‘The culture of my hometown is like a treasure trove of inspiration’: Demon Zhang On MITHRIDATE SS25

MITHRIDATE’s Creative Director Demon Zhang doesn’t do anything by halves. The designer, known for her bold palette of colours, textures and shapes, successfully lights up the London Fashion Week runway each season with her passion-driven collections. And this season, with her show added to the event’s official schedule for the first time, Demon is ready to fuel this energy into collection connected to her roots. ‘The inspiration comes from my hometown, Yunnan, China, and my childhood memories,’ the designer tells us ahead of her show. ‘For me, the culture of my hometown is like a treasure trove of inspiration.’ Here’s how she brough her vision to life with MITHRIDATE’s SS25 runway show.

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Demon Zhang On Yunnan, LFW & MITHRIDATE SS25

Hi Demon, how are you? Excited for LFW?

I’ve been as busy as ever lately. This Spring/Summer 2025 season has finally reached its most crucial stage. Personally, I’m in a relatively calm state of mind. For my part, the clothing is already done; the remaining work mostly falls on my team. Haha!

Mithridate SS25 (c) Jason Lloyd Evans

This is your first season on the official schedule – how exciting! Does it feel different from previous years you’ve been at LFW?

Although we previously were on the Digital Calendar, we have already held shows at London Fashion Week for nine seasons. Each season, we put in our utmost effort to present a rich visual experience to our audience.

This time, presenting on the official schedule brought new challenges for us. The show time was longer, the audience viewing the collection was larger, and they had more time to observe the show pieces, which meant they could see more details on the garments. This undoubtedly raised the bar for how we present our collections. However, it is also incredibly exciting because MITHRIDATE has always aimed to deliver a complex, luxurious, yet practical wearing experience. We truly hope for an opportunity for more people to see our fabrics, craftsmanship and colours.

Can you give us an intro to your new collection – what were your inspirations this season?

The inspiration comes from my hometown, Yunnan, China, and my childhood memories. Yunnan is a region with a rich blend of multiple ethnic groups, where different minorities live, each with their own traditional attire and dressing habits, creating a vibrant and highly inclusive culture. For me, the culture of my hometown is like a treasure trove of inspiration.

You’ve described the collection as ‘A Tribute to Tradition, Culture and Personal Heritage’ – how did you cover off these three messages?

I’ve tried to convey the aspects of Yunnan that have influenced me the most through this season’s designs, and I think this answers the question – what I experienced growing up, including sounds, colours, textures, scents and daily habits. I hope to tell this story through my design language.

Mithridate SS25 (c) Jason Lloyd Evans

And how did the design process come together?

This spring, I participated in an exhibition on Chinese ethnic minority costumes. The exhibition featured three Zhuang (ethnic group) bird-shaped tops that were extended from my Spring/Summer 2024 collection. I also had the opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions with professors from the China National Museum of Ethnology about various interesting details of ethnic costumes and aspects of lifestyle. This exhibition and conversation concretized the design theme of the Spring/Summer 2025 collection.

At first, I decided to use ice dyeing as one of the main fabric techniques for this season. This method combines traditional tie-dye with modern ice dyeing – as the ice melts, the dye accumulates on the fabric layer by layer with the ice water, creating random patterns and unexpected colour distributions. It’s a visual story about time and temperature. I then incorporated more techniques – various forms and materials of weaving, embroidery, complex patterns of tin pieces painted with ink, spray-coloured silver ornaments, burnt-out effects, pleating, and more – enriching the visual textures that each fabric can present.

Many ethnic minorities in Yunnan are hardworking and have a close relationship with nature, so their clothing often includes details that are convenient for labour and accommodate different body shapes. To reflect this, I designed a series of shorts and wide-leg pants that enhance leg shape, ultra-short tops that reveal the waistline, and printed bodysuits paired with comfortable dark blue and black beaded jackets.

What does the MITHRIDATE man/woman/person look and feel like this season?

Perhaps it’s a confident wanderer. In a forest, every life form’s colour stems from its way of living. Those who have the courage to express themselves and insist on dressing with a sense of ceremony are often the ones who draw a lot of energy from their surroundings.

Mithridate SS25 (c) Jason Lloyd Evans

Any standout details we should look out for?

There are so many! This time, I incorporated many traditional silhouettes from ethnic minority costumes but added a lot of modern techniques. The ice dyeing I mentioned earlier is one example, along with digital printing, laser burnout techniques, and the use of machine embroidery to imitate traditional seed embroidery, creating incredibly ornate jackets.

And were you drawn to any particular flowers from Yunnan’s ‘Flower Kingdom’?

This season, I used cockscomb flowers and pomegranate flowers, and of course, orchids. These are all flowers that are abundantly grown in Yunnan and are commonly used in ethnic minority costumes. I personally love the vibrant and bold colours of these flowers – they are perfect for the spring and summer seasons.​

What’s your favourite thing about LFW?

I love the openness and inclusivity of London Fashion Week, as it constantly embraces diverse designs and emerging designers.

Mithridate SS25 (c) Jason Lloyd Evans

Anything else exciting in the pipeline coming up? (That you can tell us about!)

Of course, we’re heading into the Fall/Winter season. I am also continuously collaborating with performing artists and musicians from China and around the world, designing a variety of stage costumes and performance outfits.

Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?

The design theme for this season is ‘Spring Fusion.’ The word ‘fusion’ has a rich meaning in Chinese. I hope to use it to express the principles we have always upheld – such as our continuous efforts to blend contemporary techniques with traditional elements and to merge Eastern and Western cultures. Additionally, in Chinese, this word also implies ‘melting’ – as ice and snow melt, spring arrives, everything awakens, and new life begins a new cycle.

Images courtesy of Mithridate