Gender neutral, luxury Chinese brand Mithridate was founded by Demon Zhang in 2018 with an overarching appreciation for art and community at the heart of the brand’s DNA. Through Zhang’s considered designs, her work celebrates luxury sustainable couture, bespoke craftsmanship combined with ancient Chinese artisan techniques to provide strength and protection whilst empowering her collaborative, artistic, global community.
Zhang’s desire is to nurture a global community for the brand through collaboration as she captures the delicate balance between romance, independence and self-preservation, encouraging self confidence and body positivity to empower. Through each bespoke piece, Zhang aims for the wearer to feel protection from the outside world whilst giving strength to thrive by championing humanitarianism and environmental issues through the brand’s global community and network.
With a deep understanding, appreciation and constantly inspired by ‘art’ in multi-sensory forms, the brand was conceived during Zhang’s countless hours of research as a student at Central Saint Martins in London’s art galleries and museums.
The creative vision for the brand is to provide a sartorial cure for those who are continually exploring and expressing their identities through their clothes.
Her fascination with the term “Mithridate” was nonetheless a sign of fate, which led to the establishment of her namesake fashion brand and growing her all female team and atelier. The inspiration for the name is not a mere coincidence but bears a deep and purposeful significance.
In history, King Mithridate’s VI of Pontus believed he could fortify his body and become immune to all poisons by ingesting small, non-lethal quantities of his semi-mythical remedy over time. Legend says he discovered a special mixture of herbs and chemical substances which became an antidote to any poison.
Nowadays, Mithridate refers to any all-purpose medicine and has transcended its original meaning referring to the practice of self-protection through acquired immunity.
