In the intimate apparel industry, many women quietly shine, working diligently and contributing significantly. Their professional judgment and unwavering action drive industry development, yet they are rarely seen or documented.

To address this, Curve Shanghai launched the "Women of 24 · The Intimates Vanguard" project—an industry archive project that avoids self-promotion and awards, adhering to the principles of long-termism, warm documentation, and professional sharing, to pay tribute to the completeness and brilliance of women in their multifaceted roles in life and work.

By documenting the career paths, work methods, industry insights, and professional beliefs of women in the industry, "Women of 24" provides experienced professionals with an opportunity to reflect on their experiences and illuminates the path forward for younger professionals, ensuring that every long-accumulated professional practice is seen and valued.

Today, we welcome our first Women of 24 feature—Pu Lihua (May), Head of Interfilière China. Standing at the heart of the industry, driven by passion and guided by sound judgment, she has become a crucial "neuron" connecting the upstream and downstream of the intimate apparel industry. With over fifteen years of deep cultivation within the sector, she has written her own professional chapter.

Let's delve into her story and hear about her two-way journey with the intimate apparel industry.

In the intimate apparel industry, Interfilière Shanghai is a two-day event, a trade platform, and a place for new and old friends to meet.

But for the industry as a whole, it's more like a thread—

connecting upstream materials and technology, midstream design and manufacturing, and downstream brands and markets, allowing practitioners scattered in different positions to exchange information and refine their judgments within the same space.

Beyond the exhibition itself, the true "thread" is the exhibition organizers.

They stand at the crossroads of the industry, repeatedly communicating with sellers, buyers, brands, designers, and R&D personnel, listening to judgments from different perspectives, and understanding the real needs and the pace of change. In these high-density dialogues, industry experience is constantly gathered, filtered, and translated.

May Pu, Head of Interfilière China, is precisely such an exhibition professional.

As a seasoned practitioner in the exhibition industry, she possesses extensive experience as a "clue"—connecting not only resources but also understanding.

In 2025, she spearheaded Interfilière Shanghai as the project's overall leader, establishing order within the complex industry structure and forming judgments through continuous communication.

Being chosen as the first featured woman of 24 isn't primarily about the title, but rather her position:

Someone who listens to the industry, understands the industry, and builds communication structures for the industry.

Q1 If you were to describe your current work from one perspective, how would you define your position within the industry?

May: I prefer to see myself as a neuron that stands at the heart of the industry, responsible for connecting everything.

For the past fifteen years, I've worked in the exhibition industry, serving various sectors including high-tech, FMCG, and retail technology. I've always stood between sellers, buyers, brands, R&D teams, and organizers, understanding their true needs.

Today, I'm not just an executor or a resource coordinator, but someone who makes choices within a complex system—judging which investments are worthwhile long-term commitments and which are merely temporary fads.

Q2. Having long-term communication with sellers, buyers, brands, and design and R&D teams, what's your most direct industry impression?

May: My most direct impression is that what's scarce in the industry isn't information, but the ability to transform information into consensus and trust.

The supply side focuses on efficiency and cost, brands pursue differentiation and pace, design and R&D explore the possibilities of materials and structures, and buyers weigh risks and returns. These voices are all valid, yet rarely engage in genuine dialogue.

I'm increasingly clear that the real value I can offer through Interfilière lies in becoming a space where different languages can understand each other. Here, information is no longer fragmented, but digested, understood, and trusted. This is why I've always felt that trade shows are not just trading platforms, but also crucial nodes for building understanding and trust within the industry.

Looking back on over a decade of industry experience, which experiences have truly shaped your judgment?

May: Actually, more than a "promotion," I'm grateful for those seemingly ordinary experiences, those complexities I had to process myself.

When I first entered the industry, it was the aftermath of the financial crisis. The experience of actively submitting resumes and proactively seeking opportunities taught me that, regardless of your starting point, initiative and perseverance can always open up new possibilities.

In my early roles, I worked in both operations and frontline sales, handling both domestic and international projects. I understood early on that developing sound judgment requires transcending biases, deeply understanding the demands of various parties, and resolving the contradictions within them.

Over a decade ago, when I was in charge of the textile exhibition area, I interacted extensively with upstream raw material companies, brands, and buyers, which allowed me to witness the authenticity and hard work of people in the textile industry.

Many textile business owners say they suffered because they didn't study hard enough. They work tirelessly, burying themselves in researching materials and processes, driving the entire industry's development through their actions, but rarely telling stories or marketing themselves.

Every time I help buyers and sellers connect, I feel happy, and both sides are sincerely grateful to me. It was during that time that I developed a deep respect for the innovation and processes in upstream textile raw materials, and planted the seeds of my passion for the industry.

During the 2020 pandemic, I led my team on business trips to visit clients. Even during the industry's most difficult period, we gained understanding and trust. This strengthened my resolve: the more challenging the environment, the more we must go to the front lines and get closer to real needs.

Q4 In 2025, as the project leader for the first time, what "outcomes" will you begin to take the final judgment on?

May: All outcomes (laughs).

I started thinking about a more fundamental question: In the current environment, what value can this exhibition still create for the industry?

Specifically, I focus on four dimensions:

Does the platform truly create long-term value for the industry, not just short-term exposure?

Do buyers and exhibitors gain high-quality, sustainable connections?

Does the team grow within the project, rather than being consumed?

Does the exhibition have the ability to transcend cycles and become an irreplaceable node in the industry?

In a climate of economic pressure and severe homogenization of trade shows, if they cannot create real value for participants, they lose their reason for existence.

Q5. Among the women in the industry you've worked with for a long time, what qualities have impressed you the most?

May: The women who have impressed me share three common traits:

Stability: They are not eager to express emotions, nor are they eager to be defined.

Tolerance for complexity: They excel at continuously advancing and flexibly adjusting amidst uncertainty, while adhering to core objectives.

Strong self-discipline: They pursue professionalism and value, not superficial glory.

They may not be the most articulate, but they are the ones who truly determine the pace and direction of the team.

Q6. When voices from different perspectives emerge simultaneously, how do you determine which information deserves to be amplified?

May: Interfilière Shanghai not only connects upstream and downstream industries but also serves as a long-term bridge for communication between domestic and international audiences. Therefore, I am particularly cautious when translating information.

I ask myself three questions:

Is this voice genuine?

Does it point to structural problems or an emotional reaction?

After being amplified, will it help the industry make more rational decisions?

I hope the information I amplify has genuine constructive value, rather than merely catering to the market or seeking emotional resonance.

Q7. For young professionals just starting out, what industry logic do you hope they understand as early as possible?

May: Closely integrated industries require time, trust, and long-term commitment.

It's not just about products; it's about the complex collaboration between the human body, emotions, culture, and the manufacturing system. Those who truly go far are not the fastest, but those willing to stay in the industry long-term and constantly refine their judgment.

Editor's Note: Why May?

Through long-term communication with industry practitioners, we've consistently observed this:

This industry has a large number of experienced, insightful, and highly professional women, but they are often very reserved, rarely proactively discussing their career paths or systematically sharing their understanding of the industry.

It's not because they lack stories, but because they are more accustomed to focusing on the work itself.

Curve launched Women of 24 • The Intimates Vanguard not to select, label, or create role models, but to record real career paths and industry judgments through self-analysis and experience review.

We believe that experience deserves to be seen, and judgments deserve to be recorded.

We also hope that through this project, more practitioners will realize that every long-term accumulated professional practice deserves to be taken seriously.

Women of 24's goal is simple—

not to define "who represents," but to make more people visible.

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