ABOUT
Hello, welcome :)
My name is Shanshan Ruan. Born in China, I have been living and working in Paris since 2009.
I like many things:
Words,
wind,
Chuang-tzu,
some of Bach’s music.
The Renaissance,
astrology,
Stephen Fry,
the perfume of morning coffee.
Architecture,
the crescent moon,
a tranquil sea,
home-baked apple pie.
Seals,
laughter,
my mum’s hand stitches,
biking along empty Paris streets at midnight.
I founded my label, Shanshan Ruan, in 2013, following an award received at the Hyères Festival of Fashion and Photography. My design process usually begins with a fabric I encounter. I spend time with it — learning its character — before finding the right shape and volume.
Pleating is another central exploration. With a single gesture, a surface becomes three-dimensional. When the gesture is repeated, infinite possibilities unfold. I love applying pleats to natural fabrics. They evoke Greek columns — unpolished, serene, warm. What intrigues me most is their fragility and temporality: they fade, slowly, with time.
My garments are like self-portraits. At times strong-willed, at others relaxed.
Sometimes feminine, sometimes neutral.
Sometimes bright, sometimes quiet.
There is a lot of ambivalence.
I orchestrate them like instruments, seeking for harmony.
Extremes are avoided,
My work lives somewhere in between.
I want to bring un petit plus into everyday wardrobes — a shirt, a dress, a jacket. Something that quietly elevates, without ever overstating.
When you wear my clothes, I imagine they simply make you feel good.
Because the fabric is comfortable.
Because the color sits well against your hair.
Because the pockets hold your hands when you don’t know where to put them.
And somewhere in these details,
a secret sensation emerges within you —
a sense of security and confidence that lets you shine.
Hello, welcome :)
My name is Shanshan Ruan. Born in China, I have been living and working in Paris since 2009.
I like many things:
Words,
wind,
Chuang-tzu,
some of Bach’s music.
The Renaissance,
astrology,
Stephen Fry,
the perfume of morning coffee.
Architecture,
the crescent moon,
a tranquil sea,
home-baked apple pie.
Seals,
laughter,
my mum’s hand stitches,
biking along empty Paris streets at midnight.
I founded my label, Shanshan Ruan, in 2013, following an award received at the Hyères Festival of Fashion and Photography. My design process usually begins with a fabric I encounter. I spend time with it — learning its character — before finding the right shape and volume.
Pleating is another central exploration. With a single gesture, a surface becomes three-dimensional. When the gesture is repeated, infinite possibilities unfold. I love applying pleats to natural fabrics. They evoke Greek columns — unpolished, serene, warm. What intrigues me most is their fragility and temporality: they fade, slowly, with time.
My garments are like self-portraits. At times strong-willed, at others relaxed.
Sometimes feminine, sometimes neutral.
Sometimes bright, sometimes quiet.
There is a lot of ambivalence.
I orchestrate them like instruments, seeking for harmony.
Extremes are avoided,
My work lives somewhere in between.
I want to bring un petit plus into everyday wardrobes — a shirt, a dress, a jacket. Something that quietly elevates, without ever overstating.
When you wear my clothes, I imagine they simply make you feel good.
Because the fabric is comfortable.
Because the color sits well against your hair.
Because the pockets hold your hands when you don’t know where to put them.
And somewhere in these details,
a secret sensation emerges within you —
a sense of security and confidence that lets you shine.
