First published on 23 Aug 2011. Updated on 15 Dec 2011.
Showcasing collections from graduates at Shanghai’s biggest fashion college
The newest arrival to ultra-luxe mall Xintiandi Style, Raffles Privato is a self-billed ‘incubator’ concept store. It showcases the cream of the graduate crop from Raffles Design Institute, Shanghai’s largest fashion and design college. Set up following the success of the original Raffles Privato, which opened in Singapore in 2010, the store will serve two purposes: to give talented graduates a commercial platform most young designers can only dream about and to offer affordable, custom-made clothes to consumers.The selection process is simple and egalitarian: Raffles alumni submit their products, ideas and designs to a professional committee made up of Raffles lecturers and fashion industry experts. Successful applicants are then granted a six month residency at the store, while close-run contenders are placed on a waiting list. During their residency, designers are required to produce at least two collections (although those with a strong sales performance will be encouraged to submit more), which will hopefully make for a constantly changing array of exciting designs. Although the plan is to eventually open up the applications process to Raffles institutions around the world, the current collections stem exclusively from Shanghai-based designers.The shop itself has a plum location on the second floor of the mall, just next door to rising homegrown design stars Uma Wang and Even Penniless. A tiny white cube, it feels more like an art installation than a store, with stark spotlights, a mirrored changing cubicle and standout pieces from the collections suspended from the cage-effect ceiling and hanging on the metal wall lattices.The eight collections are grouped by designer, each comprising 10-15 one-off couture pieces created specifically for Raffles Privato. There’s an interesting range of styles, from punky to sports luxe and the pieces are surprisingly wearable, rather than over earnest flights of artistic fancy.Although the clothes aren’t made exclusively of high-grade natural fibres – we spy a few polyester mixes amongst the silk and cotton – nothing feels cheap or flimsy, and the quality of the finish is excellent. Most of the fabrics are sourced locally, from the South Bund Spinning Market. Our one gripe is the sizes – despite proclaiming to be ‘medium’, some items look suspiciously tiny.The real draw is the competitive prices, with all profits (minus a small percentage for rent and overheads) going directly to the designers. Cheaper items, like jersey tops, start at 600RMB, while tailored pieces go for 2,000RMB, making this an affordable way to invest in a piece of original Chinese fashion design.Selena Schleh
English address Unit L231, Xintiandi Style, 245 Madang Lu, near Zizhong Lu, Huangpu district
Chinese address 黄浦区马当路245号L231铺,近自忠路