How SEAN SUEN Retraced the Tea Horse Road for His A/W 2025 Collection
In a powerful homage to the ancient trade route that connected China, Tibet, and beyond, designer SEAN SUEN’s Autumn/Winter 2025 collection evokes the spirit of the Tea Horse Road

A gallant journey, a gallant stead
The Tea Horse Road is an ancient trade route winding through China’s Qinghai-Tibet and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateaus. Often just two feet wide, it has served for over two millennia as a vital connection for goods, cultures, and people between southwestern China, Tibet, and beyond.
For over 2,000 years, this route was central to the “Tea-Horse Trade,” which saw tea, silk, cordyceps, safflower, and other treasures traverse valleys and ridges, carried on the backs of hardy horses.
In a powerful homage to this historical and cultural marvel, designer SEAN SUEN’s Autumn/Winter 2025 collection evokes the spirit of the Tea Horse Road. The collection seeks to connect the rich, diverse cultures of the plateau and the basin through the medium of fashion.
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Cultural odyssey
At the heart of SEAN SUEN’s collection is the name “骧” (Xiāng), a word symbolizing a gallant horse with a white right hind leg—a creature renowned for its grace, speed, and strength.
The pieces retrace the journey of the Tea Horse Road from multiple perspectives—natural, human, and ecological.
Through colors drawn from the breathtaking landscapes of the Tea Horse Road—from the earthy reds of the mountains to the rich blues of the sky—SEAN SUEN reimagines the majestic plateau, while honoring the lives of the people who have lived and traded there.
Wool, leather, and other natural textiles are combined with advanced technological fabrics, offering functionality and comfort—designed to stand the test of time, much like the route itself.
Courtesy SEAN SUEN