The 23rd Around Donghua Fashion Week and the Graduation Season of the College of Fashion & Design officially kicked off on April 24. Liu Shuhui, Party Secretary of Donghua University, and Yan Linping, Vice President of the university, attended the opening ceremony. Over 200 representatives from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, the CPC Shanghai Municipal Working Committee of Education and Health, sister universities, industry enterprises, distinguished alumni, as well as faculty and students from relevant departments and schools joined the event. The opening ceremony was hosted by Sun Jie, Dean of the College of Fashion & Design.
（Liu Shuhui delivers a speech）
In her speech, Liu Shuhui stated that Donghua University has always adhered to the "Four Orientations" — serving the needs of national strategies, economic and social development, industry development, and international cooperation in science and technology. The university focuses on major national strategies and socio-economic development needs by vigorously advancing the construction of three major disciplinary clusters, which are "Textiles & Fashion," "Materials & Energy," and "Intelligence & Health." It has also incorporated fashion creativity and design innovation as core strengths into the key priorities of its "15th Five-Year Plan" development strategy. The university will actively support the College of Fashion & Design in building itself into a world-class, fashion-focused design school, promoting the transformation of its disciplines towards systematization, ecological integration, and cross-sector convergence, thereby creating a globally recognizable hub for sustainable fashion and design innovation. She noted that the Around Donghua Fashion Week, now in its 23rd successful edition, serves as an important platform for deepening the integration of design, technology, culture, and sustainable development, and for supporting Shanghai's construction as a "City of Design, City of Fashion, and City of Brands." The university will continue to deepen industry-university-research-government collaboration, promote the organic integration of the education chain, talent chain, industry chain, and innovation chain, and continuously stimulate the vitality of fashion creativity, contributing to Shanghai's accelerated transformation into a world-class socialist metropolis with global influence.
(The 23rd Around Donghua Fashion Week and the College of Fashion & Design Graduation Season opens)
At the opening ceremony, Liu Shuhui, along with Chen Wenshan, Director of the Consumer Goods and Fashion Industry Development Division of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, Zhang Xiaofei, Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Working Committee of Education and Health, Li Hong, Deputy Director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Changning District, Xu Yangdong, President of the Australia and New Zealand Alumni Association of Donghua University, Juan Cruz, Dean of Edinburgh College of Art, and Sun Jie, jointly unveiled the 23rd Around Donghua Fashion Week and the Graduation Season of the College of Fashion & Design.
(Launch of the Specialized Laboratory Program)
Zhu Jianwang, General Manager of Shanghai Garment Group Co., Ltd., Qin Zhiqiang, Human Resources Recruiting Director of Richemont China, Sania Ma, Chief Product Officer of ECCO Greater China, and Wang Yin'ning, Deputy Director of the Propaganda Department of Ninghai County Committee of the Communist Party of China in Zhejiang Province, jointly launched the first batch of specialized laboratory projects. This initiative aims to foster the development of joint research teams and create a new model of collaborative education involving government, universities, and enterprises.
(Yan Linping presents awards to 10 emerging designers)
(2026 "Donghua Emerging Designer" Works Debut)
The 2026 "Donghua Emerging Designer" works made their debut at the opening ceremony. Yan Linping presented awards to the ten winning emerging designers. The 60-piece collection captivated the audience with avant-garde silhouettes, broke conventions through deconstructive designs, and struck a chord with intelligent expressions, embodying the design philosophy of "not confined by conventions, not misled by inertia." It deeply reflected the new generation's thoughts on fashion, culture, society, and the future.
This year's Around Donghua Fashion Week, themed "Hyper-Sensory Smart Fashion," connects intelligent technology, design innovation, cultural heritage, and sustainable development. More than 20 events—including dynamic runway shows, static exhibitions, creative markets, roundtable forums, theatrical performances, and recruitment internships—will be presented successively.
