Double happiness for parents and kids

Matching clothes for mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons sounds like a fun idea for party gatherings and family pictures. But for Dong Wenmei, it is a way to bond with her only daughter and a million-dollar business dedicated to the creation of such a bond between other mothers and daughters, fathers and sons.

"The idea of matching clothes for mother and daughter may seem superficial, but there's actually more to clothes matching than simply having almost identical or well-coordinated styles and colors," says Dong, founder and chief designer of T-100, a Guangzhou-based fashion company dedicated to the design and manufacture of matching clothes for mothers and daughters, fathers and sons. "It is a way of respecting the young and a source of comfort for the elderly. It helps communicate closeness."

Dong, a doctor-turned businesswoman in her late 30s, is speaking from experience. After graduating from medical university in 1993, Dong started her practice in Chongqing in Southwest China. Two years later, she quit to follow her long-cherished interest in fashion designing. She went to Guangzhou, one of the main centers for fashion in China, and joined a fashion trade business.