UMA WANG
UMA WANG
2021-5-04
UMA ZANG IS A WOMEN’S CLOTHING BRAND FOUNDED BY THE CHINESE DESIGNER WANG ZHI IN 2003
Since the launch of her homonymous label in 2009, Uma Wang has been presenting the collections at the fashion weeks in London, Paris and Milan, while participating in the Shanghai Fashion Week regularly.
In the following years, Wang’s prestige was consolidated thanks to its collections that focus on the quality of the fabrics and the simplicity of the lines, also underlining the perfect fusion of oriental and western styles. The mission of the Chinese brand is to offer its customers young, comfortable and perfectly finished garments.
The Chinese designer Wang Zhi
UMA WANG’S DEBUT
Uma Wang, whose original name is Wang Zhi (1973), is the first internationally recognized Chinese designer. In 1996, Uma graduated in fashion design at the Shanghai China Textile University. Young Uma immediately proved her potential and exceptional talent in fashion design.
After studying at the China Textile University in Shanghai and at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, Uma Wang began working as a designer for several Chinese brands for about ten years, during which she refined her techniques and defined her style.
From 2002 to 2003, Uma attended an 8-month course at Central Saint Martins, specializing in accessories. After finishing the course, Wang decided to stay in London. Between 2003 and 2005, Uma began her career as a freelance designer, mainly providing design services to international clients. In 2005 the UMA Studio trademark was registered in London.
THE SUCCESS
After ten years of experience with first local and then international brands, in the same year Uma made her debut in London at PURE, the most important fashion trade event, presenting a ready-to-wear line bearing her name.
In 2006, Wang also participated in “China Fashion Time”, an event held every two years in Hamburg and launched by the local government with the aim of spreading Chinese culture.
In 2011 it took part in the On Stage event organized by Milano Unica in Milan. Here she decided to present her collections during the fashion week, after being nominated by Vogue Italia as an emerging talent to be launched on the international scene.
After this debut, in 2012, the Council of Fashion Designers of America chose the designer for its inaugural CFDA / Exchange Program.
In 2015, the designer was included in the official list of Forbes China Designers and was chosen for 6 consecutive years by Bof 500 in their dedicated session “The people shaping the Global Fashion History”.
BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Initially, according to a suggestion from a British agent, Wang called her brand UMA Studio. At that time, the concept of ‘made in China’ was already widespread both in Europe and in the United States, while the idea of a purely Chinese design was not yet considered. Despite this, after 3 years Uma insisted on changing the brand to UMA WANG.
In 2008, the UMA WANG 2009 collection was selected by Showroom 7 in NewYork and in 2009, the brand was introduced in several internationally renowned boutiques in Milan, Paris, London, New York and Moscow. In 2010, she received an invitation to participate in Milan White.
The brand was included in the official calendar of the Milan fashion week in 2011.
In 2016, Uma Wang created one of her most distinctive collections. The collection, inspired by ballet, arose from Wang’s childhood and the dream of becoming a ballerina.
The following year, in 2017, the brand was included in the official calendar of the Paris fashion week.
Uma Wang fashion show
DESIGNED IN CHINA, MADE IN ITALY
Progressively, Uma Wang managed to be recognized internationally and to bring her collections to the Milan Fashion Week. However, at the same time, she also had to face a very serious problem: a production deficiency. Wang initially had opened factories in China, but over time it became more and more difficult, especially given the use of fabrics produced exclusively in Italy. In 2016 the growing demand for the brand, due to its growing popularity, led to entrust the entire production to an Italian company in the Mantuan suburb, that boasts solid experience in the production and distribution of luxury brands.
A perfect synthesis of oriental and western stylistic influences has characterized the production from the first models. It is also evident how the creative flair is conditioned by the passion for elegance and the simplicity of the lines in its colour combinations.
UMA WANG’S STYLE
The Uma Wang brand can be defined as the result of the emotions, feelings, impressions, travels and people who have met over time, but also of the fabrics and materials with which it deals with every day.
Its collections are a continuous reference to Eastern and Western cultures, a balanced mix of yin and yang elements: light shapes that mix and that seem to be carved in the fabric, feminine garments and details of men’s wardrobe, light colours that become deeper and darker tints. Her style is also based on the ability to mix and match different types of fabrics, creating simple garments but at the same time imbued with unique details.
Each Uma Wang creation is studied in detail and enriched with refined elements. The careful and meticulous processing only involves the use of fine raw materials and follows high quality standards.
Each phase is followed by the fashion designer personally: from the creation of the sketches to the selection of colours that are often mixed to obtain unique and immediately recognizable nuances. Today the Uma Wang style is dedicated to all those who love the discreet charm of timeless elegance.
UMA WANG 2021 fashion show in Milan