highlighting the city's growing status as a hub for high-end, personalized fashion. At the center of this trend is Shanghai Style, a city-led initiative encouraging brands to blend local elements into limited-edition collaborations and offer Shanghai-exclusive customization services.

From runway to wardrobe

High-end fashion brand EP Yaying is offering visitors the opportunity to experience Shanghai Style firsthand. Shoppers can move from the show venue to the brand's nearby flagship store to explore personalized services, turning admired runway pieces into wardrobe-ready, customized garments. This seamless connection from seeing a design to owning it reflects how Shanghai is linking shows, products, and consumers more closely.

EP Yaying has prepared extensively for this business model. Its flagship stores in Xintiandi, Lujiazui, and other locations provide spaces for personalized consultations and bespoke services. Clients, both local and international, can commission pieces that reflect Eastern craftsmanship and cultural aesthetics.

In addition to established brands, more labels are incorporating customization into everyday lifestyles. Womenswear brand Eyamey offers pet-and-owner matching outfits, while millinery brand Mian provides one-on-one hat fittings tailored to each client's head shape. These personalized services are helping brands build stronger customer relationships and encourage repeat purchases.

Immersive custom experiences for all

The Shanghai Fashion Couture & Tailoring Festival at High Street Loft in Xuhui district further showcases Shanghai Style as a city-level fashion consumption brand.

The festival features four sections: a new Chinese-style flagship store, a heritage crafts market, a fabric library, and a brand custom showroom.

Visitors can experience traditional crafts firsthand at the heritage market, including blue calico (a traditional indigo-dyed textile), kesi (Chinese silk tapestry) weaving, sandalwood fan making, and hand embroidery. These techniques, some recognized as national intangible cultural heritage, are presented as usable, wearable, and collectible items, making cultural heritage tangible and accessible.

At the fabric library and light customization area, visitors can touch and compare materials from different regions, then participate in workshops to create small personalized items such as bow ties, Chinese knots, and creative brooches. This hands-on approach helps consumers better understand bespoke fashion.

Digital innovation is also part of the experience. Moichic Technology has introduced remote AI-based measurements via a mobile app, allowing consumers to receive custom recommendations and lowering barriers to bespoke services.

The festival's brand showcase highlights diverse offerings, from traditional qipaos and modern Chinese-style clothing to Western-style suits and high-end casual wear, featuring brands such as Shanghai Silk, Jingbo Qinhan, Liliming, and Outfittermen. One-on-one consultations with designers and craftspeople enable visitors to select fabrics, adjust details, and complete the customization process on-site.

International visitors can benefit from multilingual guidance, global payment options, and the instant "refund-upon-purchase" services, making Shanghai Style more accessible to a wider audience.

If you go

Shanghai Fashion Couture & Tailoring Festival

When: Now until April 6

Where: High Street Loft, No 508 Jiashan Road

Sources: Shanghai Observer and WeChat account of Xuhui district