Breaking free

When one looks at China's fashion industry through The 2008/2009 China Fashion Week (A/W) Collections, which concluded on March 31, the overriding sense one gets is that of the rebirth of individualism among young designers.

Faced with a camera, these young fashion designers smile easily, as if they are in love with the world. And in the contests held during fashion week, a number of youthful and energetic Chinese designers made a mark with their personal style.

"Why make a colorful swimming suit the way one has been taught at school when it can be cut differently?" says Lu Ye, the Gold Winner of the "Hosa Cup" swimwear design contest. This season, Lu has given traditional pieces a youthful makeover.

"Covered buttons can be added in unexpected places and experimental material can be added in between," the 21-year-old from Beijing Institute of Clothing Technology says, explaining her design Cloud & Dancing. "I tried many kinds of material and finally chose one which makes the swimming suits look solid rather than giving it the usual soft look. With its white color and cloud-like strips, the whole design looks like a sculpture."

A major in fashion design, Lu felt no anxiety before participating in the contest. "I was confident because the material I used is rarely seen," she says. "I like trying different material. That is where I derive my sense of self-achievement."

She also says that confident, creative and experimental thinking are the characteristics of the younger generation of Chinese designers.

That was certainly the attitude seen at fashion week, which brings together upcoming designers on the same platform.

"Their names are on labels, their faces are on advertisements and, with any luck, their clothes will set the trend," Hu Yue, a professor from Beijing Institute of Clothing Technology, says of the young designers who had their works shown at the Beijing Institute of Clothing Technology Graduate Show 2008, on the opening day of the fashion week.

The institute's graduates had their works, in 42 series, displayed by models who were also from the university.

"The designers were all born after 1980. This generation is open to the world and to incorporating the latest Western fashions. They have no boundaries to their designing, they are not afraid of mixing traditional culture with foreign elements and of thinking without coming under any pressure. Looking at their designs, we can sense their relaxed attitude and lively imagination," Hu says.

Hu Dapeng, the creative force behind his Post Industry Era series, the Silver Award winner of the 16th Hampel Young Designers Contest held as the opening show of fashion week, was trained at the Beijing Institute of Clothing Technology. He describes the spirit behind his style as the pursuit of "self-expression and self-reflection."

He is doing an internship at Li Ning Company Limited which is one of the leading sports brands in China. "I like sportswear. And I hope I can have my own sports brand when I have gained enough experience."

"Today's young designers not only have the design ideas, but also know how to market their brands," says Professor Yuan Ze of the clothing technology institute, as well as one of the judges of the 16th Hampel Young Designers Contest. "The styles are diverse. I am happy to see their works carrying their own unique interpretation of fashion."

According to Yuan, China is the perfect place to be for young designers - it has the history, it is plugged into contemporary trends and is drawing international attention.

In general, designers, such as Lu and Hu, say they are going through an exciting phase of great individualism.

Is there a big enough market for these clothes in China? Over the years, a number of similarly promising labels have opened and then closed shop. To offer a showcase for the best in Chinese fashion design, the China International Clothing and Accessory Fair, or CHIC, was inaugurated at Beijing's World Trade Center in 1993. This year's fair, held from March 28 to 31, opened at the newly built China International Exhibition Center.

The CHIC shows are aimed at brand promotion and trade exchanges. The fashion shows and exhibitions demonstrate increasing creativity that organizers hope will lure more local customers to Chinese designs.

"I don't think Chinese design lags far behind foreign brands," says Lu, her arms full of bouquets amid a flood of camera flashbulbs after the awards. "We young designers are eager to create and we want to build brand extensions in cosmetics, bags and shoes. The future beckons."

(China Daily 04/08/2008 page19)