I met Oscar Ouyang on a night out during Shanghai Fashion Week last year, right after ShuShu/Tong’s headliner show. The city rippled with post-show euphoria, cocktails flowing, and amidst the swirl of designers, buyers, and editors, Ouyang stood out—not just for his distinct, layered knits (in the middle of a scorching night, mind you), but for the quiet confidence of someone carving out a new path. His aesthetic—a fusion of historic mythology, anime-inspired silhouettes, and intricate knitwear techniques—is unlike anything else on the scene. “Hi! I know you from Instagram,” he declared. “Same!” I shot back. Fashion networking at its finest.
Unlike many of his Central Saint Martins contemporaries, who often debut with splashy runway shows immediately after graduation, Ouyang took a more pragmatic approach to his career. Before ever stepping onto a fashion week schedule, he secured his first order from Dover Street Market London—a feat that signaled a sharp business acumen beyond his years. Over drinks, and a failed attempt at pizza that ended with a near-stranger passing out by the bar, we had a little kiki. Months later, in his east London studio, we sat down to talk about his journey, his latest Fall 2025 collection, and what’s next.
Ouyang’s story starts in Guangdong, China, though his family moved to Beijing when he was three. “I basically grew up in Beijing,” he tells me, reminiscing about childhood days flipping through his mother’s fashion magazines. “She always brought home Vogue China and Harper’s Bazaar China,” he says. “I remember this one Max Mara coat she had—navy cashmere. I just wanted to sketch it.”
By age 12, he was already filling colouring books with fashion concepts, unknowingly sketching the blueprint for his future. At 17, he landed an internship at Harper’s Bazaar China, assisting the editor-in-chief Tian Wei. “I thought about going into magazines,” he admits. “But then I realised I wanted to make clothes, not just talk about them.”
Moving to London in 2016 to study at CSM was a turning point. He started in the foundation course, where he explored different materials before discovering knitwear. “At CSM, you’re literally creating something from scratch—from a single thread,” he says. “The control over texture, weight, and structure was what hooked me.”
His BA years were marked by COVID disruptions—his graduating class famously presented their work outside a Waitrose supermarket. (I was there… it was fab, but we all knew the students deserved better.) But it was the MA program that truly tested him. “Fabio [Piras] and Niko [Efstathiou] were brutal,” he laughs. “I almost quit in the first term. Niko straight-up told me, ‘I don’t understand why you’re here.’ It was tough, but it forced me to refine my vision.”
Instead of launching his brand with an extravagant runway debut after earning his MA in 2023, Ouyang focused on what mattered: getting his clothes into the right hands. “I didn’t do the usual London path,” he says. “I focused on selling first.” His graduate collection caught the attention of Dover Street Market’s buyers before he had even fully considered starting a brand. “I kept getting emails from buyers asking for lookbooks and line sheets. I figured, why not give it a shot?” he adds.
His first official collection, Fall 2024, debuted in Paris through intimate showroom appointments—a strategy that quickly paid off. “Buyers just started showing up,” he recalls. “That’s when I knew—I had to commit to this.” Now stocked at DSM in London and Paris, H. Lorenzo in Los Angeles, and Labelhood in Shanghai, Ouyang is making moves. A runway debut is likely on the horizon, but he’s in no rush. “It has to feel right,” he says. “We shouldn’t feel obligated to the show circuit unless it’s absolutely essential for the business.”
Ouyang’s work weaves history with fantasy, drawing from medieval art and anime to craft a distinct visual language. “I explored 15th-century Italian scripts in the Met’s archives and reinterpreted them as intricate fair isle knit patterns,” he explains. “But the silhouettes remain sharp and modern—I don’t want it to feel too ‘gamey.’”
His Fall 2025 collection builds on this vision. “I started using more black, which I never really did before,” he notes. “It’s more tonal, autumnal—but still heavily textured.” Knits remain central, featuring intricate gradient colour blending and plush alpaca fur textiles. These come in the form of sweet cardigans adorned with his signature sheep motif, ultra-soft alpine-esque mini shorts, and a gargantuan quilted jacket that deconstructs tartan into abstract, padded panels. There’s also an ultra-chic ivory wool coat trimmed with alpaca fur at the collar and pockets that had me borderline feral. (Add to cart, immediately.) “It’s a mix of medieval and Studio Ghibli—Princess Mononoke, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind—but refined for real-world wear,” he adds.
Accessories play a crucial role, adding an almost RPG-like character-building element. “There are detachable mohair collars, hats with knitted mohawks, and even tiny swords embroidered onto shirts,” he says. “I want every piece to have a little twist. Even a plain tank top isn’t just a tank top—it has something unexpected.”
Despite his conceptual inspirations, Ouyang is deeply strategic about fashion’s business side. “At CSM, you can get caught up in extreme creativity,” he admits. “But you also need to sell clothes. Buyers are the ones funding me right now.”
This entrepreneurial mindset sets him apart from peers who struggle with the transition from conceptual runway moments to sustainable brands. “I see designers blow up after one hyped show, but they don’t always know how to handle buyers’ demands. And if they don’t get financial backing, they disappear just as fast.”
Ouyang, however, is playing the long game. “London keeps you humble,” he says. “You’re surrounded by insanely talented people, so you have to find your own way to stand out.” His studio block is no exception—he works alongside some of the city’s most exciting designers, including Steven Stokey-Daley of SS Daley, Chet Lo, and Johanna Parv, to name a few.
So, will he take the next step onto the official fashion calendar? “I’d love to,” he says cautiously. “But I want to do it right.” Whether that means a full runway show or another showroom presentation, Ouyang is taking his time to ensure sustainability—both creatively and commercially. Either way, his world is only just beginning to take shape.