Chinese Creative Minds

07 December 2016

The Shenzhen Underwear Association (SUA) held the fourth edition of its Underwear Creative Design Competition during the SIUF tradeshow last May. Intima Asia was part of the jury for the first time, and we are pleased to report back on this contest recognizing student talent.

The Shenzhen Underwear Association
The aim of the Underwear Association includes: abiding by national laws and regulations to unite the underwear industry in Shenzhen by promoting exchange and cooperation among its members; maintaining the legitimate rights and interests of its members; establishing a self-regulatory system for the industry; and maintaining fair competition in the market. SUA currently counts some 400 members including: famous Chinese brands, such as Embry Form, Maniform, Xusany, and June Rosa; world-leading ODM companies like Regina Miracle, XingXing, and Fuhua; and leading fast-fashion brands, such as Cosmo Lady. SUA has over 150 self-owned brands including Embry Form, Maniform, Regina Miracle, Cosmo Lady, Lightness, Shcer, June Rose, Eve’s Temptation, U Code, Divona, Venies, Xusany, Yiselle, Baliso, Hisa, and Miss Promise, to name a few. SUA also operates two High-Tech Centers in Shenzhen, as well as two Authenticated Enterprise Technology Centers, and has obtained over 400 patents, 80 of which are for inventions. SUA has two promotional platforms: the Shenzhen International Brand Underwear Fair (SIUF), which is ranked number one in China, and the China International Underwear Culture Week. In September 2016, SUA was granted the prestigious Best Practice for Underwear recognition from the National Benchmark Industrial Cluster. There are only 22 such recognitions in the entire country.

The Charm of the East
The Underwear Creative Design Competition
The Underwear Creative Design Competition first debuted in 2012, and became a regular annual feature in 2014, rapidly gaining wide recognition within the country. Francesca Spinetta, Editorial Director of Intima Media Group, was part of the jury this year, along with a number of well-known international and Chinese sector professionals: Liza Cheng, Executive Director and CEO of Embry Holding; Nathalie Martinet, Vice President of R&D and Launch Bra Design at Victoria's Secret; Design Consultant, Margot Vidgen; Steve Shi, one of the most famous fashion buyers in China; Postgraduate Tutor, Hong Dai; Professor Winnie Yu, who is also an inventor and symposium organizer; Associate Professor Fang Wang from the School of Art and Design at Donghua University; and Wenling Xiao, Dean of the Dyeing and Weaving Costume Art and Design Department at the Academy of Fine Arts in Tsinghua. The following universities participated in the organization of the 2016 edition: Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology; Xi’an Polytechnic University; Zhongyuan University of Technology; and Guangxi Arts Institute. Their participation was made possible thanks to the support of Embry Form (China), Regina Miracle, Shenzhen Huijie, Cosmo Lady, the Guangdong Hongjie Underwear Industry, and Shenzhen Fidele Garments.
Only 30 design projects were chosen during preliminary selections to be made into actual garments. These mini-collections, with five items per student, were professionally photographed for a lookbook and presented during the grand finale catwalk show, which was voted on by the jury and viewed by over 200.000 people on-line – making it an extraordinary platform to support young designers and help the Chinese intimate apparel industry to grow. After the voting process, six students received the following prizes: 10.000 RMB (1.300€) for the three 3rd place students; 50.000 RMB (6.700€) for the two second place contestants; and up to 150.000 RMB (20.000 €) for the first place student. These winnings are quite significant, considering the country's average salary is less then 500€ per month! The first prize was awarded to He Xinyue for her collection “Bamboo & Rhyme”. Congratulations!

Comments From the Jury
Among the jury members, Margot Vidgen was clearly impressed with the creativity of these young Chinese designers, as well as their energy and freedom in expressing themselves. Similar positive comments were stated by Nathalie Martinet, “I found this fashion show less surprising than last year – in the good sense! I saw some déjà vu traditional styles, but a few really struck me for their good balance of femininity, originality, and good-taste, as well as their commercial sense.” Professor Winnie Yu added, “I am glad to see that the overall quality of the designs have been upgraded over these past four years. With the active participation of production sponsors, the constructions of some collections also look professional. The good ones have a very clear presentation of a design theme, an innovative use of materials, and a wonderful mix of styles. The bad ones had too many unnecessary cuts or accessories, and a lack of aesthetic sense." First-time jury member, Francesca Spinetta, was positively impressed by the great efforts of SUA and their sponsors in putting together and supporting the event, as well as allowing the young designers to come out with new ideas “without necessarily looking back to the west.”

Homewear Has its Own Competition
The final of the 2016 Embry Form China International Homewear Creative Design Competition was held at the same time as the underwear contest. It was proudly co-organised and sponsored by one of the most dynamic and supportive companies in China, Embry Form. The selected works of 20 students were taken into consideration, with six winners receiving a share of total winnings amounting to 170,000 RMB (22.500€).
The 1st prize was awarded to He Mengmeng for her collection “Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter”. We are all looking for the next edition to discover even more young talents!