While a number of Chinese technology brands, such as Lenovo and Huawei, are starting to become household names internationally, China’s fashion brands remain largely unknown abroad. But that might soon be changing. The country is fast becoming one of the largest markets in the world, and it hopes to transform itself from a factory house to a design house.
Although it may still be a far cry from those in Europe, there’s no doubt China’s once non-existent fashion industry is on the verge of making it big. New domestic brands pop up seemingly everyday. And the country now has its own top fashion events like the biannual Beijing-based China Fashion Week and Shanghai Fashion Week.
These events are helping lift China up to the same level as the world’s other fashion capitals. And it hopes to launch more and more domestic designs onto international catwalks.
Fashion designer Yang Ziming, who runs his own independent label, was named "best menswear designer" at the 2007 China Fashion Week. The award allowed him to attend New York Fashion Week in February. He says doing that on his own would have been a "mission impossible".
Yang Ziming, designer, said, "The event is a great opportunity for young designers like me. I have been going to the China Fashion Week since 2002. My brand Cabbeen and myself as a designer have grown a lot over the past decade. And all of that started from the China Fashion Week."
While some Chinese designers have shown their lines in Milan or New York, most of their names remain unknown to international fashionistas. For foreigners, "Made in China" still means something cheap, copied and of poor quality. But the situation is changing "little by little, step by step."
Leading the way are Chinese models, who have already made great strides on the fashion scene.
Five years ago, you could go an entire season without seeing a single Chinese model on the runway. But things are changing dramatically and quickly - Now there’s hardly even a show without one.
Chinese models have become a strong presence on runways around the world. Liu Wen now ranks 5th among the Top 50 Women Models listed by Models.com.
In September, the 24-year-old walked in 22 shows at New York Fashion Week, including for major brands like Michael Kors and Jason Wu. She did another 10 shows at Milan Fashion Week.
"I’m very happy and want to do a good job because modeling makes me happy, not only career-wise, but also in my life. I enjoy it. I hope I can do a good job and bring the beauty of the East to the West."
Besides Liu Wen, other fashion week veterans like Qin Shupei and Sun Feifei have also strut down the catwalks of New York, London, Milan and Paris.
China is still making its way from being the factory of the world to becoming a fashion house with its own designs and brands. And there’s still a long way to go. But as the fashion market continues to grow, hopefully Chinese designers and brands will secure their spots in the international fashion scene, just like some of the country’s top models.