HPLY, a local urban women's wear brand, opened the Autumn/Winter 2026 Shanghai Fashion Week on Wednesday, emphasizing lace as the centerpiece of its signature designs.

HPLY presents lace as representing the strength and softness of modern women through contrasting aesthetics. Wednesday's show highlighted the traditional Leavers Lace craftsmanship, blending the brand's patented lace patterns with premium materials like two-tone vintage waxed lambskin and ultra-thin matte lambskin.

Founded in 2009 in Shanghai, HPLY now operates over 300 stores nationwide.

Company founder Huang Youlai said, "We believe true fashion empowers women to express themselves, embracing life's challenges while retaining tenderness and passion."

Following HPLY's opening show, the Xintiandi Show venue will present a series of remarkable displays by leading domestic design brands. These brands will showcase diverse aesthetics and innovative interpretations of traditional Chinese culture, weaving Chinese stories into designs inspired by yin-yang philosophy, the romantic bronze legacy of Chu Ci (The Songs of Chu), and the therapeutic five-tone healing scale. In craftsmanship, designers will balance artisanal warmth with technological innovation, employing techniques from intangible cultural heritage brocade weaving to 3D printing and laser cutting.

The fashion week also features a stronger international presence, with brands from Vietnam, South Korea, Italy, France, the United States, Denmark, and other countries participating.

On the opening day, the AW2026 MODE Shanghai Fashion Trade Show launched at Crystal Bridge in Changning district. Chinese national fashion brand EP Yaying unveiled its new product preview to global buyers for the first time at the exhibition.

A series of key events will follow. Maison Margiela will globally debut its AW2026 collection on April 1, with a special exhibition running from April 2 to 6. The first New Wave Fashion Awards will hold its final, where six designers will present their works in independent creative spaces at city landmarks. On April 6, Shanghai Fashion Weekend will collaborate with Xiaohongshu to launch a fashion event on Yongyuan Road, gathering over 20 pioneering brands and diverse fashion installations to bring fashion from the runway to the streets.