Since its opening in Milan, Italy on April 9, the six-day 2025 Shenzhen & Milan Lifestyle Week captivated global audiences with its blend of technology, tradition, and cross-cultural innovation.

Set against the backdrop of the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Italy, the event forged a vibrant new platform for bilateral cooperation in the fashion industry.

The event concluded April 14, local time in Italy. It featured three themed activities: an opening ceremony that showcased over 100 Chinese products at the San Vittore al Corpo Church Complex in Milan; a cross-cultural salon between Chinese and Italian participants exploring the innovative and integrated development of the global fashion industry; and field trips that allowed enterprises to gain firsthand insights into the industrial chain and business opportunities in their areas of interest.

When East meets West, technology meets fashion

Curated by Giacomo Santucci, former President and CEO of Gucci, the opening ceremony on April 9 set the tone for Lifestyle Week with an innovative fusion of technology, fashion, and traditional culture.

The highlight of the ceremony was a crossover performance featuring Leju Robotics’ humanoid robot “KUAVO,” dressed in designs by Chinese fashion brand HUI, alongside a embroiderer of the Miao ethnic group from Southwest China’s Guizhou Province.

Donning clothes designed by the Shenzhen-based fashion brand HUI, Kuavo — China’s first open-source humanoid robot with the HarmonyOS operating system — interacts with a Miao embroiderer at the 2025 Shenzhen (Longhua) – Milan Lifestyle Week’s opening ceremony in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday local time. Courtesy of Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association

On the sidelines of the ceremony, more than 100 made-in-China products---spanning technology, consumer electronics, arts and crafts, and lifestyle sectors---were showcased in the Catholic church complex, alongside oil paintings from Santucci’s personal collection.

Giacomo Santucci (2nd R), the former president and CEO of Gucci and the chief curator of the lifestyle week, gives a guided tour to the guests at the opening ceremony of the event April 9.

“Shenzhen shows to the world its outstanding cultural visage,” Italian artist Stefano Antonelli, the event’s academic director, remarked. “The infusion of this future-oriented vision and Milan’s cultural legacy herald a new chapter for China-Italy cooperation.”

A milestone in overseas foray of Shenzhen brands

“From Shenzhen fashion’s debut at the 100% Design event in London in 2011 to partnering with Milan for a bi-city fashion event, it’s clear that Shenzhen’s fashion industry has made significant strides in its global journey over the years,” said Shirley Feng, President of the Shenzhen Industrial Design Profession Association.

Feng emphasized that simply exporting products is no longer a one-size-fits-all solution for local brands seeking to go global. By blending technology with cultural elements, Shenzhen’s fashion industry is finding new ways to tell its story on the world stage through a global narrative.

Her opinion was strongly supported by evidence from this year’s lifestyle week. The opening ceremony featured Shenzhen brands from a variety of sectors, including Leju (humanoid robots), Honor (smartphones), Chow Tai Seng (gold jewelry), Auratic (porcelain tableware), and NanoAR (transparent projection displays).

Chinese fashion enterprises and independent designers also presented their work at the China Week event during the 2025 Milan Design Week. In addition, a total of 150 design pieces created by teachers and students from Chinese art colleges were exhibited at a sideline academic exchange event held as part of lifestyle week.

Growing intl. cooperation

This year’s lifestyle week marked the establishment of an international cooperation office aimed at fostering collaboration between Longhua and Milan in the fields of economy, trade and fashion industry.

Together with the online information portal of lifestyle week, this office will serve as an international cooperation platform, keeping Chinese enterprises informed of the latest developments in the global market and industry trends, while supporting their international expansion and integration into the global fashion industry chain.

The opening ceremony of the lifestyle week April 9 witnesses the establishment of an international cooperation office aimed at fostering collaboration between Longhua and Milan in the fields of economy, trade and fashion.

Several projects on porcelain art, brand management and design innovation sectors were inked between Shenzhen and Italian enterprises at an investment promotion conference hosted by Longhua District Government in Milan on April 10.

Among the signed projects, the Longhua District Key Area Construction Center will collaborate with the CISE (Construction Innovation and Sustainable Engineering Consortium) at Politecnico di Milano in the fields of fashion and design. Milan-based fashion sourcing company HERE Fashion Hub will establish an office in Dalang Fashion Town. Auratic Group will partner with Giovannoni Design to curate a crossover porcelain collection, while Eachway Fashion Group will team up with Wemanage Group to promote Chinese intangible cultural heritage on a global scale.

With Shenzhen and Milan alternating as host cities, the Shenzhen & Milan Lifestyle Week—launched in 2024—will become a recurring event dedicated to advancing China-Italy cooperation in fashion, technology, culture, lifestyle, and people-to-people exchange.