Sankuanz straddles line between East and West

Shangguan Zhe is bringing a breath of fresh air to international fashion. A semi-finalist fort the LVMH Prize this year, the Chinese designer, who founded the label Sankuanz in 2008, presented his collection for spring-summer 2015 in London on June 12 with the support of GQ China.

This is Sankuanz’s third time participating in London Collections Men. The designer works from his design studio in Xiamen, in China’s Fujian Province, where he earned his degree in 2007. He will also soon open a multibrand concept store. 

Shangguan, who is collaborating with the skateboard footwear brand Vans, borrows influences from youth culture and cultural fusions: both Asia and the United States are primary inspirations.

For the spring-summer 2016 season, his label Sankuanz deconstructs traditional Chinese ethnic garb, employing metaphorical graphics and classic elements of the male wardrobe. The aesthetic remains unisex.

Unsurprisingly, many international multibrands have already partnered with the Chinese designer in the past, including Opening Ceremony in New York and Los Angeles, Antonia and Excelsior in Milan, and Comme des Garçons in Tokyo. 

Stéphanie Salti