Threads of a wizard

You can call Shangguan Zhe's fashions eccentric, but his Tibetan-inspired robes have attracted a chic following. Gan Tian catches up with the award-winning young designer.

Fashion designer Shangguan Zhe sits in the Centro Bar of Kerry Center Hotel in Beijing's CBD. The 29-year-old man seems not to fit in this serious environment - he looks like an ancient sorcerer in a room full of modern businessmen.

While everyone around us is wearing black suits and white shirts, he is wearing a giant black robe, decorated with small embroideries of colorful religious symbols. His pants are ankle-length, with straight, clean lines - these garments are his own creations.