On the evening of 22 May 2023, the 12th Shanghai Customization Week organized by the Shanghai International Fashion Federation (SIFF) kicked off at the Bund Finance Center (BFC) in the Grand Yuyuan. From 22 May to 28 May, the Shanghai Customization Week themed "Digital Fashion, Sustainable Beauty" featured a series of exciting fashion and cultural activities including product launches, experimentaldrama, themed exhibitions, showrooms and brand salons.

As one of Shanghai's Double Five Shopping Festival landmarks, the Shanghai Customization Week was included in this year's "Key Points of Work for Building Shanghai into an International Consumption Center". In addition, this year’s Shanghai Customization Week collaborated with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area’s fashion industry for the first time to jointly build the "Shanghai-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Oriental Lifestyle Aesthetics Fashion Ecosystem". The "Shanghai-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Oriental Fashion Industry Base" was also officially unveiled in the Grand Yuyuan so as to gather more haute couture brands and designers with the common concept of "Oriental Lifestyle Aesthetics" to provide them with a platform for promotion, collaboration, communication and co-creation, helping to develop Shanghai into an International Consumption Center, a City of Fashion, and a City of Design.

Xu Xiaoliang, President of Shanghai International Fashion Federation (SIFF) and Co-CEO of Fosun International, said that since 2021, the Shanghai Customization Week has been fully upgraded with the clear strategic positioning of oriental lifestyle aesthetics to deeply cultivate Chinese culture and fashion consumption. This year's Shanghai Customization Week will continue to take oriental lifestyle aesthetics as the core and further explore Shanghai's “cultural gene”. On the one hand, the Shanghai Customization Week will collaborate with the fashion industry, relevant committees, bureaus and industry organizations of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area to jointly construct an oriental lifestyle aesthetics fashion ecosystem, driving the mutual connection and empowerment of "Oriental Fashion, the Beauty of China". At the same time, the "Shanghai-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Oriental Fashion Industry Base" will also be officially unveiled in the Grand Yuyuan. On the other hand, while advocating the concept of sustainable fashion, the Shanghai Customization Week will introduce digital intelligence with the first NFT drop to explore and promote the integration of fashion and technology.

In the future, SIFF will continue to collaborate with the most vibrant fashion industry at home and abroad, fully connect talents, platforms and funds, expand the "circle of friends", introduce new resources, and foster cross-regional collaboration of the "Oriental Lifestyle Aesthetics" industry, thereby driving the development of China's fashion industry.

Established in 2014, the Shanghai Customization Week was initiated and organized by the Shanghai International Fashion Federation. With the support of various government departments, after years of accumulation of experience and refinement, the Shanghai Customization Week has gradually developed into a promotion and support platform for Chinese high-end boutique brands, gathering haute couture industries, talents, brands, etc. The continuous holding of the Shanghai Customization Week has played a positive role in promoting the creation of high-end fashion brands, the gathering of haute couture brands, and the incubation of fashion elites, and accelerating the establishment of a new development landscape and the promotion of high-quality development.

Following the long-term establishment of the Shanghai Customization Week in the Grand Yuyuan last year, the “Shanghai-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Oriental Fashion Industry Base” was officially unveiled at the opening ceremony in the Grand Yuyuan this year. The industry base will serve as a normalized base that connects fashion industries in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau and other regions, gathers complementary advantages, and fosters the development of fashion and creative industries, bringing together the fashion and culture of Huangpu, Shanghai, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau and even the entire China, and showcasing oriental lifestyle aesthetics to the world in the current context.

Yin Zi, Co-founder of the Shanghai Customization Week, and Executive Vice President of SIFF, said: the Shanghai Customization Week aims to take root in China, gain a foothold in the East, embrace new ways of living and integrate different cultures. The collaboration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area’s fashion industry is an important step in promoting the strategy of oriental lifestyle aesthetics. In the future, the Shanghai Customization Week will continue to attract and collaborate with the fashion industry of relevant regions at home and abroad, gather advantageous resources, and form a closed industrial chain. In the second half of this year, SIFF will continue to participate in the 2nd World Design Cities Conference, bringing together the pioneering force of Chinese fashion and design to showcase "Oriental Fashion, the Beauty of China"; plan to co-host the "10th International Forum on Oriental Aesthetics to Lead the World's New Fashion" with the Shenzhen Fashion Creative Industry Association; join hands with the Shanghai Promotion Center For City of Design to lead member brands to participate in Milan Fashion Week in Italy; take part in CENTRESTAGE sponsored by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and carry out collaborations in the thematic zones: METRO which represents the leisure aspects of urban life; ICONIC which represents modern, chic and avant-garde design; and ALLURE which showcases the elegance and refinement of design excellence and craftsmanship, further promoting exchanges and cooperation with domestic and foreign fashion industry players, relevant institutions, and leading fashion enterprises to truly go global and introduce foreign fashion industry players to China.

It is worth mentioning that this year's Shanghai Customization Week actively responded to the concept of environmental protection and was powered by digital intelligence. Hence, it was themed "Digital Fashion, Sustainable Beauty”. The first limited-edition NFT collection was jointly designed by several renowned digital artists. 2023 pieces of NFTs were featured on a cloud on the Bund as an installation art, turning the physical fashion show into a digital fashion show. MONA, the first virtual reality character with changeable appearance was featured on the cloud. On the basis of retaining the classic version, it can keep up with fashion trends and generate different outfits. Digital fashion as a pathway to sustainable beauty is the novelty of this Shanghai Customization Week. Fashion is no longer considered as fast-moving consumer goods, beauty is sustainable.

Located in the Grand Yuyuan, BFC was the venue of the main fashion show of this year's Shanghai Customization Week. The opening show, "Shanghai-Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Star Shining in the East" 2023 haute couture joint fashion show featured brands of seven haute couture designers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area including PJ, CICICHEUNG (熙上), SCASHMERE, TUYUE (涂月), MAO MART homme, WEIFANSHU, and PEIYIPENG to jointly showcase the multi-faceted charm of oriental culture and unique local culture through different means. The joint fashion show also fostered cultural exchange and collision between haute couture designers in Shanghai and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area. The cross-regional culture integration willlead the direction of fashion trends and guide brands to pay more attention to the oriental aesthetics accumulated in China for thousands of years.

Many well-known brands showcased their new collections at theweek-long Shanghai Customization Week. On 23 May, haute couture designers from Zheyi (著衣), YIZHEN ATELIER, Yanmu (燕慕), Tumi (荼蜜), XINGYUE (星月), Yuebai (月白) and other brands jointly released "Oriental Fashion"; on 24 May, GRACE CHEN showcased the experimental drama 2023 "The Composition of Beauty"; on 25 May, Blue-Confidant released the haute couture collection 2023 "Butterflies in Love with Flowers"; on 26 May, ST. JOHN released the pre-fall 2023 womenswear collection "A Glimpse of California"; on 27 May, DORM KIDS COUTURE released the S/S2023 children’s formal wear collection “A Dream to the Silk Road"; on 28 May, Korean brand MOMOWA, and children's formal wear brands BELIA BELEI, and Cecile & Esee kids jointly presented the closing show. In addition to fashion shows, Lulacasa, an Italian-style home furnishing brand, Tingxu Creation (庭序造物), and Vongu (梵谷漆器) held themed exhibitions, while GRACE CHEN, LUSANT (露璨), ST. JOHN, and DORM KIDS COUTURE held themed salons.

This year's Shanghai Customization Week featured integration and collision of Eastern and Western fashion and cultures. MAKE UP FOR EVER, a French cosmetics brand provided makeup support for this year’s Shanghai Customization Week, while AHAVA, an Israel's Dead Sea skincare brand, and WEI Beauty, a Chinese high-end herbal skincare brand alsocontributed to this year's Shanghai Customization Week.