Cutting-edge fashion: China's next biggest export

Open and passionate, China’s new generation of garment designers are breaking stereotyped cultural and language barriers to make their mark on the international fashion runway.
Many of these designers were born in China and educated or trained abroad, a combination they leverage as differentiator in what industry observers have dubbed the “Created in China” movement.
Reflecting this mix, collections are characterized by a distinctly Chinese aesthetic and modern constructions.

The Oriental touch is reflected in the use of splash-ink paintings, bright red and celadon, and auspicious dragon cloud, wind and fire themes. Imported fabric is adopted, usually from Italy, imparting a sense of luxury and high fashion.
"To Westerners, the result is futuristic, flattering and certainly different from the little black dress," said Liz Maher, Fashion Edits East Coast editor/writer.
The centerpiece of Huishan Zhang's Autumn-Winter 2013 collection, for instance, features the designer’s take on the Mao suit. Qingdao, Shandong province-born Zhang modernized the suit by using bubblegum pink patent leather, a frilled lace hemline, white lace patches, diamante buttons and large square pockets.
Fashionbi business development manager Ambika Zutshi said
this sense of tradition, versatility and uniqueness gives Chinese fashion designers an edge over their foreign counterparts. "Some, including Ma Ke, Liang Zi, Geo Pei and He Yan, are already on WGSN's list of designers to watch."
Fashion writer Daniel Kong of The Black Renaissance is confident these young designers will have a strong and independent voice that the fashion industry will heed.
"Whether it is Uma Wang working on the CFDA China Exchange Program or Yiqing Yin being accepted into Paris' Haute Couture Fashion Week, there is a growing consensus among insiders that home-grown Chinese talents can produce fantastic work."
Stephany Zoo, Bundshop co-founder, agrees. "Creations of Chinese designers are internationally competitive in terms of quality and ingenuity."
Bundshop is a first-of-its-kind online platform that promotes products created by independent Chinese designers. Apart from fashion and accessories, the site offers lighting, furniture, home decor and porcelain products, with one new design launched every 24 hours.

Opportunities west

Many of China’s new crop of designers, or the vanguard as Kong calls them, kicked off their careers by heading west.
Speaking from experience, Dorian International Ltd CEO and creative director Dorian Ho believes international exposure is a must to able to approach global fashion and retail with an open mind.
Hong Kong-born Ho obtained his bachelor’s degree from Boston University in the US and worked at Country Road, the Australian fashion label. He created his own Doriano label for mainland China in 1993.
West for many points to London where they enroll at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design or London College of Fashion.
Zhang, Uma Wang, Vega Zaishi Wang and Masha Ma are all graduates of Central Saint Martins while Yirantian Guo trained at London College of Fashion. Kim Kwang has credentials from both.
The road opens up after fashion school.
Many choose to stay abroad, striking out independently and building their own labels or training at established design houses.
Zhang, for instance, spent a year in the Dior Couture atelier in Paris after being scouted by Delphine Arnault, the daughter of LVMH owner Bernard Arnault, during his stay at Central Saint Martins.
Haizhen Wang, another Central Saint Martins alumna, was mentored by Burberry chief creative officer Christopher Bailey. He is originally from Dalian, Liaoning province.
Wang's collection for the recent Paris Fashion Week was inspired mainly by gothic architecture but still had a touch of Chinese influence.

Changing the face of local fashion

Others head home after fashion school to start their own labels in China. They set up design houses, usually in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xiamen, thereby boosting the local fashion industry.
Shenzhen Fashion School development director Connie Wang told Global Sources that some of these designers have already opened a combined 20 or so shops in China. "And they are very young, under 30 years of age," Wang said. "I think this is the moment for them to grow and really show their potential."
Wang cited as examples the owner of the local brand Comme l'un who studied in the UK before establishing his brand in Shenzhen. Another designer, a Central Saint Martins graduate, started her collection in Shenzhen two years ago and has since then presented at the London Fashion Week.
Homegrown talent is likewise stirring up China's fashion industry.
More than 1 million design students now graduate from China universities every year. "Design shops and communities are not just learning how to create original points of view, they are changing the face of shops and consumers around the country," said Daniel Stark, owner and creative director of Stark Design.
Maher of Fashion Edits described the creations of students from Beijing's Institute of Fashion Technology as "wild but wearable."
Some of these up-and-coming designers showcased their collections at the China Fashion Week Fall 2013.

Looking forward

Despite all the buzz of late, China high fashion remains a very new concept, one that requires several more years to gain traction both at home and abroad.
For many of the designers, their relative youth is working against them. Fashion brands and labels require a long history, heritage, quality and craftsmanship to achieve and sustain a high-end image.
Dorian International's Ho said designers will need to invest a lot of capital, patience and confidence in building up their brands.
Designers also need to break the stereotyping of the Chinese people as copiers and counterfeiters, which some feel is unfair.
"With many young designers and budding luxury China brands such as Shanghai Tang gaining popularity internationally, people have started to look at the positive offerings coming out of China," said Fashionbi's Zutshi. "Of course, many are still using 'China' and 'counterfeit' together in one sentence. This, however, does not change the fact that China is growing out of that image."
Wang of Shenzhen Fashion School thinks the next 10 years are critical. "I know some Chinese designers are already doing well internationally but it will still take a few years to be as famous as Alexander McQueen, for instance. But they have started their journey and they are on the right track."
What designers will do in the next several years, and the kind of support they will get will shape the future of China high fashion.
Help from the government will be critical. "The government is very supportive of the industry in general," said Zoo of Bundshop. "Infrastructure in the form of industry parks is important, but a support system for the design industry is needed as well. The government could, for example, offer creative grants to emerging designers."
The key, however, is to act now.
Industry movers and observers agree that China designers need to leverage resources that are easily available to them.
For one, China designers have the distinct advantage of being able to manufacture anything and control fully all factors of the production process.
Ho of Dorian International considers manufacturing ability and resources within China as the designers' biggest strength. China's vast network of factories and suppliers with expertise in different products are at the local designers' fingertips. Plus with the relatively low cost of labor, new designs can be created efficiently and proficiently.
In contrast, overseas designers always struggle with price because material and labor costs are high in their countries.
A positive attitude, in particular the willingness to meet others, incorporate new information and learn new technique, pays off as well.
"Chinese designers exhibit the passion, hunger and openness that Paris did 100 years ago and New York, 50 years ago," said Stark of Stark Design.
The Shenzhen Fashion School aims to develop this potential.
Scheduled to open in March 2014, the school will offer short and long courses targeting all aspects of the fashion industry, not just design.
Wang said the school aims to fill the talent gap in the Shenzhen fashion industry by teaching recent fashion and design graduates, well-versed in theory, real-life practical applications, internships and job placement opportunities.
The fashion school is the brainchild of Wang’s mother who is the president of the Shenzhen Garment Industry Association.
Another industry influencer is Hung Huang, the owner of the concept store Brand New China.
Hung runs iLook Magazine, a publication that highlights the growing fashion industry in China. “With her considerable media clout and soft power charm, Hong has raised considerable awareness of the creative talent that China possesses,” said Kong of The Black Renaissance.