The Designer's story:
Joey Zhu grew up between her grandmother's tailoring shop in Shanghai's former French Concession and the neon-lit ateliers of Xintiandi, where she first learned that clothes are a way of moving through a city. After training at Donghua University and cutting her teeth at a Shanghai womenswear label, she launched her own studio in 2019 — quietly tailored pieces with a clear point of view on how modern Chinese women want to dress. Looking for a slower pace and a different conversation around craft, she relocated to Berlin in 2023 and set up a small atelier in Prenzlauer Berg. The city gave her room to work without the relentless commercial pressure of Shanghai's fashion week circuit, while keeping her close enough to the European mills and showrooms that matter. Her work today sits between the two cities: Shanghai precision, Berlin restraint, a wardrobe built for the in-between hours.
The Designer's day:
The Designer's links:
Fashion in Shanghai
- Shanghai Fashion Week
- Labelhood (independent designer platform)
- Dong Liang Studio (multi-brand concept store)
- SND Shanghai (designer boutique)
- Donghua University — Fashion & Design
- Ontimeshow (Shanghai Fashion Week trade event)
- Tube Showroom
- Xintiandi (design & retail district)