After three years in China during the pandemic, Huishan Zhang landed back in London with a bang. One of his first stops was Buckingham Palace, where he attended a reception hosted by King Charles III marking Lunar New Year.
It didn’t end there. Another British institution, Harrods, is welcoming him back with a pop-up shop that’s set to open in April. It will be located on Harrods’ first floor and stock the mainline collection, as well as a special modest capsule that Zhang creates for his Middle Eastern customers.
During his three years in China, the designer continued to create collections, present them in his London shop on Mount Street, and conduct interviews remotely. He also built up a formidable private client base and said he’s inundated with orders.
Some of those clients attended Friday’s show dressed like a flock of exotic birds in the designer’s feathery, fluttery, feminine designs.
For fall, Zhang took a darker turn, sending out a Hitchcock-inspired collection filled with early ’60s glamour, and a harder edge.
There were sleek pencil dresses with long, black ribbon details, or sharp shoulders; headscarves reminiscent of Tippi Hedren in “The Birds,” and a sheer black lace dress with bell sleeves.
Later in the show, those slim and structured ’60s silhouettes gave way to softer, more exuberant designs, such as a fuzzy magenta coat, a pink feathery dress and a grasshopper green gown with little fringes.
They were as joyful as spring, and should appeal to his flock of socialite fans and red carpet regulars.
