“Boarding Pass — Shanghai Edition”: When French Fashion Meets Shanghai

Shanghai Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2026, held in early April, marked a significant turning point in cultural exchanges between France and China in the world of fashion.

As part of this edition, the French menswear promotion agency Promas orchestrated the “Boarding Pass — Shanghai Edition” programme — an unprecedented initiative aimed at connecting French designers with the Chinese market. Emerging French houses such as Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Egonlab, Coltesse and Baziszt set foot in Shanghai for the first time, presenting their latest collections at a showroom and meeting local fashion editors, stylists and influencers over an intimate dinner.

“Having designers land here and connect directly with the local market, face to face, finally allows them to better understand this world,” says Laura Darmon, co-organiser of the event and buyer for ENG in Shanghai. “It was essential to show them the boutiques and neighbourhoods, as the market is extremely segmented — needs differ at a microscopic level.”

This initiative is part of a broader trend: Shanghai buyers, increasingly discerning, are seeking unique pieces and authentic creativity, far removed from mass distribution. Samuel Gui Yang, Shushu/Tong, Oude Waag and Mark Gong are among the Chinese silhouettes that have captured their attention — aesthetics that naturally dialogue with the romantic and structured sensibility of French fashion.

For our association, this event perfectly illustrates the possibilities that fashion offers as a vehicle for Franco-Chinese cultural dialogue. Whether through clothing, fabric or the staging of a show, France and China share a common vision of elegance, craftsmanship and identity. The “Boarding Pass” programme embodies this desire to weave lasting bonds between two creative cultures.

The next edition of Shanghai Fashion Week is scheduled for Autumn 2026 — an opportunity, perhaps, for these exchanges between Paris and Shanghai to deepen further.