DISCOVERY Ones to watch
HOW SHANGHAI DESIGNER STEPHEN YUAN BROUGHT STYLE AND SOPHISTICATION BACK TO THE BUND
You might not be familiar with Mofiel, but in China the brand has made its mark with sophisticated silhouettes and dramatic flourishes for evening.
The couture label’s young designer and founder Stephen Yuan combines a knack for marketing (he used to work at LVMH) as well as invaluable informal couture tutorship by the late Lee Alexander McQueen. When Yuan interned at McQueen’s office in London, the designer offered to teach him at his own house at the weekends — an opportunity of a lifetime, seized earnestly.
A strong aesthetic supported by delicate flourishes has made Mofiel popular within Yuan’s circle in China. He’s often serving savvy city women, who work in lifestyle and fashion industries.
“There are the iconic, dramatic pieces here,” Yuan explains as he takes us on a tour of his Shanghai boutique at the Peninsula Arcade, “and the more mass ready-to-wear that includes our knits, which we produce in-house — cashmere vests, cardigans with lace or fur details — which is more for walk-in customers. But the majority of our customers still love the couture, the made-to-measure items tailored to them.”
We admire the dramatic plumes of feathers on crisp structured gowns, a series of off-the-shoulder monochrome shapes reminiscent of old-school Givenchy or Stefano Pilati’s YSL and then full and voluptuous taffeta skirts, all hand-embroidered in his local atelier.
One dress took about six months to make. “For the skirt,” says the designer, “I used fine pieces of silk cut into 2- to 3-centimetre pieces and had them all hand-sewn into 3D florals that were raw-edged … so the effect looks like feathers.”
The glossy store acts as showroom for Mofiel’s collections but also Yuan’s own aesthetic tastes and personal collectibles. There are displays of vintage jewellery and an antique Louis Vuitton trunk he found in Japan, painted by an artist he commissioned. Art deco-inspired interiors are “designed to reflect the Shanghai home of the brand … and the Peninsula being on the Bund Gardens, with all its historical significance.” Most clients come by appointment; hidden away is a VIP salon for celebrities and big clients.
“This step in my career has allowed me to upgrade everything, not only my first store, the bigger collection with 82 looks, but also the techniques I use,” says Yuan. “Chinese couture has changed a lot. Many customers
[who buy] from the big luxury brands now want something different and unique. Most of the Western brands still offer styles in Western shapes and sizes, so often they have to re-tailor everything — sometimes re-tailoring can be more complicated than making something from scratch.”
Among his strongest sellers now are suits, which definitely benefit from bespoke fitting for different bodies. Women are attracted to the strong looks of his designs (which are less girly compared with much Chinese couture) and even many of his gowns will have an element of suiting.
Yuan’s world travels inform many designs. Inspiration for high waists might be taken from New York, for example, or a black-and-white palette influenced by “the forever classicism of Paris… Then for Shanghai, there’s the embroidery and the iconic pattern of the peony. It’s a real combination of the Chinese and the Western here.” Jing Zhang