Wang Tao: Taking 'China Chic' global

Fashion designer Wang Tao (above); backstage at her show at The Dock in New York last season; and some of her latest designs (top). Provided to China Daily

Women’s fashion designer looks beyond the runway

Like many of the best fashion designers in the world, Wang Tao wears two hats.

Leading an eight-designer team, she has been creative director of Shanghai-based women’s wear brand Broadast:Bo for 12 years. And, once Broadast:Bo became a proven success, Wang debuted her namesake label Taoray Wang during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week New York in the fall of 2014.

“I will be back for every season from now on,” she said after the first Taoray Wang runway appearance.

Chinese designers have often used international fashion weeks as one-time promotional events for their names and brands and many don’t get the chance or have the money to return.

So far, Wang Tao has kept her word.

For the fourth time, she’s back in New York, this time with her 2016 autumn/winter collection. Departing from her past themes borrowed from popular movies — Black Swan, Fifty Shades of Grey, Out of Africa – this season Wang has taken inspiration from Victorian fashion and its patterns and tweeds.

“Historically, tailoring was common for men,” said Wang in a press release. “But now it is providing the answer for modern women who want to be elegant, stylish and sexy. This season is filled with a combination of traditional heritage and modern silhouettes.”

Wang said she wants to deliver a lineup for “independent and international women”.

“I don’t define my customers by race or nationality,” she told China Daily. “They have an international background. They embrace diversity and are open-minded to try different things. They are well-educated and well-traveled. They are multi-cultural.”