Shaitzy Chen

Shaitzy Chen is a Taiwanese fashion house, whose founder and brand innovator Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia is often referred to as the Chanel of Taiwan, and is the eponym of her luxury goods brand. She was born in 1951 in Changhua, Taiwan and founded the company in 1978. The brand spirit for Shiatzy Chen is “neo-Chinese chic”, which transfers historical Chinese aesthetics into modern fashion design. Shiatzy adopts Chinese aesthetics in combination with western cutting and Chinese handcrafting techniques. The brand is known for its distinctive design features drawn from Chinese culture such as qipao collars, knot buckles, or patterns in Chinese ink painting.

 Changhua-born Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia was not formally educated in the industry but leaned her trade by working at her uncle’s factory. She met her husband Wang Yuan-Hong, a smart businessman in the textile trade, and together they founded Shiatzy International Company Limited in 1978, over which they maintain total control. For over 30 years Wang worked on making her name in the local market and had built a client list of nearly 25,000 people, in 2009 sales reached about US$30 million, according to the company. Wives of politicians, diplomats and business executives, in particular, would purchase Shaitzy’s dress before taking trips abroad. In fact, these women with their significant purchasing power constitute the majority of the company’s customers in Taiwan many of whom are high society types. In 1990, Shiatzy Chen set up a studio in Paris to stay on top of fashion trends and to learn more about Western dressmaking techniques. The studio also serves as training center for Taiwanese dressmakers and designers.

In 2008 Wang prepares her label’s Paris Fashion Week debut, Shiatzy Chen becomes just the second Taiwanese design house to show a collection at the official Paris Fashion Week. Shiatzy Chen presented the show on October 5, 2008 at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts on the Left Bank in central Paris. The debut of Shiatzy Chen’s spring/summer 2009 collection in October is also a highlight as the label celebrates its 30th anniversary. The show was of great significance for the fashion label because it was one of the official events of the Paris Fashion Week. They quickly drew the attention of more than 200 international buyers, media members and fashion aficionados, impressing them with outfits that have distinctive Chinese design features. The fashion house now plans to take part in the event regularly in order to build a global reputation. For the Taiwan market, which remains the major source of revenue, the company stages fashion shows twice a year. Unlike most big international fashion shows abroad that present clothing half a year ahead of time, however, Shiatzy's shows in Taiwan launch collections only for the current season. This is because the Taiwan shows are mostly for Shiatzy's VIP clients, who purchase the clothes for their own use, rather than commercial buyers. Anna Wintour was the inspiration for the Shiatzy Chen collection A/W 2010/ 11, shown at the Beaux Arts at Paris Fashion Week. All the girls wore her famous bob and tinted glasses, along with some feminine but strict dresses, very working girl, and the woman CEO type. On November 9, 2009 Shiatzy Chen became a member of the Chambre syndicale du prêt-à-porter des couturiers et des créateurs de mode.