JNBY Celebrates Its Ongoing Partnership With Art Basel In Paris. The Chinese designer brand brings its longstanding dialogue between fashion and contemporary art to the Grand Palais, highlighting a creative vision shaped by founder Li Lin.
Paris, 23 October 2026 — Chinese designer fashion brand JNBY celebrated its ongoing partnership with Art Basel during an intimate gathering held at the Grand Palais in Paris on 22 October, marking the second year of a collaboration that reflects the brand’s enduring commitment to contemporary art, creative exchange and cultural dialogue. Held during Art Basel Paris 2026, the gathering brought together figures from the international art, fashion and cultural communities under the theme Just Naturally Be Yourself. More than a slogan, this founding philosophy celebrates individuality, creative freedom and self-expression — values that have shaped JNBY’s identity and its longstanding dialogue with contemporary art.
Spanning 2025 and 2026, the partnership encompasses the design of Art Basel’s official uniforms, collaborations with contemporary artists and a series of cultural initiatives. More than a conventional partnership, it reflects an artistic sensibility that has informed JNBY’s identity since its founding in 1994.
WHEN FASHION MEETS CONTEMPORARY ART. At the heart of the collaboration is a creative dialogue with Chinese artist Shi Zhiying, invited by JNBY to develop the official uniforms for Art Basel’s 2026 editions. Known for her meditative paintings of natural forms, including stones, sand and the sea, Shi Zhiying explores the relationship between time, matter and perception. For the collaboration, visual elements from the artist’s Stone series have been translated into garments, allowing her distinctive artistic language to move beyond the canvas and into everyday life. The resulting designs embody JNBY’s belief that fashion and art share a capacity to express individuality, challenge convention and offer new perspectives on the world.
LI LIN: A VISION ROOTED IN ART AND CULTURE. JNBY’s relationship with contemporary art is closely connected to the vision of Li Lin, founder of its parent company, JIANGNANBUYI Group, and an influential figure in the international art community. Recognized among the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors for consecutive years since 2016, Li Lin joined the Tate International Council in 2024. Her engagement with art extends well beyond collecting, encompassing institutional patronage, artistic education and the creation of spaces dedicated to cultural exchange. In 2008, she co-founded the nonprofit art organization Imagokinetics with artist Geng Jianyi, supporting more than 100 artistic projects to date. Her commitment to fostering contemporary creativity also led to the development of OōEli, a cultural complex in Hangzhou designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano. The complex is home to BY ART MATTERS, a contemporary art museum inaugurated in 2021 under the direction of Italian curator Francesco Bonami.
Since 2018, JNBY has also supported emerging fashion talent through an annual scholarship at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, connecting creative education with the brand’s ongoing exploration of design and material innovation. Together, these initiatives reflect a belief in the importance of sustained artistic engagement and the value of nurturing creativity across generations and disciplines.
A CONTINUOUS DIALOGUE BETWEEN TRADITION AND INNOVATION. JNBY’s creative philosophy extends through two complementary initiatives: Eastern Artistry and Art Dialogues. Introduced in 2023, Eastern Artistry explores China’s rich heritage of traditional craftsmanship, reinterpreting artisanal techniques and cultural practices through a contemporary fashion vocabulary. For Fall/Winter 2026, the project turns its attention to the textile and costume-making traditions of the Hani people of Xishuangbanna. Meanwhile, Art Dialogues brings the brand into conversation with leading contemporary artists and creative practitioners. Previous collaborations have included TAO Dance Theater, French photographer Olivier Kervern and artist Yu Hong.
For Fall/Winter 2026, JNBY collaborates with internationally recognized multimedia artist Cao Fei, whose exploration of contemporary society and everyday experience resonates with the collection’s theme, Normal Stories. Through these initiatives, JNBY approaches fashion not simply as an aesthetic expression, but as a platform for artistic experimentation, cultural preservation and contemporary storytelling.
2026 ART BASEL PARIS: A CONVERGENCE OF EAST AND WEST. On 22 October 2026, JNBY and Art Basel came together at the Grand Palais in Paris for an intimate gathering under the theme Just Naturally Be Yourself, celebrating the second year of their ongoing partnership. Bringing together artists, curators, media and cultural figures from across the international creative community, the evening represented a meeting of East and West, transcending geographical, cultural and disciplinary boundaries. More than a social occasion, the gathering reflected JNBY’s longstanding approach to artistic collaboration: fostering meaningful relationships and sustained creative dialogue rather than fleeting moments of visibility. As founder Li Lin has expressed, “Art raises questions, while design solves problems.” This philosophy continues to guide JNBY’s relationship with contemporary art, allowing artistic exploration and design to coexist within the brand’s evolving identity. From Hangzhou to Paris, JNBY continues to build bridges between cultures, creative disciplines and artistic communities. The gathering at Art Basel Paris offered a further expression of this commitment, bringing the philosophy of Just Naturally Be Yourself beyond fashion and into a shared experience of individuality, connection and creative exchange.
ABOUT JNBY, Founded in 1994, JNBY is the principal designer fashion brand of JIANGNANBUYI Group, headquartered in Hangzhou, China. Guided by its founding philosophy, Just Naturally Be Yourself, JNBY is recognized for its distinctive design language, contemporary approach to everyday dressing and longstanding engagement with art and culture. The brand is headquartered within OōEli, the Renzo Piano-designed cultural complex in Hangzhou, home to the BY ART MATTERS contemporary art museum and Imagokinetics.
All images by the brand. PR Agency Romcom Global.