Anniversary celebrated with a sense of style

Luxury brand enlists help of top fashion designers to offer wedding services

Leading Chinese hotel group Wanda Hotels and Resorts' luxury brand Wanda Reign celebrated its fifth anniversary with a fashion show at Wanda Reign on the Bund in Shanghai on Oct 18.

The Lawrence Xu White - 2020 Flore Show featured a selection of haute couture wedding dresses, as well as new staff uniforms for Wanda Reign. The show marks the debut of the brand of Laurence Xu White, created by designer Laurence Xu. More than 200 Wanda Club members and celebrities attended.

"Wanda Reign is at the core of our group. As a homegrown luxury hotel brand, Wanda Reign has always been rooted in Chinese culture and providing personalized and intimate services to guests," said Ning Qifeng, president of Wanda Hotels and Resorts.

"Over the past five years, Wanda Reign has expanded its reach to Chengdu in Sichuan province, Wuhan in Hubei province and the Bund, close to the Huangpu River in Shanghai," Ning said.

"Each of Wanda Reign hotels is just like an awe-inspiring museum," he noted.

They feature art deco - a style from the 1920s and 1930s in furniture, decorative arts and architecture with bold geometric shapes and bright colors - paired with local cultural and art elements.

Additionally, they exhibit an extensive Chinese contemporary art collection. Guests to Wanda Reign on the Bund will be fascinated by the wall-sized abstract painting of Shanghai by master of traditional Chinese painting Shi Qi.

The centerpiece of Wanda Reign Chengdu is a set of giant lacquer paintings depicting the city's scenery. A jade wall painting in the Wanda Reign Wuhan achieved a Guinness World Record as the largest of its kind in China.

"Countless artworks reflecting the city's life in the past line the hotel's lobby, rooms and hallways. They entice guests to join the immersive artistic experiences created and curated by Wanda Reign," Ning said.

Designed by Xu, who is a regular at fashion weeks, the new uniform for Wanda Reign's staff is another draw, together with the limited edition of men's pocket square and women's kerchief to mark the brand's fifth anniversary.

Patterns of Shanghai's city flower, white magnolia, and pastel colors were integrated into the uniforms' design. Luxury fabrics and cutting-edge sewing and tailoring skills make the uniforms elegant but easy to wear.

The show was also Xu's attempt to rewrite Chinese narratives in the fashion world.

"The creation of this wedding dress series was inspired by the beautiful Chinese mythologies of the 12 goddesses of flowers," he said. "This release also marks the beginning of our partnership with Wanda Hotels and Resorts that will make 2020 the year of hosting a wedding ceremony for Wanda Group."

Besides Wanda Reign, Xu will cooperate with other members of Wanda Hotels and Resorts' family - luxury hotel brand Wanda Vista and premium hotel brand Wanda Realm.

Couples who choose to hold wedding banquets at Wanda hotels will soon have a customized wedding dress designer service named after the combined name of Wanda Hotel and Laurence Xu White, event organizers said.

yinruowei@chinadaily.com.cn