SHANGHAI, September 8, 2026 — The Istituto Marangoni Shanghai 2026 Graduate Fashion Show and Graduation Ceremony presents VIA NOMADIS, bringing together ideas of movement, exploration and self-discovery across fashion, space, light and lifestyle to create a multidimensional fashion narrative.
Moving beyond the conventional format of a graduate showcase, this year’s show reimagines the runway through the lens of future retail and cultural experience. Rather than simply observing the collections, guests become active participants in a narrative shaped by fashion, space, moving image and light, entering an immersive environment that expands the way graduate fashion can be experienced.
FROM GRADUATE SHOW TO IMMERSIVE LIFESTYLE EXPERIENCE
Meaning “the nomadic path,” VIA NOMADIS reflects the creative journey of emerging designers as they venture into the unknown, while also responding to a contemporary lifestyle increasingly defined by movement, reinvention and fluidity. Here, fashion is no longer treated as an isolated product, but as a medium connecting people with space, culture, technology and lifestyle.
Nicolas Dumont, Education Director of Istituto Marangoni Shanghai, commented: “VIA NOMADIS explores the evolving human identity across cultures and time. Students transform research into history, migration, belonging and nomadic traditions into original fashion concepts through design experimentation, material development and personal creative expression. The collections question ideas of home, territory and permanence, presenting fashion as both a living archive of memory and a forward-looking language of cultural hybridity, resilience and creativity.”
Immersive Retail and Editorial Retail form two central threads throughout the show, bringing experiential, curatorial and editorial thinking into the presentation. Graduate collections, alumni brands, spatial installations, moving image and light are brought together as interconnected chapters, transforming the venue into a three-dimensional fashion narrative and blurring the boundaries between runway, exhibition and lifestyle space.
EMERGING DESIGN TALENT MEETS INDUSTRY PRACTICE
This year’s Graduate Fashion Show brings together the work of 10 graduating designers: Ao Dongwei, Chen Qianyu, Chen Xinyan, Chen Yikun, Chu Jiayu, Liu Ziqi, Natlie Sung, Qin Ruiyang, Sun Jiaxue and Wang Yanfei. Each responds to the themes of movement, exploration and identity at the heart of VIA NOMADIS through an individual creative language.
Lesley de Freitas, Programme Leader, Fashion, Istituto Marangoni Shanghai, commented: “We have moved beyond the generation of fashion products alone, engaging instead in the construction of concepts, critical inquiry and contextual understanding that underpin meaningful design practice. Fashion education should celebrate individuality rather than conformity, encouraging each student to cultivate a distinct creative voice rather than reproduce established aesthetics. The diversity, originality and intellectual depth of these projects, together with the market readiness of the collections, stand as a testament to their dedication, resilience and creative ambition.”
Industry partners also play a direct role in supporting the students’ creative practice. Leading European luxury fabric house Scabal provided fabric support for one of Qin Ruiyang’s looks, while innovative materials partner SynMetabio supported a complete look by Liu Ziqi as well as accessories by Qin Ruiyang and Natlie Sung, further connecting experimentation within the school with real-world industry practice.
