China Annual Trends Summit kicks off in Shanghai

The 2025 China Annual Trends Summit will kick off from June 12 to 13 in Shanghai's Jing'an district, serving as a pivotal platform to showcase the evolution of Chinese fashion, promote cultural exchange and encourage industry innovation.

Co-guided by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government, the event integrates thematic dialogues, artistic displays and investment opportunities to highlight China's fashion landscape and its role in global cultural interaction.

The first day's agenda includes a thematic symposium, where representatives from arts, fashion, and tourism sectors will deliver speeches on topics such as the aesthetic origins and formation of Chinese fashion, high-quality fashion and art and new Chinese aesthetics in apparel, followed by a roundtable discussion on forging competitiveness of Chinese fashion events and brands.

A key highlight is the release of a development report on China fashion consumption, which systematically analyzes the progression of China's fashion consumption, presents its current landscape, and forecasts future trends.

The fashion night on the same day will launch with a fashion show that blends traditional Chinese garments with modern designs and utilizes technological innovations to enhance visual effects, thereby showcasing the contemporary vitality of intangible cultural heritage. The evening gala will also feature award ceremonies and artistic performances that merge fashion with cultural expressions.

On June 13, the summit will host a venture capital conference, inviting fashion enterprises, tech companies and investment institutions to conduct roadshows, aiming to create resource-sharing platforms and collaboration opportunities across the industry chain.

"This national event's debut in Shanghai stems from the city's unique cultural heritage and dynamic fashion ecosystem," noted Ma Li, deputy director of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's industry development department. "From the first tailor shop specializing in Western suits on Nanjing Road in the late 19th century, to the cheongsam fashion on the current Huaihai Middle Road in the 1930s, and up to the recent hit TV series Blossoms, Shanghai has consistently remained at the forefront of Chinese fashion culture, leading trends and attracting a large number of domestic and international visitors".

"Shanghai's fashion culture is deeply ingrained in the city's identity, reflecting not only design and creativity but also serving as a vital cultural landmark," said Jin Lei, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

In 2024, Jing'an district introduced 234 flagship stores, including six global and three Asia-first launches. The city aims to achieve a fashion consumption scale exceeding 520 billion yuan ($72.4 billion) by 2025, with an annual growth rate of 5 percent.