SHUMINGYU is a designer womenswear brand rooted in the poetic essence of Chinese art.
From the free-spirited brushwork of ink paintings, the rhythmic flow of poetry, and the delicate luster of ceramics, we strive to interpret and respect the artistic lineages that have come before us and on whose shoulders we now stand.
The brand name SHUMINGYU pays tribute to the Chinese saying “落叶归根”, which invokes the powerful imagery of autumn leaves falling towards their roots, returning to the soil that once nurtured it.
SHUMINGYU combines the designer’s given name SHUYU with MING, a character taken from the genealogy poem that traces her family roots.The name SHUMINGYU pays tribute to cultural memories passed down through generations, which have deeply shaped our aesthetic perspective.
Throughout history, artistic pursuits such as painting and poetry were avenues of poetic self-expression, blooming into a refined and elegant aesthetic that have nurtured generations of Chinese artists. SHUMINGYU is our way of sharing our perspective of this beauty through drawing inspiration from art, philosophy, and literature, and infusing it into our pieces.
“I was formally introduced to the canon of Chinese artistic lineages as a Chinese art history student in college. I thought it was odd that despite the breadth and nuances of Chinese aesthetics that were crystalized over thousands of years, it was rarely reflected in a modern fashion product. To me, culture should not be relegated to a museum. It has meaning only when it is a part of one’s daily life.”