Zara teams up with Susan Fang for first Chinese designer collaboration

Following the sell-out success of its capsule collection with South Korean label Ader Error, Zara has selected fashion designer Susan Fang for its latest collaboration capsule ahead of the Chinese New Year.

Fang is the first globally acclaimed Chinese designer Zara has ever worked with, with the Spanish retailer stating that the collaboration demonstrates its confidence in supporting the large-scale commercial development of Chinese designers, and its determination to introduce Chinese design to international markets.

The collaboration with the Chinese designer, which includes 22 pieces of womenswear, menswear, kidswear and accessories, will be on sale from Monday, both online and in selected flagship stores in Bejing, Shanghai and Chengdu.

Fang told WWD: "The interesting thing is that our theme is about love, togetherness, and family, and what I experienced during the project is a true Zara family. Although they are a huge company, the way we worked was very intimate and personal, they were very caring for how our brand runs. How we hand-make our products is in a small handmaking team. It was a tightly knit team working closely with many of their members in different backgrounds and areas.

"They were all very kind, professional and extremely efficient, from the beads to fabric, to campaign and store designs, everyone tried their best, from Spain to China. It really moved me."

Shortly after her graduation from Central Saint Martins, Fang launched her London-based contemporary womenswear brand in 2017. The designer, who has prior experience at Kei Kagami, Céline, and Stella McCartney, collected a prestigious list of stockists including Net-a-porter, Browns, Dover Street Market and Joyce. Fang was also shortlisted for the LVMH Prize in 2020, and named winner of the Lane Crawford Creative Call Out award last year. She now shows during Shanghai Fashion Week.