Local flavors

Vera Wang's bridal collection highlights the Shanghai Fashion Week 2012. Provided to China Daily

Shanghai Fashion Week holds its 10th edition and Xu Junqian notes that over time, it has gone from hosting foreign star designers to focusing on domestic talents.

Domestic designers emerged as a major force during the 10th edition of Shanghai Fashion Week. Shanghai Textile Group, with support from the municipal government, turned the decade-old Shanghai International Culture and Apparel Festival into the "internationally standardized" Shanghai Fashion Week in 2003.

Over the years the event, which used to serve as an international fashion gala studded with brands like Ferragamo, Lanvin, Paul & Shark and Vivienne Westwood, has turned into a predominantly local, week-long party.

During the event this year, 47 shows were held in the city, featuring such collections as Vera Wang's bridal show, Ji Cheng's Teaism and Neither Nor's womenswear.

Back in 2003, fast fashion retailers like Zara and HM were nowhere to be seen in the city and buying a copy of ELLE, the only international fashion magazine in town, was considered a luxury.

Meanwhile, thousands of fashionistas lined Riverside Promenade by the Huangpu River to get a glimpse of A-list designers.

"It was unprecedented," says Ye Qizheng, a senior consultant to the fashion industry and founder of the website fashiontrenddigest.com.

"At one of the shows, it was so crowded that some people had to sit on the floor, in front of the first row, making the 'front row' a second one, which is quite a big deal in the fashion world," he says.