SHUSHU/TONG

Liushu Lei and Yutong Jiang met as undergraduates at Shanghai’s Donghua University, bonded over their shared obsession with the anime “Nana,” and went on to complete their MAs in womenswear at the London College of Fashion. Before returning to Shanghai, Lei interned with Simone Rocha; Jiang worked with Gareth Pugh. In 2015, they pooled those apprenticeships into SHUSHU/TONG, a label named after their own Chinese given names. The premise sounded simple but had few takers at the time: uncompromising femininity for women who refuse to treat it as frivolous.

Ten years later, the brand shows at Shanghai Fashion Week to standing-room crowds and has collaborated with Asics, Charles & Keith, Yvmin, and Estée Lauder. The trajectory is steep, but the design language has stayed consistent throughout.

SHUSHU/TONG sits right at the intersection of girlhood and severity. Ruffles appear alongside deconstructed tailoring. Bows sit on garments cut with the precision of Savile Row suiting. Tulle meets grunge. The founders describe it as clothing for “modern women with a girly heart,” but it’s more subversive than that tagline suggests. The brand treats femininity as a choice, even a confrontational one.

Each collection draws from specific references. Spring/Summer 2024 pulled from Helmut Newton’s “Big Nudes” series, channeling emancipation over objectification. Fall/Winter 2025, the brand’s tenth-anniversary collection titled “Mutual References,” took its starting point from Diane Arbus’s “Identical Twins” photograph, constructing a fictional narrative around two girls growing up together, their lives told through clothing. Spring/Summer 2026 referenced Agnès Varda’s “Cléo from 5 to 7,” centering the idea that beauty is an internal force.

SHUSHU/TONG’s relationship to Chinese craft is intentional but never literal. “Chinese culture is in our blood, but manifested subtly,” Lei has said. They avoid overt symbols. No dragons, no cheongsam silhouettes. Instead they absorb traditional techniques into contemporary construction. For Spring/Summer 2024, they researched traditional Su embroidery, the centuries-old needlework tradition from Suzhou, and reinterpreted its sewing techniques within the collection’s framework. It reads as texture, not costume.

The range spans dresses, blouses, skirts, knitwear, tailored pieces, and accessories, anchored by a recurring vocabulary of bows, ruffles, and structural layering. Candy-toned poplin sits alongside muted tweeds. Diaphanous tulle dresses share rack space with sharp culottes. The ongoing collaboration with jewelry label Yvmin produces hand-embroidered chains and lace-detailed accessories. Footwear centers on the Mary Jane (offered in pointed and square-toe variations across multiple fabrications) alongside the brand’s signature handbag silhouettes.

SHUSHU/TONG runs true to Asian sizing, which typically corresponds to one size smaller than Western equivalents. A size M in SHUSHU/TONG fits closer to a Western S. The brand's silhouettes fall into two camps: structured pieces (blazers, culottes, tailored shorts) that follow the body with precision, and volume-driven pieces (tulle dresses, ruffled blouses, layered skirts) that create deliberate exaggeration.

For the structured pieces, size up if you prefer any ease. The tailoring is sharp and doesn't accommodate much stretch. For the volume pieces, stay true to size — the drama is built into the pattern, not dependent on a tight fit.

Styling SHUSHU/TONG pieces works best when you commit to contrast. A ruffled bow blouse over straight-leg trousers. A tulle skirt with a simple knit and flat shoes. The brand's own runway styling leans into maximalism, but the individual pieces are versatile enough for understatement. The Mary Jane flats and pointed-toe variations work across the full range — they're the entry point for a reason.

Fabrics span cotton poplin, wool-blend tweed, silk organza, polyester tulle, and seasonal knits. Most pieces are dry-clean recommended, though cotton and polyester items generally handle cold gentle machine wash. Check the care label — the brand is specific about fabric treatment.

The bow-detail blouse is the brand's signature entry point. Available across multiple fabrications each season (poplin, organza, knit), it captures the brand's identity in a single garment: feminine construction, wearable proportions, and a detail that reads as intentional rather than decorative.

The deconstructed blazer anchors the tailoring side of the collection. Cut with precision but often finished with raw edges, asymmetric closures, or unexpected fabric pairings. It's the piece that most clearly shows the Simone Rocha and Gareth Pugh lineage — technical skill deployed in service of a specific aesthetic vision.

The Mary Jane flats have become a quiet bestseller. Offered in pointed and square-toe variations, in leather, patent, and seasonal fabrications. They bridge the gap between the brand's avant-garde positioning and everyday wear.

Tulle dresses and skirts represent the brand at its most expressive. Layered, often floor-length, and constructed with more engineering than the ethereal result suggests. These are the runway statement pieces, but they also translate to events, weddings, and occasions where you want to be remembered.

SHUSHU/TONG occupies a space between contemporary and designer pricing. Blouses and knits range from $150 to $350. Tailored pieces (blazers, trousers, structured dresses) sit between $300 and $600. Statement dresses and outerwear reach $700 to $1,200. Accessories — bags, shoes, jewelry collaborations — start around $100.

For context, comparable brands in terms of design ambition and construction quality include Cecilie Bahnsen (whose blouses start at $600+), Shrimps ($400+ for dresses), and Simone Rocha ($800+ for similar silhouettes). SHUSHU/TONG delivers at roughly 40 to 60 percent of those price points for equivalent craftsmanship. The difference isn't quality — it's geography and supply chain economics.

The brand stocks at SSENSE, Net-a-Porter, Dover Street Market, and Lane Crawford. Retail prices at those destinations typically run 20 to 30 percent higher than MING STREET's direct pricing, which benefits from the brand's domestic supply chain without Western wholesale markup.

SHUSHU/TONG was one of the first brands we reached out to when MING STREET launched. The label represents exactly what we set out to do: make genuinely exceptional Chinese design accessible to a global audience. When we first examined the construction of a SHUSHU/TONG bow blouse — the precision of the stitching, the weight of the fabric, the intelligence of the pattern — it was clear this wasn't a brand riding trends. It was building something.

The brand's trajectory confirmed what we saw in the product. In the years since we started carrying the label, SHUSHU/TONG has expanded into Dover Street Market, SSENSE, and Net-a-Porter. The design press covers them with increasing regularity. But despite the growing recognition, the brand has resisted the common move toward safer, more commercial designs. Each season still feels like an extension of Liushu Lei and Yutong Jiang's original vision — femininity as both armor and invitation.

We carry a curated selection each season, focusing on the pieces that best translate across cultural contexts. The bow blouses, tailored jackets, and Mary Jane flats are perennial recommendations. For customers new to the brand, they offer the clearest window into what makes SHUSHU/TONG significant. For those who already know the label, we bring in the seasonal statement pieces — the tulle dresses, the runway-adjacent tailoring — that represent the design at its most ambitious.

Is SHUSHU/TONG a luxury brand?
SHUSHU/TONG sits in the contemporary-to-designer category. The design ambition and construction quality are luxury-grade, but the pricing benefits from Chinese manufacturing economics. Think of it as comparable to brands like Cecilie Bahnsen or Simone Rocha in quality, at 40 to 60 percent of their price points.

How does SHUSHU/TONG sizing work?
The brand uses Asian sizing, which runs approximately one size smaller than Western equivalents. We recommend sizing up one. A size M in SHUSHU/TONG fits like a Western S. Structured pieces (blazers, tailored shorts) fit more precisely than volume pieces (tulle dresses, ruffled skirts).

What's the return policy for SHUSHU/TONG items?
All SHUSHU/TONG pieces purchased through MING STREET are covered by our standard 14-day return policy. Items must be unworn, with tags attached. We provide free return shipping on domestic orders.

Are SHUSHU/TONG products authentic?
Yes. MING STREET sources directly from the brand — not through distributors or third-party resellers. Every piece is authenticated and inspected before shipping. We are an authorized retail partner.

How often does MING STREET restock SHUSHU/TONG?
We receive new deliveries at the start of each season (typically February for Spring/Summer, August for Fall/Winter). Popular pieces — particularly the bow blouses and Mary Jane flats — are restocked mid-season when available. Sign up for back-in-stock notifications on individual product pages.

Anton Khomich is the editorial lead at MING STREET. Based in New York, he covers the designers, studios, and cultural movements shaping Chinese contemporary fashion. Before joining MING STREET, he worked across fashion editorial and brand strategy, with a focus on emerging markets and independent labels. He has tracked the Chinese streetwear and contemporary design scene since 2019.