Quick on the draw

An contest portraying fashion designs with illustrations has drawn more than 500 designers, artists and students to compete for awards.

The "Crisis Cup National Fashion Illustration Art Contest", the only professional contest of its kind in China, recently raised its curtain in Beijing.

"Though fashion illustration has been around for nearly 500 years, the form of art is quite new to most Chinese," said Wang Qing, president of the China Fashion Association: "Fashion illustration remains a relatively unsung art form. But original works and prints are an easy way to bring the runway to your walls."