On September 23, the award ceremony for the inaugural Swarovski International Scholars' Competition was held in Shanghai. Centered on the theme ‘Sustainable Design | Street Art’, the contest attracted 102 outstanding entries from seven leading international fashion institutions, including the London College of Fashion and Istituto Marangoni. Li Chengyao, an undergraduate from the Class of 2022 at DHU's College of Fashion and Design, stood out with her work ‘Urban Radiance’, ultimately garnering the top honor—the Global Champion award—for its depth of thought, distinctive innovative expression, and unique artistic appeal.
Inspired by the interplay of urban radiance and street art, the collection employs deconstructed and asymmetric aesthetics to capture the rhythm of the city and the tension of the individual, creating a fashion narrative that balances freedom and strength. In terms of materials and craftsmanship, the work extensively utilizes recycled denim and upcycled garments, while fully leveraging the optical properties of Swarovski crystals. Their effects of refraction, diffusion, and fluidity are skillfully integrated into the garment’s structure, allowing the crystals to transcend mere decoration and become a medium for storytelling and self-expression. The design also introduces modular thinking: using crystal snap fasteners to secure components, the wearer can DIY, detach, and reconfigure the layout, transforming a dress into an accessory bag—a perfect fusion of functionality, sustainability, and innovation.
(Yvonne Chan, President of Swarovski Greater China, and Sun Jie, Dean of the College of Fashion and Art Design at Donghua University, jointly presented the championship award to Li Chengyao)
As Swarovski's only co-established design center with a university in China, the College of Fashion and Design will leverage Shanghai's pivotal position as a global sci-tech innovation hub and a world-renowned ‘City of Design’ and ‘Fashion Capital.’ It will deepen the connotative development of the ‘Donghua University-Swarovski Creative Design Center,’ fully promote the establishment of an international industry-academia education system, and open new pathways for cultivating design talents with global vision and the ability to articulate Chinese narratives. Through this collaboration, the center aims to become a leading fashion hub that shapes future design, artistic innovation, and industry transformation, jointly nurturing sustainable design leaders who possess ‘global competence in fashion’ and the capability to define the future of style.
