Shushu/Tong
{{Short description|Shanghai-based fashion label}}{{Infobox company
| name = Shushu/Tong
| logo = ShushuTongLogo.png
| industry = Fashion design
| founded = 2015
| founder = {{Unbulleted list|Liushu Lei|Yutong Jiang}}
| hq_location_city = Shanghai
| hq_location_country = China
| website = {{URL|shushutongstudio.com}}
}}
Shushu/Tong, also stylized as SHUSHU/TONG, is a Shanghai-based fashion label founded in 2015 by designers Liushu Lei and Yutong Jiang. Its design sensibility is inspired by girlhood, nostalgia, and retro anime and films. The brand name comes from the homonym of "Tong" and "tree" in the two founders' names, and the theme of the brand is to create ready-to-wear clothing for "modern independent women with a girly heart.”
History
Founders Liushu Lei and Yutong Jiang were both born in Chengdu and attended the same high school.{{Cite web |last=Kurata |first=Yoshiko |date=2019-01-02 |title=The Dawn of a New History: SHUSHU/TONG |url=https://www.ssense.com/en-us/editorial/fashion/the-dawn-of-a-new-history-shushutong |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=SSENSE |language=en}} Both Lei and Jiang were inspired by the anime Nana to become designers, although Jiang was briefly interested in becoming a cartoonist before realizing she preferred fashion. The two met at Shanghai's Donghua University when studying fashion in 2014.{{Cite web |last=Balugo |first=Kleigh |date=18 December 2023 |title=Shushu/Tong Has a Fetish for Bows |url=https://www.papermag.com/shushu-tong-spring-2024#rebelltitem1 |website=Paper Mag}} The two went on to acquire MA degrees at London College of Fashion,{{Cite web |last=Lea |first=Tyler |title=Shushu/Tong: Femininity with a Twist |url=https://metalmagazine.eu/en/post/shushu-slash-tong-feminine-style-with-a-twist |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Metal Magazine |language=}} where the two were flatmates and first conceived of the brand. Lei spent time interning with Simone Rocha, and Jiang with Gareth Pugh. After a failing to acquire a visa to stay in London, Shushu/Tong was officially founded in 2015 in Shanghai.{{Cite web |last=Kessler |first=Alex |date=2024-03-26 |title="We're Designing For Our Dream Girl": ShuShu/Tong Is The A-List's Answer To The Coquette Trend |url=https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/shushu-tong-designer-interview |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=British Vogue |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Yip |first=Joyce |date=2023-02-09 |title=Inside Shushu/Tong's sweet fashion bomb with founders Liushu Lei and Yutong Jiang |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/article/3209615/inside-shushu/tongs-sweet-fashion-bomb-founders-liushu-lei-and-yutong-jiang-shanghai-based-brand |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}} The label's name is a combination of Lei's nickname, Shushu, and Jiang's given name, Yutong. The first physical Shushu/Tong store opened in July 2022 in Shanghai JC Plaza.
Lei is the creative director of the brand, while Jiang is more involved on the marketing and client side, although she also has input on the design process. Their first sales were made on Chinese social media platform WeChat, before the brand was picked up by other stockists; social media has been an avenue which allowed their brand to grow despite not being located in a traditional fashion capital like Paris. The brand has collaborated with Asics{{Cite web |last=Hyland |first=Véronique |date=2024-01-04 |title=The Coquette-Core Label Reimagining Power Dressing |url=https://www.elle.com/fashion/a46266368/shushu-tong-spring-2024-interview/ |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Elle |language=en-US}} and Charles & Keith,{{Cite web |last=Curtis-Evans |first=Kayla |date=2022-01-21 |title=SHUSHU/TONG x CHARLES & KEITH Are Shaking Up Femininity |url=https://officemagazine.net/shushutong-x-charles-keith-are-shaking-femininity |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Office Magazine |language=en}} for footwear, local brand Yvmin for a line of jewelry,{{Cite web |last=Bargeron |first=Sadie |date=2023-07-11 |title=Fendi gelato, Chinese footballers in Prada, and Yvmin x Shushu/Tong: China collabs of the week |url=https://jingdaily.com/posts/fendi-gelato-chinese-footballers-in-prada-and-yvmin-x-shushu-tong-china-collabs-of-the-week |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Jing Daily |language=en}} and Estée Lauder for holiday cosmetic gift sets.{{Cite web |last=Wu |first=Wenzhuo |date=2023-02-11 |title=Estée Lauder And Shushu/Tong Pair Up For Valentine's Day |url=https://jingdaily.com/posts/estee-lauder-shushu-tong-valentines-day-marketing |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Jing Daily |language=en}} The brand's collaboration with Estée Lauder was noted as the first time a global brand had collaborated with a Chinese fashion brand.
Design and influences
Shushu/Tong is noted for its hyper-feminine style, having been compared to the coquette aesthetic trend, balletcore, soft girl subculture and Lolita fashion. The brand was noted for predating the trend of hyper-girly clothing after 2020. Their designs often incorporate girly elements like frills, bows, ribbons, and pearls, as well as gingham and pastel fabric.{{Cite web |last=Sarwar |first=Umar |date=2021-11-01 |title=The duo behind Shanghai fashion label SHUSHU/TONG reveal their creative secrets |url=https://www.gaytimes.com/fashion/the-duo-behind-shanghai-fashion-label-shushu-tong-reveal-their-creative-secrets/ |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Gay Times |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last=Suen |first=Zoe |date=2 November 2018 |title=Shushu/Tong's Modern Heroines |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/china/shushu-tong-chinese-fashion-designer-to-watch/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230423191707/https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/china/shushu-tong-chinese-fashion-designer-to-watch/ |archive-date=23 April 2023 |access-date=9 May 2024 |website=Business of Fashion |language=en}} Works that have inspired collections include the Aim for the Ace!, The Virgin Suicides, Gigi, and the protagonists of magical girl anime such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Cardcaptor Sakura. The founders named Chloë Sevigny and Tina Chow as muses, and Faye Wong as a perennial inspiration as well as celebrity they would like to dress someday.
Shushu/Tong is one of some rising Chinese fashion brands associated with guochao ({{Zh|c=国潮|p=Guó cháo}}), a fashion trend among younger Chinese shoppers to prefer homegrown designers which incorporate aspects of Chinese history and culture.{{Cite web |last=Nan |first=Lisa |date=2021-07-07 |title=Can Shushu/Tong Go Global? |url=https://jingdaily.com/posts/shushu-tong-chinese-designer-brand-global |access-date=2024-05-09 |website=Jing Daily |language=en}}
Jiang also serves as a muse for Lei, as she models items and provides early feedback, giving a woman's perspective to Lei's designs. The two designers have acknowledged that this may have contributed to criticism against the brand for its limited range of body shapes.