If I love Simone Rocha, will I like Shushu/Tong?+
Almost certainly, and the connection runs deep. Before founding the label, Liushu Lei interned with Simone Rocha while co-founder Yutong Jiang interned with Gareth Pugh, and that romantic-with-an-edge sensibility carries through. Shushu/Tong shares the bows, ruffles and doll-like silhouettes that Rocha fans gravitate to, but filters them through a young Shanghai perspective. Many shoppers describe it as that world made a touch more accessible.
Is Shushu/Tong worth the price?+
For the right piece, yes. The label crafts its hyper-feminine silhouettes with a strong, distinctive point of view, and the bows-and-pearls signature is hard to find done as convincingly elsewhere. Buyer feedback is honest about variation, so it pays to choose pieces where the construction and fabric justify the spend rather than buying on the look alone. The strongest items are the ones that show off the brand's romantic-with-an-edge tailoring.
Why is Shushu/Tong so popular right now?+
Because it was early to a wave that later swept fashion. The brand is noted for predating the trend of hyper-girly clothing after 2020, having built its identity around girlhood, nostalgia and retro anime from the start. As coquette, balletcore and soft-girl aesthetics took off, Shushu/Tong already had the frills, bows, ribbons, pearls, gingham and pastels that defined the moment. Vogue Business noted in 2024 that it was a rare Chinese designer label succeeding both at home and abroad.
What does the name Shushu/Tong mean?+
It is a blend of the two founders' names. The label's name combines Lei's nickname, Shushu, and Jiang's given name, Yutong. The brand has also noted that the name plays on the homonym of "Tong" and "tree" in the founders' names. It is often stylized in capitals as SHUSHU/TONG.
Who designs Shushu/Tong?+
It is a duo with clearly split roles. Liushu Lei is the creative director and leads the design, while Yutong Jiang focuses more on marketing and the client side, though she also has input on the design process. The two were born in Chengdu, attended the same high school, and met again studying fashion at Shanghai's Donghua University in 2014 before going on to the London College of Fashion.
Where and when was Shushu/Tong founded?+
The label was officially founded in 2015 in Shanghai, after the founders were unable to secure visas to stay in London where they had first conceived of the brand. Their earliest sales were made on the Chinese social platform WeChat before other stockists picked them up. The first physical Shushu/Tong store opened in July 2022 in Shanghai's JC Plaza.
What is the signature Shushu/Tong look?+
Hyper-feminine, with a knowing edge. The brand's designs lean on frills, bows, ribbons and pearls, often in gingham and pastel fabric, and it has been compared to the coquette aesthetic, balletcore, the soft-girl subculture and Lolita fashion. The aim, in the founders' words, is ready-to-wear for modern independent women with a girly heart.
What inspires Shushu/Tong's collections?+
Anime, film and a particular vision of girlhood. Collections have drawn on works including Aim for the Ace!, The Virgin Suicides, Gigi, and magical-girl anime such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Cardcaptor Sakura. Both founders cite the anime Nana as what first inspired them to become designers, and they have named Chloë Sevigny and Tina Chow as muses, with Faye Wong a perennial inspiration.
What collaborations has Shushu/Tong done?+
Several, across footwear, jewelry and beauty. The brand has collaborated with Asics and Charles & Keith for footwear, with the local brand Yvmin on jewelry, and with Estée Lauder on holiday cosmetic gift sets. The Estée Lauder collaboration was notable as the first time a global brand had partnered with a Chinese fashion label.
What is guochao, and how does Shushu/Tong fit in?+
Guochao is the trend among younger Chinese shoppers to favour homegrown designers who weave in aspects of Chinese history and culture. Shushu/Tong is one of the rising Chinese labels associated with it, and part of what makes the brand notable is that it grew without being based in a traditional fashion capital like Paris, leaning on social media to reach an international audience.
Where can I buy Shushu/Tong?+
It is carried by international luxury stockists alongside its own Shanghai store, which opened in 2022. Because the pieces are distinctive and produced in limited runs, archive and sold-out styles also circulate widely on resale platforms, which is often where collectors find earlier bows-and-pearls pieces. Buying secondhand can be a sensible route if a particular season has sold through.
