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A Partnership Shaped by the Runway
The China Cup is pleased to welcome MAKE UP FOR EVER ACADEMY as a Starlight Strategic Partner for the 2026/2027 season. The announcement builds on a collaboration that began with the inaugural high-school competition, where the Academy served as Chief Strategic Partner. That first season demonstrated how much a strong creative team can add to a young designer’s work. On a professional runway, a garment is never seen in isolation: make-up, hair, casting, lighting and photography all influence how an idea is understood. By bringing these disciplines together, the partnership helped students present their work with greater clarity and impact. For the new season, the Academy will once again contribute its expertise and professional network, helping the China Cup create a richer platform for emerging design talent.
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Where Fine Art Meets Professional Make-up
MAKE UP FOR EVER ACADEMY was founded in Paris in 2002 by artist and make-up professional Dany Sanz. Her training in fine art—and her fascination with colour, texture and form—shaped an approach to make-up that is both technically rigorous and creatively expressive. At the Academy, make-up is taught as more than a practical skill. It is a way to build character, communicate identity and support a wider visual narrative. Under the guiding principles “Create, teach and elevate,” students develop artistic judgement alongside the techniques required for professional practice. Today, the Academy’s international network extends from Paris to Shanghai. Its teams contribute to runway shows, editorial productions and creative styling projects, giving students direct insight into the standards and working methods of the industry.
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An Academy with a Global Industry Outlook
MAKE UP FOR EVER is part of LVMH, the global luxury group whose portfolio spans fashion and leather goods, perfumes and cosmetics, watches and jewellery, wines and spirits, and selective retailing. MAKE UP FOR EVER ACADEMY was established by the brand to develop the next generation of professional make-up artists. This position within the international luxury and fashion landscape gives the Academy a broad view of how creativity operates in professional settings. Excellence, innovation, craft and image-making are not abstract ideas; they are standards applied across real projects and working environments. Through the China Cup collaboration, young designers will gain a closer view of that professional world and a better understanding of how a creative concept evolves through styling, presentation and production.
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Giving Emerging Designers a Complete Platform
Since its founding in 1995, the China Cup International Fashion Design Competition has become an established platform within China’s fashion design community. Based in Shanghai and internationally oriented, it connects emerging creativity with education, professional expertise and industry opportunity. The inaugural China Cup Global High School Fashion Design Competition brought together secondary-school students from China and overseas. Its final runway show and awards ceremony took place on 28 March 2026 at Shanghai’s Sihang Warehouse and appeared on the official Shanghai Fashion Week AW2026 calendar as part of the China Cup programme. The 2026/2027 competition expands that platform across four tracks: Fashion Design, Fashion Illustration, Fashion Accessories, and Digital Character and Virtual Fashion Design. Each track is designed to help students develop their ideas, strengthen their portfolios, receive professional feedback and present their work to a wider audience.
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From Design Concept to Runway Image
MAKE UP FOR EVER ACADEMY will provide professional hair and make-up support for the China Cup showcase of outstanding work during activities associated with Shanghai Fashion Week. The styling process will begin with the designer’s idea. The Academy team will consider the concept, silhouette, model and stage environment before developing a visual direction that brings make-up, hair, clothing and lighting into one coherent runway image. For participating students, the experience offers a valuable introduction to collaborative fashion practice. They will see how specialists interpret a brief, make creative decisions together and translate a design from a portfolio concept into a live presentation.
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Industry Insight at the Judging Table
The Academy will also support the competition’s judging programme by drawing on its network across fashion, beauty, styling, branding and the wider luxury industry. This range of perspectives will allow student work to be considered beyond its immediate visual effect. Judges can look at the strength of the idea, the designer’s point of view, the relationship between concept and execution, and the potential for further development. For young entrants, professional feedback is an important part of the experience. It offers a glimpse into how the industry evaluates creative work—and practical guidance on how to communicate and refine an idea.
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Taking Aesthetics Education Beyond the Runway
The two organisations also plan to explore community-focused talks on aesthetics for students, schools and teachers. Possible themes include visual styling, colour, character development and careers within the fashion industry. The aim is to make professional knowledge useful beyond the final show. By bringing industry perspectives into educational settings, the programme can help more young people develop visual awareness, understand creative roles and see new possibilities for their own development. Topics, formats and dates will be announced as the programme takes shape.
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A Shared Commitment to Emerging Creativity
Young designers need room to experiment before their creative voices are fully formed. A competition and its industry partners can support that process by offering context, constructive feedback and the professional tools needed to turn an early idea into a compelling piece of work. The China Cup looks forward to working with MAKE UP FOR EVER ACADEMY throughout the 2026/2027 season—and to seeing how the next generation brings its imagination to the runway. Registration is open to secondary-school students worldwide across four competition tracks. Students can apply through “Competition Registration” on the GlobalStudyHub WeChat account homepage. Organisations interested in supporting the new season are also welcome to contact the China Cup to explore partnership opportunities.