Emma Laimo | October 31st, 2024
Andersson Bell brings the style of the American art school kid to Shanghai.
On October 13th, 2024, Andersson Bell makes their runway debut at Shanghai fashion week showing off their western Americana style for the Spring/Summer 2025 Collection titled “Art School Kid.” This show took 7 months of preparation and was curated for the purpose of global brand expansion and as Andersson Bell states on their Instagram page “a tribute to creative freedom and individuality.”
This collection celebrates the Americana style of the “Art school kid” you always saw in class with that cool grunge and distressed style. The collection features denim jackets with fringing details, cowboy prints, and western-inspired embellishments while incorporating their modern and creative twist on it with the slimmer silhouettes and straight leg trousers. The show also references icons like Kurt Cobain who is remembered through his grunge style of music and clothing for incorporating patchwork, denim, knits, and flannel. As Andersson Bell states on their Instagram, this collection “is inspired by the rebellious spirit of the art school scene.” This grungy runway includes motifs from the 90s and early 2000s while still revealing itself to be sleek and casual for creative yet trendy fashion wearers.
The brand decided to debut this collection in Shanghai for more exposure as they are only available in stock at top Chinese Multi-brand stores. Andersson Bell is hoping to expand to E-Commerce and eventually into their own store as they are growing in popularity across China. The Creative Director, Dohun Kim states that they chose Shanghai for this show because “We wanted to connect to buyers, press, and fans here. It’s a large market for us, and sales have been strong.” So gear up with your creative side and embrace Western Americana style because Andersson Bell is making a breakthrough with this collection by not only connecting to their Chinese market but also referencing all the people who were or knew the “Art School Kid.”
This runway is beautifully rebellious as it embraces the creativity and grunge style of the 90s while incorporating modern silhouettes and classic western style motifs like cowboy hats and buckled shoes. The collections use of blending and styling different textures together with different knits, denims, and polyester is useful for the trendy fashion buyer as they can use this collection and pull a lot of different styles from one look.
