Working together

The Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation promotes cultural innovation. Its "equality, diversity, inclusivity" philosophy aims to cultivate students' cross-cultural understanding and design capabilities.

"As a Sino-foreign cooperative educational institution, we prioritize cultural innovation and study local cultures, such as Shanghai-style and Jiangnan culture. Simultaneously, we need to have a global perspective to meet the needs of global customers," said Li Jun, the college dean.

Established in 2014, the school was jointly established by Donghua University and Scotland's Edinburgh University with the aim of creating first-class creative fashion disciplines, and cultivating industry talent for China and overseas.

Li highlighted the importance of close collaboration between enterprises and educational institutions. For instance, the partnership between Donghua University and Ningbo Cixing Co resulted in the launch of a knitting innovation course, enabling engineers and designers to look at new production methods in machinery and materials. The course greatly improved the speed and efficiency of production and manufacturing.

"It presents a breakthrough in engineering and technical advancements," Li said, noting that China is the global leader in customized production.

"Global customers can choose suitable clothing patterns according to body-type databases and quickly customize personalized requirements," he explained.

Various platforms in the fashion industry are actively supporting brands in their global expansion efforts.

Chinese fashion platform Labelhood and London-based luxury department store Harrods have collaborated to host Chinese New Year pop-up stores, showcasing the works of Chinese designers and facilitating their entry into the international market.

This year's pop-up store featured a selection of New Year-themed pieces and handcrafted artifacts from over 20 emerging Chinese artists and brands.

Looking ahead, the prospects for Chinese designers' global expansion are promising, said Li, the college dean.

"In the next five to 10 years, China's fashion industry will, like the electric vehicle industry, take technology as its core competitiveness, achieve rapid commercial transformation, and benefit the world," he said.

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