Following Harrods successful return to Shanghai Fashion Week with ‘The Harrods Hive’, a concept that focused on building stronger connections across the luxury industry in China, Harrods is proud to announce the unveiling of an inaugural pop-up focused on young Chinese design.

As part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the development of emerging Chinese luxury talent, Harrods will host its inaugural collection by Chenpeng, the winner of this year’s YU PRIZE on the 1st floor of its Knightsbridge flagship. The annual prize was launched by Wendy Yu, founder, and President of Yu Holdings, in collaboration with Shanghai Fashion Week, with Harrods as a strategic partner, to provide critical support for Chinese fashion and provide a platform for international exposure and collaboration. From 29th October, Harrods Knightsbridge and Harrods.com customers will have access to Chenpeng’s iconic puffer jackets, while Knightsbridge customers will also have exclusive access to collections from SHUSHU TONG, WMWM and Ruohan from the Labelhood collective through until mid-December, in its first dedicated showcase to China’s brightest fashion talent. 

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Poppy Lomax, Buying Manager for Womenswear at Harrods, said: “Over recent years, there has been a huge increase in creative output from the Chinese luxury industry, and this growth has been really exciting to watch. I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to offer our customers must-have pieces from some of the most exciting designers in the market right now. Our local and international customers are always eager to learn of younger brands in the industry and trust us to bring them the best, and that is what the Emerging Designers: China pop-up achieves, with Chenpeng’s super versatile puffer jackets to statement separates from WMWM, I’m confident that our customers will love the exclusive pop-up’s curation.”

Wendy Yu, founder and President of Yu Holdings, said: “What I admire about Chen Peng’s approach to fashion is that it is so creatively exciting and recognisable, and yet so wearable, universal and inclusive. As the YU PRIZE 2021 winner, Chenpeng stood out as a brand with a strong design language that translates so effectively both aesthetically and commercially, and is uniquely relevant to the global fashion customer. I am thrilled that Chenpeng now has a home at Harrods, a store synonymous with the best in class.”

Hosted as intimate events at the Middle House, and with the aim of bringing together industry titans and those at the beginning stages of their careers, the three-day ‘The Harrods Hive’ incubator program of networking events and expert led panel discussions allowed for individuals, from varied disciplines across the industry, to join forces. The Harrods Hive saw panels and discussions with industry leaders such as Kering, Chinese design incubator Labelhood, e-commerce retail giant TXMALL and social media innovator RedBook, who discussed topics such as the practicalities of building a brand, attracting investment to your fledgling business, and navigating the landscape of the current retail environment. Furthermore, top designer Angel Chen addressed how storytelling helped to build their own personal brand, while world renowned fashion model and art pioneer Cici Xiang shared how she creates content that resonates with her audience while building effective brand partnerships.

Following SFW, The Harrods Hive will be sustained both online and offline, to continue to support this community of future leaders. 

In Shanghai, Harrods will continue to harness a community of like-minded and driven talent, with a schedule of community events planned through the duration of the year, aimed to connect the next gen of leaders with established mentors, continuing dialogues and building strong support networks and industry contacts.  Industry leaders such as Xiaolei LV, Vice Secretary General of Shanghai Fashion Week have already committed to supporting this ongoing programme of mentoring opportunities and supporting the initiative over the coming months. 

Over the past twelve months, Harrods has increased its presence in China substantially. In October 2020, it opened The Residence Shanghai, its first private shopping space dedicated to its Chinese clients, which was followed by the launch of The Residence Beijing in June 2021. This month, Harrods is due to open its first Harrods Tea Rooms concept in Shanghai, a space designed around bringing Harrods traditional British afternoon tea to Shanghai in an entirely innovative, contemporary environment.