It pays to go indie

Independent fashion labels are experiencing significant growth as domestic consumers turn to buyers' shops, and emerging Chinese designers continue their rise on the global scene, He Qi reports from Shanghai.

Having worked with many designers since her days as a brand agent for a host of Chinese brands such as Exception, Hu Chunhui learned that it is not simply the physical designs that matter when it comes to fashion.

Rather, the stories that designers want to tell are just as, if not more important, to the label.