First published by T Magazine on 11 April 2016
A condensed version of this article appeared in the 17 April 2016 print edition of The New York Times.
Liushu “Shushu” Lei and Yutong “Tongtong” Jiang, the designers behind the new women’s wear brand Shushu/Tong, cite the Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu as one of their greatest inspirations. For the uninitiated, she’s a star of the colorful J-pop scene — cartoonish, lurid, hyper-cute.
Though the connection between her kawaii style and Shushu/Tong’s fall/winter 2016 collection — which uses a grown-up palette of tan, black, white and red — is not immediately obvious, Lei and Jiang, both 25, have injected playfulness into every detail. This collection, their fourth, is fittingly called “Adult Baby,” and includes frilled collars, and sleeves that drop comically to the knee. But the unexpected proportions are not beyond the realm of the wearable: A bibbed, ruffled white blouse could be an elevated take on officewear; and a series of oversize, bias-cut pinstriped pieces invert the conventions of corporate fabric, to suggest streetwear instead.
Shushu/Tong is just over a year old — Lei and Jiang formed the brand while studying for an M.A. at the London College of Fashion. For a label in its infancy, it is thriving; it already has stockists scattered across North America, Europe and Asia, including Opening Ceremony, Lane Crawford and Dover Street Market. “When we were students, basically we went to Dover Street Market at least once every two weeks,” says Lei. Rei Kawakubo’s avant-garde store picked up Shushu/Tong’s spring/summer 2016 collection. “I screamed for a minute when I got the order.”
The designers first met in high school in Chengdu, where they both grew up. “We were classmates for almost five, six years, so we know each other really well,” says Jiang. They say they share the same aesthetic: Both are interested in exploring a push-and-pull between adult sophistication and adolescent fun, designing clothes for grown-up women who retain a sense of mischief. For the fall collection, Lei explains that “we used very formal suiting fabric, which looks very strong and masculine … The fabric actually is kind of boyish, but we give it a really girlie feeling.” Folds and ruffles are their design signature, Jiang says: “We try to do folds in all different ways, and with all different materials.”
Shushu/Tong relocated to China after Lei and Jiang graduated and their student visas expired. On the phone from Shanghai, they talk wistfully of London: “We tried to stay, but our application was denied,” says Lei. But their reluctant return to the East, it turns out, has been a blessing in disguise: In Shanghai, affordable manufacturing is on their doorstep, and they believe that financially, this has been good for business. Not only that, but the city is increasingly a focal point for fashion: “I think there is a blooming of a new generation of designers in Shanghai,” explains Lei. “A lot of young designers are gathering here, and doing their shows, and it’s very exciting.”