Shanghai proudly takes the lead as the fashion leader of Asia. (Chen Man)
Shanghai has rushed ahead of Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong to become Asia’s most stylish city, according to a new survey by Global Language Monitor.
For the Monitor's 10th annual survey to find the most fashionable cities in the world, the mainland China city jumped ahead 12 spaces from last year to land the position of 10th most stylish city overall. This places it ahead of several Asian cities that were ahead of it last year, including Tokyo (11th, up nine spots) and Singapore (18th, up one spot).
Hong Kong, which was ahead of Shanghai last year, has actually lost some style credibility, dropping eight spots this year down to 20th place. Surprisingly, Seoul came in last place on the list overall at 55th, dropping 21 spaces from last year, despite the fact that Korean fashion labels are popular in China.
While the usual fashion capitals of New York, Paris, and London were the first, second, and third choices on the list, Shanghai beat out Western cities such as Milan, Madrid, Moscow, and Stockholm.
Shanghai surpasses New York for luxury expenditures, according to another recent study. In addition, it’s easy to see its position as a global style capital by looking at all the major fashion events that took place there in 2013, including fashion shows by Dior, Hugo Boss, and Valentino, as well as exhibitions such as Dior’s L’Esprit Dior, Chanel’s Little Black Jacket, Prada’s Great Gatsby, and Burberry’s Art of the Trench. In addition, the global prestige of Shanghai Fashion Week is on the rise, and it gained Lane Crawford and 10 Corso Como locations this fall.
As the mainland becomes more style-conscious every year, we're still waiting with bated breath for Beijing to make it onto the list. It's not unlikely that it will someday—in 2013 we saw Beijing runway shows by Dior Homme, Rag & Bone, Marchesa, and Proenza Schouler, exhibits by the likes of Chanel and Fendi, and the opening of Galeries Lafayette.