Estée Lauder Taps Chinese Designer Shuting Qiu for Floral-inspired Collaboration
Estée Lauder Cos. has unveiled a limited-edition makeup collection with Chinese fashion designer Shuting Qiu that features Qiu’s signature vibrant floral motifs alongside other traditional Chinese elements.
The four-piece collection highlights Qiu’s “modern romantic” aesthetic, expressed through vibrant florals that clash with linear prints in bright colors.
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Estée Lauder said the collection, which was inspired by classic Chinese art — be it a poem, a brocade pattern, or classic silk designs — is ultimately a celebration of “the duality of the Chinese woman.”
“The collection referenced traditional Chinese tapestry combined with my own design language to bring out the characteristics of the Shuting Qiu woman, who is daring yet soft, powerful yet romantic, strong yet cheerful,” said Qiu.
“I had a lot of creative freedom working on this collaboration,” said Qiu. “Some of my designs were realized in 3D — including the lipsticks with debossed flowers and real embroidery on the eye shadow palette packaging — which is very intricate.”
The capsule is made up of four products: a 450 renminbi, or $62, cushion; a 480 renminbi, or $66, 10-shade eye shadow palette, and two 320 renminbi, or $44, matte lipsticks, one of which is a new shade co-created with Qiu.
Two years in the making, the collection was developed with Asian skin tones in mind. Apart from the eye shadow palette, which offers subtle to bold shades that are “universally flattering,” the lipsticks feature a popular red bean shade and a more daring shade of warm pumpkin that was designed to complement the Asian complexion, according to Estée Lauder.
The collection launched Monday in mainland China and will roll out in other countries leading up to International Women’s Day on March 8.
The collaboration is the second time the global beauty giant has collaborated with a Chinese fashion designer. Last April the company launched a collaboration with Feng Chen Wang, a Chinese menswear designer. The limited-edition collection was inspired by Feng’s hometown and featured her signature motifs, such as the bamboo and the phoenix.
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