City of Genius highlights epicenter of creativity

Italian luxury house Moncler staged "The City of Genius" at the Huangpu Riverside on Saturday, as Shanghai consolidates its appeal to top-notch creative minds and talented fashion personnel as it rises as a global epicenter of creativity.

It's the first time the program has been staged in Asia following previous shows in its headquarters Milan and in London last year.

The company said the values of innovation and creativity shared by Moncler and Shanghai made it the perfect choice for hosting this Moncler Genius event as part of Shanghai Fashion Week.

Based on the Italian luxury house and Shanghai's mutual values of innovation and creativity, the City of Genius seeks to push the boundaries of fashion and luxury through a combined global and Chinese expression of creativity.

Moncler opened its first store in China in 2009, and it latest opening in late September is at the Taikoo Hui in downtown Jing'an District.

Following Jing'an officials' visits to its headquarters and engagement with the executives, it decided to locate the showcase and exhibition in Shanghai.

"I've always been impressed by the speed of the local market, and China remains very strong market for us," said Moncler chairman and CEO Remo Ruffini. It aims to build unique experiences and strong brand awareness for the local market.

"When I first came to Shanghai in 2005, the city was completely different, as the transformation over the years has been huge, and this evolution continues to inspire me both personally and professionally," he said.

"I'm sure China will become one of the biggest luxury market in the world in the next five years despite the volatile global luxury market in recent years, and we have a long-term vision to build strong brand awareness in the local market," he added.

The entire exhibition and show area spans 30,000 square-meter at the Huangpu World Expo Park, and attracts 8,000 visitors including international and local creative talent, artists, fashion icons and designers.

The line-up of Moncler Genius co-creators includes global music artists Willow Smith, A$AP Rocky, and Donald Glover as well as Chinese multidisciplinary artist Lulu Li and British editor and stylist Edward Enninful.

The integration of luxury, art, vision, exhibition and performance link the different collections within the overall event creativity and campaign.

Artist Xu Bing has linked the experience, film, and campaign through a creative expression of calligraphy, while Rick Owens and Jil Sander also present special showcase sessions featuring their own collections.