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For the final looks of its Spring/Summer 2024 Paris Fashion Week show, Shiatzy Chen unveiled a collaboration with Brazilian artist Daniela Busarello. The painterly patterns of ocean waves and the white cloud dragon porcelain of the Qing Dynasty on organza and hemp separates combined mythology and modernity, now a signature of the brand’s design language.
It was a visual representation of Shiatzy Chen’s history, as it reaches 45 years in business. But the company has its eyes on the future: it is gearing up to expand, with new stores in Xiamen, Chengdu and Guangzhou in the second half of 2023 and three more doors set to open in China next year. An accessible athleisure line is earmarked to launch in 2025, and that same year, it will move into a state-of-the-art 20,000-square-foot head office in Taipei.
Nevertheless, founder Wang Chen Tsai-hsia — known as Madame Wang — is shrewd. “We could always be doing better. If we want to reach the level of a European luxury brand, we still have a lot of work to do and progress to make,” she says backstage after the SS24 show on Monday.
Founded in 1978 in Taipei, the Taiwanese capital, Shiatzy Chen is still a family-owned company. Madame Wang’s son, Harry Wang, was born the same year as the brand was founded and joined the business in 2000. Over the years, he has worked his way up to managing director in 2004 and CEO in 2008.
As the second generation — with a background in venture capital and finance — he was eager to ramp up Shiatzy Chen’s business efforts. This started by expanding in visibility and category. Firstly, it moved beyond Taiwan, where it has 35 stores; the brand now also has 24 stores in mainland China, four in Hong Kong, and one each in Macau, Paris, Japan and Malaysia. It ventured into accessories and footwear and, in 2008, joined the Paris Fashion Week schedule.
The crowds turned out in force at the Palais de Tokyo for the brand’s 31st show. Longtime supporter and actress Michelle Yeoh, Chinese idol and newly appointed brand ambassador Liu Yu and actress Tong Yao all watched as separates, textured dresses and diaphanous shirts made their way down the runway.
The hiring of 23-year-old Liu — the former lead singer of boy band Into1 — as ambassador underlines Shiatzy Chen’s focus on new and younger audiences. Liu, who sat front row with the likes of stylist Lucia Liu, is a strong proponent of Chinese culture — especially traditional dance, musical instruments and Beijing Opera (China’s most influential opera form). His appointment was a strategic move, says Anaïs Bournonville, co-founder of marketing agency Reverse Group. “The brand has been successful in collaborating with C-Pop [Chinese pop] singers, including Gillian Chung, and Liu has a large, engaged fan base among the younger generations. Online, local Gen Z is now encouraging even more hires in this vein,” she explains.
The show was live-streamed on social media platforms by influencers like Lu Xianren, a Douyin KOL with 10 million followers, as well as on lifestyle site Xiaohongshu — furthering Shiatzy Chen’s appeal among younger fans.
Before the show, Harry Wang is relaxed, wearing jeans and a crisp white embroidered shirt from the new collection. He discloses that the brand’s annual turnover is $70 million, 90 per cent of which is from women’s ready-to-wear. The average customer is a woman around 40 years and upwards. Wang aims to appeal to younger generations with the new leisurewear line so that “in 10-20 years, they’ll be clients of the mainline”. Prices for the latter are high: silk blend jacquard pants retail at $1,700; a merino wool and silk jacket with standing collar is priced at $2,388; and an embroidered sweater sells at $1,450.
Like many brands, Shiatzy Chen is still cautious following the pandemic, but the Chinese market, which accounts for 90 per cent of turnover, has remained strong, says Wang. “We use 2019 as a benchmark, and some stores are down 10 per cent, but overall, China’s business is incredible,” he says, adding that Beijing is an especially strong performer.
Shiatzy Chen wants to have a presence in cities like London and New York, but building a fashion empire outside of Asia is not easy. Wang has turned down the offer of a store in London’s Peninsula Hotel. Instead, in the long term, the CEO wants to court young “price-conscious” Asian audiences with leisurewear and cater to its older clientele without compromising.
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