The fashion industry, centered around the West, is currently in the post-pandemic era. While Western fashion houses are exploring new paths and expanding their markets globally, emerging designer brands from other regions are striving to enter the mainstream coverage of the four major fashion weeks. After all, everybody knows being recognized means getting a golden ticket to the center of the fashion world. Under such pressure, designers from non-Western backgrounds may easily fall into the trap of "self-exoticism." The author has conducted research on this phenomenon and invited three internationally recognized Chinese brands (M essential / SAMUEL GUÌ YANG / PRONOUNCE) to discuss the cultural narrative pressures they faced in establishing their own brands.