Ruohan Nie's Global Fashion Ascent From Beijing Roots to Paris Runways

Ruohan Nie has rapidly emerged as a prominent name in the design world, celebrated for her award-winning style of feminine, sustainably made luxury pieces. Her distinctive approach has earned her a coveted spot on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar since 2023, a testament to her unique trajectory in an industry often prone to standardization.

Nie's upbringing near Beijing, in the bustling "little" city of Tianjin with its ten million inhabitants, provided a rich tapestry of colonial heritage and multicultural influences that ignited her curiosity about the wider world. The daughter of two English teachers, she was introduced to the piano at a very young age with rigorous discipline—a practice she humorously refers to as the "Chinese way"—continuing until eighteen, alongside learning the flute.

Initially, a career in fashion was not her primary focus. After secondary school, Nie considered traditional university studies in mathematics or history. However, a passion for fashion blossomed at seventeen, prompting her to apply to prestigious international fashion schools like Central Saint Martins. Following initial rejections, she made a successful gamble by submitting her end-of-term music video to Parsons School of Design in New York, where she was accepted.

Her first year at Parsons included an impactful exchange program in Paris. During this period, she undertook a refreshing and unconventional internship with Australian artist Mel O'Callaghan, who was then researching bird saliva for use in Chinese cosmetics. Upon returning to New York, Nie delved into 3D fashion design and gained further industry experience through various internships, following the lead of friends already immersed in the industry's trends. She worked for notable brands such as Jenny Yoo, The Row, La Garçonne, and Shaina Mote. Her time in Los Angeles, collaborating with local artists for Shaina Mote, stands out as her favorite. Reflecting on these early experiences, Nie admits to often staying on the surface, wishing she had gone deeper to learn more in roles ranging from meeting organizer to content creator.

The genesis of her eponymous label occurred in 2020, following her triumph in the Chinese Institute of America’s fashion design competition. Less than a year after graduating, Nie secured the Lane Crawford x Labelhood Special Fund in 2021, an initiative dedicated to nurturing promising young Chinese designers. Her brand made its runway debut with a show in Shanghai in September of the same year.

During China's prolonged lockdown, Nie applied to Paris Fashion Week (PFW) in 2022. Pascal Morand, Executive President of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), who had already taken note of her label, officially added it to the PFW calendar starting with the Spring/Summer 2023 season, a presence she maintains to this day. Beyond the runway, the brand also enjoyed a two-year presence at the Boon gallery in the Marais district of Paris.

For Ruohan Nie and her brand's CEO, Waël Benkerrour, exposure extends beyond the PFW shows. The brand has strategically launched pop-ups in Japan and Canada, with plans for Milan in January. Japan, as the brand's second-largest market, serves as a crucial learning ground for understanding local customer demands regarding composition and values, thereby refining its compelling sales pitch.

Nie's expertise profoundly lies in creation across all its forms. Her diverse background has instilled in her a belief that all arts are interconnected, a philosophy evident in her work that transcends fashion alone. Her photography and paintings have even garnered interest from several galleries. While she has declined offers to avoid spreading herself too thin, Nie recognizes the evolving landscape where designers are increasingly seen as artists. She notes, "People expect something different from what was done in the 1990s. They want more than just fashion to call someone an artistic creator. They expect a clear proposition, beautiful shows, but also a role in art in general."

Her burgeoning career has been swiftly marked by significant awards and selections. Nie received the Yu Creative Impact Prize in 2022, reached the final stage of the 2024 ANDAM Prize, and notably won the Sustasia Fashion Prize, recognizing sustainable practices and innovation, during Shanghai Fashion Week. These accolades, combined with her consistent presence at Paris Fashion Week, have profoundly influenced her mindset. She views these distinctions as crucial "tests" of her capability and momentum, striving to sustain this trajectory while acknowledging that "the end is part of the game," much like the cautionary tales of Martin Margiela and Alexander McQueen.

Nie expresses confidence that "recognition for artistic brands can help you work at a major house," envisioning the expanded resources and new dimensions such opportunities could offer. Producing around 500 looks annually for her label, along with countless sketches, she rarely runs out of ideas. For her eponymous brand, she sees two paths: remaining a niche label or being acquired by a group to facilitate growth and earn the respect of an industry that, despite its global reach, can be hesitant to fully trust Asian designers without prior experience at a European house.

Currently, the brand is focused on establishing a stable structure, as Waël Benkerrour explains, to allow Ruohan Nie to dedicate herself entirely to creation. This endeavor is challenged by the scarcity of suitable profiles for the label's scale. Nie herself maintains a demanding schedule, spending approximately thirty weeks a year in China while frequently traveling to Europe and beyond to oversee her collections. She believes the value gained from these international exchanges outweighs the workload, emphasizing that her generation's freedom to exchange ideas and blend influences contrasts sharply with the previous generation in China. Confidently, she asserts, "In fashion, the next decade will be China’s."

With a strong retail footprint of approximately 50 boutiques in China and 20 internationally, the brand is actively expanding its global presence. Recent partnerships include Galeries Lafayette Paris, Barneys Japan, SSENSE, and Printemps Doha, complementing its existing relationships with Isetan, United Arrows, and Machine-A. While deepening its retail presence in China remains a key objective, Ruohan Nie’s overarching goal for national and international recognition is to establish a lasting presence in Paris, planning to open offices there for press relations and to serve as a base for textile research in nearby Italy.

This internationalization strategy necessitates English proficiency within the team, most of whom are Chinese, making it an essential recruitment criterion. Annually, two or three team members travel to Paris for Fashion Week preparations, with reciprocal visits planned for future Paris-based employees. This cultural exchange aims to foster a strong sense of belonging to the ambitious shared project of a thriving Chinese fashion brand on the global stage.