Made In China

Hollywood stars and discerning fashionistas are fans of China-born designer Huishan Zhang.

- Mark Graham

HUISHAN ZHANG’s star is rising at a phenomenally fast pace. After achieving his first-stage goal of being stocked in the world’s major high-end department stores, the designer is now opening a boutique in the heart of London’s most exclusive fashion district, just off Bond Street.

In fact the British fashion establishment has adopted Zhang as one of its own, giving him high profile exposure during London’s fashion weeks, awarding him various accolades – including the Dorchester Collection Fashion Prize, worth a not-to-be-sniffed at HK$250,000 – and generally lending support whenever needed

It’s easy to see why. Zhang, 35, is what the Brits call a good egg – affable, unflappable, always smiling and eager to please. There is no discernible ego, even though he’s now a recognisable name, dressing Gigi Hadid, Gwyneth Paltrow, Keira Knightley and Helen Mirren, to name but four, with his clothing on the rails at discerning stores such as Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Selfridges in London and Joyce in Hong Kong.

One of Zhang’s main schticks is that the clothes carry the “Made in China” label, disproving the popular perception that the nation can only produce low-end, cheaply made goods. Ultimately, though, he wants to be known for quality, making clothes that meet the same exacting standards as the Guccis, Pradas and Diors of this world.

“It’s a delicate balance,” he concedes. “When I started it was my ambition to have ‘Made in China’, but after you’ve made that statement, you have to do it through the quality of design. We don’t want to hide from being ‘Made in China’, because we’re proud of it, but we don’t want to over-emphasise that point of view. We don’t want to be a stereotype.”