Behind every successful celebrity, there is a powerful stylist. This statement is especially true in China. Many of these stylists built their fame working closely with celebrities, or in the TV and movie industries, or at leading fashion magazines such as GQ, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar China, Cosmo China, and Bazaar Men, among others. Now, many stylists have become KOLs in their own right. Based on their talent, reputation, and social media followings, Jing Daily counts down the top 10 most influential stylists in China.

1. Tony Li

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Above Tony Li (Photo: VCG)

Li is known as the father of color cosmetics in China. He was one of the few dedicated make-up artists in the 1980s, working closely with A-list celebrities like actress Gong Li, Joan Chen, Li Bingbing. He is also credited with single-handedly creating world-renowned supermodel Lv Yan. Li founded his own styling studio in Beijing in 1999 and built it into a fashion world empire.

See also: 10 Hong Kong Fashion Stylists To Know

2. Ling Wu 

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Above Ling Wu (Photo: Instagram)

After graduating from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London in 2003, Wu Ling returned to her hometown Shanghai to begin her career as  Fashion Editor at Elle. Two years later, she followed the now editor-in-chief of Vogue, Angelica Cheung, to help launch the magazine, and transitioned from a fashion editor to assistant fashion director. “Her style is quite classic and retro with great use of color”, said Jones. She now reports on fashion and film for Vogue.

3. Mix Wei

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Above Mix Wei (Photo: Sohu Fashion)

Wei creates entire characters with his styling skills. As the style director for the second season of China’s Sex and City, Ode to China, he brought the five female characters to life. He also built dynamic looks for candidates who attended reality show The Voice of China. Wei has been the personal stylist for many female superstars, including actresses Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, Angelababy, and Tang Wei.

4. Li Hui

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Above Li Hui (Photo: Sohu fashion)

Li is a veteran in the fashion magazine world. She was the Creative Director at Harper’s Bazaar China, Bazaar Man and Jewelry Bazaar in China. The former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld, once invited her to collaborate. She also started the Weibo account Our Street Style, featuring celebrity street looks, and worked as the Creative Fashion Director for romantic comedy One Night Surprise.

5. Fil Xiaobai

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Above Fil Xiaobai (Photo: VCG)

Born after 1990, Fil makes for a fresh addition to the China fashion scene. She entered the industry by chance, being sent to the Paris Fashion Show to report for a Chinese travel channel in 2012, and became the newest China it girl when her look was captured by street photographer Bill Cunningham. She then began her career as a freelance stylist, promoting herself by sharing her looks on Weibo. She is now working with Kris Wu, Burberry’s brand ambassador, and Song Qian, brand ambassador for Loewe. Fil herself is a top fashion KOL with more than two million Weibo followers.

6. Han Huohuo

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Above Han huohuo (Photo: Weibo)

You can often spot Han in the first row at major fashion shows. He started his career in the editorial room of fashion magazines, and has worked at Cosmopolitan China and Marie Claire China. Karl Lagerfeld referred him as a China fashion icon in the Chanel exhibition The Little Black Jacket. Han works closely with actress Gao Yuanyuan, Jiang Shuying, and Wang Luodan. His own clothing brand Do Not Tag is very popular among younger consumers in China because of its modern design and accessiable pricing.

7.  Fan Xiaomu

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Above Fan Xiaomu (Photo: Haibao.com)

Fan was the Style Director at Harper’s Bazaar China, famously creating an iconic China look for a Rihanna cover shot. Her own agency, Moodsight, focuses on transforming the image of Chinese local brands to be more trendy and creative. She works with some of the most talked about Chinese brands in recent years, such as Peacebird, Ellassay, and Mo&Co.

8. Xander Zhou

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Above Zander Zhou (Photo: VCG)

Zhou studied fashion at the Royal Academy of Arts in Holland and founded his own menswear collection, Xander Zhou, in Beijing in 2007. He was the first Chinese designer to showcase a collection at Men’s London Fashion Week. As a leading trendsetter in China’s menswear fashion scene, he is the Menswear Director of T Magazine China. His red carpet celebrity list includes actress Zhao Wei, singer Chris Lee, and actress-director Xu Jinglei.

9. Leaf Greener

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Above Leaf Greener (Photo: Instagram)

Former senior fashion editor at ELLE China, Leaf Greener is an editor turned influencer, running her own WeChat account as LEAF.

She has worked with Karl Lagerfeld and David Burton, and styled many celebrities for front covers and special occasions. She has been asked to judge the LVMH prize, and consults for Lane Crawford on promotional advertising.

“Leaf has a charming personal style and poise, and has a large social media following of her own — but does not do blogging or direct sales for brands,” Jones commented.

10. Lucia Liu

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Above Lucia Liu (Photo: VCG)

As a trendsetter, Lucia transformed the looks of a number of female rising stars. She runs a styling company called The Ballroom and works mostly on movies and advertisements. Her regular clients include Burberry’s brand ambassador Zhou Dongyu, Dior’s brand ambassador Zhao Liying, and singer Dou Jingtong, the new face of SK-II.

Liu graduated with a fashion design degree from the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design in the UK, and shortly after, her name appeared in prestigious magazine titles like i-D, and Dazed & Confused. The highlight of her early career was a cover shoot for Glass featuring actress Zhang Manyu from Wong Kari-Wai’s masterpiece In the Mood for Love. When she returned to Beijing, her career took off, first as the style director for Harper’s Bazaar China, and now as Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief and Fashion Director of China’s T Magazine.

This story was originally published on Jing Daily.

See also: 10 Hong Kong Fashion Stylists To Know

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