Kering CRAFT: discovering China's new creative guard

Kering CRAFT: discovering China's new creative guard

Kering CRAFT: discovering China's new creative guard

Kering CRAFT: discovering China's new creative guard

Luxury group Kering announced on Monday the selection of the ten fellows for the inaugural edition of its Kering CRAFT (Creative Residency for Artisanship_ Fashion and Technology) programme. Developed in partnership with Shanghai Fashion Week_ this residency scheme aims to support the emergence of a new generation of Chinese designers by fostering exchanges with international creative communities.

In March 2026_ a committee of experts from Kering_ Shanghai Fashion Week and an international advisory board evaluated the applications based on criteria of creativity_ artisanal excellence_ growth prospects and the embodiment of future luxury trends. In a statement_ the group specified that more than 100 candidates have applied for the programme since applications opened in December 2025.

The programme offers an immersive journey between Milan_ Paris and Shanghai. Residents will benefit from hands-on learning and mentoring by world-renowned experts. One such expert is Demna_ artistic director of Gucci and a member of the advisory board_ who expressed his fascination with the technical know-how and innovation in China.

The ten talents of the 2026 class_ specialising in fashion and jewellery design_ were selected for their ability to reinterpret Chinese culture and philosophy in an international context. Many of them are graduates of European fashion schools_ such as Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art.

Ten Chinese designers selected for the CRAFT programme:

  • Cai Jiaen (Je Cai): Proposes a modular and seasonless system that encourages long-term use.
  • Hu Nan (Nan Knits): An expert in contemporary knitwear_ he explores new garment structures.
  • Longhong Ziwei (Soft Mountains): Transforms endangered crafts of the Yi ethnic group into minimalist designs.
  • Qi Yueqi (Yueqi Qi): The designer combines narrative design with an exclusive bead-weaving technique.
  • Wang Fengchen (Feng Chen Wang): Known for her futuristic and deconstructed aesthetic.
  • Wei Donghui (Jacques Wei): Balances artistic expression and commercial sense with an East-meets-West vision (a graduate of Atelier Chardon Savard).
  • XIA Rong (macro'Senses): Explores high-end women's ready-to-wear through sensory perception.
  • Xu Hao (qiqi): Works on the intimacy between the body and the object through natural materials.
  • Yu Gengyi (Midnight Opera House): Translates the aesthetics of oriental opera into jewellery.
  • Zhong Zixin (Zhong Zixin): A lifestyle brand inspired by the concept of 'home'_ at the crossroads of sculpture and fashion.

This article was partly written with the support of an artificial intelligence tool before being supplemented and edited by a FashionUnited journalist.