Mary Ma-rvelous

Simple, sexual, luxurious ... combining African and Chinese elements, the latest haute couture collection of designer Mary Ma has been catwalked in Beijing.

Mary Ma is China's very first star fashion designer. With a reputation as one of the most beautiful and graceful women in China, she has had a more diverse career than many of her peers.

From 1990 to 1993, she was a rower and after beginning her modeling career she was China's top model in 1998 and 1999. "But it's impossible to be a model for a long period of time," Ma says.