LONDON – Harrods is doubling down on its partnership with Chinese fashion retailer and emerging talent support platform Labelhood with a dedicated pop-up for the upcoming Lunar New Year, which will land on Feb. 10 for the Year of the Dragon.
Running till Feb. 18, the pop-up is covered in red, the color of luck and auspiciousness in Chinese culture, and is decorated with handmade dragon-shaped kites. It offers over 40 styles from six popular Chinese fashion brands: Uma Wang, M Essential, The Flocks, Ao Yes, Samuel Gui Yang, and Tang Xin Dan.
In addition to outfit options for a slew of Lunar New Year-themed parties slated for the next two weeks, the pop-up sees the return of the family portrait photo studio. First launched in 2021 in Shanghai by Labelhood, the studio was a hit and then made its London debut last year for the Year of the Rabbit pop-up, according to Harrods.
“Last year, China just reopened. So the story we brought was about going out, to see the world through the lens of China. But this year, I wanted to look inward,” said Tasha Liu, founder of Labelhood.
Tapping deeper into emotional topics, Labelhood created a photography series, which is on display in Harrods, that explored family history. Through the lens of Chinese landscape photographer Ma Hongjie, the stories of makeup artist Valentina Li, fashion editor Chuyu Wang and ancient Great Wall preserver Yang Na unfold as Ma organizes the families’ belongings, including furniture and memorabilia, out in the open.
“The key word this time is nostalgia. Through Ma’s lens, we want to showcase these deeply personal memories while presenting broader and more diversified Chinese-style reunions,” Liu added.
The Harrods x Labelhood pop-up in London
Courtesy of Harrods
The partnership between the two started in 2019 when Harrods began to host its incubation program Hive in Shanghai. Prior to the two Lunar New Year-themed collaborations, the two worked on another initiative that celebrated Chinese fashion design in 2021 with pieces from Chen Peng, the inaugural winner of the Yu Prize, for which Harrods served as a strategic partner, as well as Shushu/Tong, Ruohan, and WMWM.
For a holistic festive experience, Harrods also teamed with Mango Tree Restaurant Group’s Dim Sum Terrace on the fourth floor of the department store for a Lunar New Year-themed dim sum high-tea set and, for the first time, created three limited-edition Chinese New Year pantry products: a jar of Dragon Well green tea and two hampers, both packed with Harrods-made treats and teas.
After the Lunar New Year pop-up, Harrods is set to unveil its first-ever private members’ club, The Residence in Shanghai, in the spring. The anchor attraction of the club will be Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay looking after the member’s-only restaurant. It’s understood that Ramsay will travel to China for the opening.
Labelhood’s Youtopia event in London
While Liu is in town for the pop-up, she also hosted a day of programs on Sunday that featured a panel discussion, workshop, and exhibition for Youtopia, an aspirational creatives-facing networking arm under Labelhood, mainly for those from the Chinese diaspora, supported by Converse.
“We are more and more able to define what Labelhood means to people. I think ‘oriental youth’ is a very good expression of who we are. In Harrods, we bring the best from China, and outside of the retail setting, we are finally able to host a big gathering again to meet with the London creative community. What intrigued me most is that not only did we get to meet many promising design students, there are so many future stars in art and business management,” she added.
