China’s fashion dragon stirs
A design for Shanghai Tang in 2006 a 2007 fashion show of a Chinese designer. Provided by Chinese Fashion Association
The speed of development in China has taken the world’s breath away, but only two cities there meet these requirements so far: Beijing and Shanghai.
Beijing is the capital, famous for its impressive history; Shanghai is known as an international city and the center of the Chinese economy.
The pace and scale of Beijing’s transformation defies belief, especially in the fashion world.
“Even though this is my home, I have to ask myself if this is really Beijing. I’ve been working on fashion shows abroad for many months and when I return to Beijing so much has changed,” says Chinese supermodel Du Juan.
Rising demand usually means customers look for better quality. The Chinese fashion association, which has been around since 1993, set up a visual merchandising committee three years ago to help re-educate fashion professionals.
“The committee works with the fashion designers to improve the presentation of each product and to improve the image of the brand,” says Su Bao Yan, vice chief of the association, adding that consumers in China have developed a much sharper eye for detail.
Although Hong Kong is an international city with a more globalized taste, the fashion trend in Shanghai is just as daring as that of Hong Kong, according to experts like Wang Xin Yuan, vice chairman of the Shanghai international fashion committee.
“Historically, Beijing has been represented as the capital of the nation’s culture. On the other hand, Shanghai has been the center of finance, economy, trade and commerce ever since the modernization of China,” he said.
Although Beijing and Shanghai are both immersing themselves in international fashion trends, there is no distinct sense of Chinese fashion yet. No Chinese designer has yet captured the true spirit of China, says Wang.
“Ninety percent of the fashion [in China] is Westernized, and you can see snippets of Korea’s influence as well. But the designers do not know how to capture the Chinese tradition,” Wang says.
Luxury fashion brands are choosing to showcase immense events in China, though, Wang points out. The Italian brand Salvatore Ferragamo held its 80th anniversary celebrations in March this year in Shanghai instead of Florence, the brand’s birthplace in Italy.
Meanwhile Italian fashion house Fendi put on a gigantic runway show at the Great Wall in Beijing that featured 88 models.
“Beijing and Shanghai are busy booking fashion events. Today, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow is booked with brands such as Louis Vuitton and parties and events from magazines such as the highly praised fashion magazine, Vogue,” Wang explains.
Beijing showcases a fashion show every spring and fall. Just like the New York Collection and Paris Collection, the event is called China Fashion Week.
The China fashion association, which boasts a membership of 1,200, organizes the event, which attracts designers, academics, models, fashion planners and fashion editors.
The association said there is a reason behind the name China Fashion Week. Whereas other events usually include the name of the representative city, this event is not called the Beijing Collection because the association wants it to represent China as a whole.
But the fashion industry has a long way to go before it can compete with overseas’ brands, says Liu Jing Duan, manager of 40 department stores in China.
“It is difficult to name the best Chinese designer. Rich Chinese only buy luxury brands from abroad. Domestic products are still in the process of learning from outside brands,” Liu says.
However, Chinese brands Shanghai Tang and Vivienne Tam do have a global audience. A Hong Kong native, designer David Tang founded his company in 1994 and now works in collaboration with Swiss designer brand group Richemont.
Western critics praise Vivienne Tam for her balance between Eastern and Western art. Tam’s fashion designer Tan Yan Yu was born in China and raised in Hong Kong.
He graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and is currently working as a fashion designer in New York City.
The dragon pattern often pops into mind when you think of Chinese art and design, and it is also the main pattern symbolizing Vivienne Tam, attracting the attention of numerous collections and department stores in England, Italy, Germany and countries in Asia.
And what about Korea? We’re still waiting for a successful global brand. China is one step ahead of us.
By Kang Seung-min JoongAng Ilbo [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)