Where East Meets West
Yuan Atelier began with our founder, Annie, and a love of clothing that goes back to her school years. As a student, she created her school's first fashion course, with the guidance of her art history teacher, and staged its first fashion show. Both became traditions that students still carry on today.
Born in China and educated in the West from high school onwards, Annie has always lived between two worlds. She carries a deep belief in the richness of Chinese cultural heritage, and in the West she discovered European craft and tailoring. She went on to work across fashion, advertising and venture investing before building a company of her own. Yuan Atelier is where everything she has learned from both worlds comes together.
Today Annie is a mother, and motherhood has deepened her sense of why heritage matters. There is beauty in knowing your roots, in being proud of them, and in protecting them and sharing them with the world. Yuan Atelier is where that belief and her lifelong passion live. Its inspiration comes from across China, where every province has its own distinct aesthetic, shaped by its landscapes, crafts and traditions.
Our Philosophy
We don't chase seasons, or a new collection every month. We chase rarity, and we honour craftsmanship. Each design is made slowly and deliberately, in small numbers, from materials chosen to last. We believe fewer, better pieces, worn for years and passed down through generations, are the kindest way to make clothes, for the people who wear them and for the world around us.
Our Approach
- Made to measure: we don't make standard sizes. Every piece is tailored to you, and with each new run we refine the design.
- Rare, naturally dyed silk: our fabric is xiangyunsha (香云纱), a hand-treated silk from Shunde, in Guangdong, that is increasingly hard to find, so we can only make a small number of each piece.
- Lifetime guarantee: send your piece back to us at any time and we'll gladly adjust, alter, or repair it.