'Thank you for letting me fly'

Huishan Zhang brings a particularly subtle sensibility to the concept of blending elements of East and West in his fashion design. Photos provided to China Daily

Young Chinese fashion designer's talent was spotted early and he is now wowing the world with his creations

Fashion insiders marked Huishan Zhang out as a designer to watch some time ago, praising his subtle and elegant way of integrating Chinese elements and motifs into stylish contemporary clothing.

Now, thanks to the awarding of a major international fashion prize, his name will have much more resonance in the mainstream, ensuring sustained demand for Zhang's dresses, jackets, skirts and blouses, which are all made in Qingdao in Shandong province.

Zhang, who was born and raised in the East China port city, designs the garments at his base in London, but insists on having them made in China. It is an unusual arrangement but allows the rising fashion star to boast that all his garments are made by Chinese artisans.

"I want to have a Chinese identity," he says. "I am proud of it, that being made well in China could change people's views on China. I think fashion is one way of showing the world how China is changing.

"Qingdao is a very important manufacturing place in China, focused on manufacturing for Japanese and South Korean companies, so there are very good quality factories and good quality fabric. The lace we have is all made in Qingdao."

Although the idea of blending elements of East and West is hardly new, Zhang brings a particularly subtle sensibility to the concept. The finished products have been so well received among the discerning fashion and design crowd that a Huishan Zhang dress was selected as a permanent exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Perhaps just as significantly, Zhang recently picked up the Dorchester Collection fashion prize, a hugely prestigious award that the hotel group bestows every year, along with a 25,000-pound ($41,000; 30,000 euros) cash prize.

"Huishan Zhang will undoubtedly have a thriving career, as have the previous winners," says Christopher Cowdray, Dorchester Collection's chief executive officer.

The award is a reward for long years of hard work, and occasional disappointment. From his teen years, Zhang knew he wanted to be involved in the fashion business, but opportunities were few and far between at that time in northern China.

To broaden his horizons and improve his English, Zhang's parents sent him to study in New Zealand. A college there provided the neophyte designer with basic skills before he enrolled at the prestigious Central St Martins college in London, where renowned designers John Galliano and Alexander McQueen studied.

"It was a new way of working for me, a different approach," says Zhang. "When I went there, I was good at pattern cutting but not so good at processing and creating a collection, because I had not been trained. I had to learn from scratch."

Promising designers are often monitored by the big brands and later offered jobs. In Zhang's case, he attracted keen personal attention from a hugely influential fashion figure - Delphine Arnault, daughter of the giant LVMH group boss Bernard Arnault - who offered the student a job working at the head office of the Dior brand.

It gave Zhang insights into the luxury-brand trade, along with the confidence to launch his own brand, Huishan Zhang, almost immediately after graduation. It was an instant success, with pieces stocked by prestigious boutiques and his couture Dragon Dress selected as a permanent exhibit in the T. T. Tsui gallery of the V&A Museum.

The past few years have seen Zhang embark on an upward trajectory, his clothing stocked by upmarket stores such as Harvey Nichols, Barneys, and Joyce. The annual output is about 1,000 pieces; the cheapest item is about 5,000 yuan ($826; 608 euros) for a top and trousers, with more expensive dresses selling for up to 20,000 yuan. Couture pieces made to order can cost 40,000 yuan or more, depending on the level of intricacy.

"I want it to be a modern contemporary lifestyle brand," Zhang says. "Basically it is something associated with China but on a very international level and exclusive. Right now it is brand building and I am learning at every stage. My ambition is big.

"The collection is semi-couture with a price that is affordable. Every season is referenced by Chinese and Western culture, with modern-art influences. The Chinese element is more like a hidden trace than something obvious.

"The clothes are for modern-day women who travel and have a real life. The fabric has been designed so it does not wrinkle, whether it is silk or cotton. That is the trademark; you can travel and arrive, open your luggage and put your dress on the hanger, you don't need to touch anything. All the garments are also ultra light."

Zhang is now based permanently in London, working from a Victorian building close to the British Museum in Bloomsbury, but he travels back to China most months to supervise production in Qingdao.

Zhang finds the modern buzz and rich history of the British capital inspirational. In turn, the personable, modest and ever-smiling Chinese designer has become something of a celebrity, representing the modern and international face of Chinese fashion.

"I grew up in Qingdao which was isolated and conservative, but I had a big dream," he says. "I loved fashion. I always liked to put combinations together - an orange jumper over skinny jeans. I was big and fat at that time but I liked the look.

"I was very bad at school. The only thing I could pass was my art class, which I did very well at. I told my parents that any further education would kill me. They were worried at the time, but they let me go and study abroad."

Ironically, Zhang's father began his entrepreneurial career running a boutique in Qingdao before going on to found a successful electronics manufacturing business, which helped fund Zhang's education and career.

"They were brave enough to send me away so I could realize my potential," he says of his parents, who faithfully attend his London Fashion Week shows. "When I was in New Zealand, I wrote a note to my mom saying 'Thank you for letting me fly', a note that she still keeps."

China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 02/14/2014 page28)