As the AW 2025 Shanghai Fashion Week prepares to kick off on March 25, Chinese ethnic fashion brand EP Yaying is gearing up for the opening show.

Established in 1988, EP Yaying will showcase a collection that draws inspiration from intangible cultural heritage, blending it with cutting-edge technology to narrate a Chinese fashion story.

Zhang Huaming, chairman of EP Yaying Fashion Group, highlighted the brand's dedication to exploring traditional Chinese attire and the diverse clothing cultures of various ethnic groups to fuel their creative endeavors. By carefully selecting materials such as Tibetan yak wool from the Tibetan Plateau and top-grade cashmere from Inner Mongolia's Alashan Plateau, EP Yaying aims to bridge the gap between the East and West, sharing rare materials and profound ethnic cultural narratives from China with a global audience.

The fashion week will also feature a collaboration by Disney China and 10 local brands on March 27 to present a themed show titled "Toy Story: 30 Years and Beyond". The collaboration will feature nearly 200 pieces, including 64 fashion looks and nine jewelry designs, marking the first-ever fashion presentation inspired by Toy Story, the iconic computer-animated feature film that revolutionized the industry three decades ago.

Alex Lin, vice-president of regional merchandising and product design at The Walt Disney Company, APAC, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, citing Disney's longstanding relationship with Shanghai Fashion Week and the opportunity to celebrate Toy Story's 30th anniversary on a global scale.

Following the fashion extravaganza, sportswear giant Nike will close the AW 2025 Shanghai Fashion Week with the "Victory Lap" show on April 1, inspired by female athletes in track and field.

Dong Tao, senior director of women's marketing in Greater China at Nike, stressed the brand's commitment to pushing the boundaries of sports fashion through innovative design and cross-industry collaborations, aiming to showcase a diverse expression of sportswear to a broader audience and industry professionals.

Adding an olfactory dimension to the fashion spectacle, Notes Shanghai, a concurrent fragrance event, will provide a platform for in-depth exchanges and collaborations between the perfume industry and the fashion sector.

Wu Yue, the founder of Notes Shanghai, emphasized the unique sensory experiences offered by fashion and perfume, noting that both play crucial roles in shaping personal style. The event will shine a spotlight on artistic niche commercial brands, featuring a balanced mix of domestic and international participants, further enriching the sensory tapestry of Shanghai Fashion Week.

The 2025 MODE exhibition will also kick off at United Centre from March 25 to 29, attracting over 200 brands and enterprises, with overseas brands making up more than 50 percent.

African luxury brands will debut collectively at the MODE for the first time, promoting the African brands to the local market while MIK Fashion will bring 12 Korean brands to showcase K-Fashion.

M SPACE forum will discuss cutting-edge topics such as artificial intelligence technology, the dissemination of intangible cultural heritage of ethnic minorities, fragrance and fashion, and the dynamic aspects of Africa into the discourse for the first time.

In the realm of sustainability, Ulio Sustainability Space creates a sustainable product exhibition, showcasing bio-based materials, wearable ceramics and recycled footwear.

The Sustasia Fashion Prize, the first in Asia to focus on sustainable innovation, co-launched by the Shanghai Fashion Designs Association and the yehyehyeh Innovation Community, will host its final competition and awards ceremony during Fashion Week.