She’s cornered the women’s couture market in Beijing and Shanghai with a combination of extravagant runway pieces and glamorous, easy-to-wear outfits. Chen’s clientele are the conservative, wealthy elites of China’s business and political circles who are more concerned with classic elegance than this season’s trends on the runways of Paris, New York or Milan. She counts China’s first lady Peng Liyuan and former Chinese ambassador to the UK Fu Ying among her customers.

After graduating from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Chen worked in eveningwear in both Los Angeles and New York before starting her own couture label in Shanghai. And her rise has been fast, especially in the past two years. She’s sought after overseas, too, thanks in part to collaborations with foreign embassies and government officials to stage VIP couture shows in Paris, London and New York, becoming one of the few Chinese designers to have a strong international diplomatic presence.

Most of the time, though, Chen hosts her well-heeled, mostly middle-aged clientele in her atelier in Beijing’s Guomao area or at the House of Grace Chen – a huge, glossily refurbished 1930s mansion in Shanghai’s former French Concession – where she takes private appointments and throws the occasional party or intimate runway show.

‘We’re in an era of transformation. It’s not only about style, but also about lifestyle, social style, even technology and retail – there are many things going on in China that haven’t happened in other countries,’ says Chen. ‘I think we are at a great time and major turning point for Chinese fashion.’

Xander Zhou‭ ‬

The menswear millennial‭ ‬