when your culture becomes a 'trending' aesthetic.
A note on 'mandarin jackets' and what cultural appreciation actually looks like (& how to do it properly). A Chinese-Australian's perspective on fashion's latest obsession with Asian aesthetics.
I was scrolling through the fashion trend forecasts of 2026 when I stopped cold.
There it was: a traditional Chinese silhouette, labelled confidently as a “mandarin jacket”. Videos calling it “a trend”, “a niche trend”, “quiet luxury”, “Elevated minimalism”.
