Designer Guo Pei with her gold thread dress, which required 50,000 hours of work
The Chinese presence at Paris Fashion Week, which is currently winding down, was perhaps greater than ever this year. In addition to Chinese celebrities like Fan Bingbing and Chen Ran making appearances at runway shows, we saw more China-inspired designs and materials making cameos. From Marc Jacobs incorporating silk and panda prints and Hong Kong’s Shiatzy Chen taking “Mao collars” to the catwalk to Guo Pei’s breathtaking gold thread dress, the growing Eastern influence in the fashion world was unmistakeable.

An interesting addition to this installment of Paris Fashion Week was the “China in Paris Showroom,” a three-day event that showcased the work of some of China’s up-and-coming designers. From Sohu (translation by Jing Daily team):

The “China in Paris contemporary creative Showroom,” which kicked off on October 1 in Paris, showed off China’s new creative power, including contemporary artwork, fashion, new series by creative designers, jewelry, and fashion photography. Some of the Chinese designers and artists who took part in the event included the founder and creative director of Shiatzy Chen, Wang Chen Cai-Xia, the famous Chinese contemporary artist Huang Zhiyang, Peng Wei, Chen Qingqing, and the Chinese clothing designer Guo Pei.

This installment of the “China in Paris Showroom” also included winners from last year’s fashion design contest, including Uma Wang (winner of the Youngor-Sunrise knit award), Masha Ma (winner of the Mouse Ji International creative award), Shi Jie (winner of the BASIC industry value award), and Le Lin, who won the FASHION GOU e-commerce award.

Not only did this event introduce the contemporary fashion stars who represent today’s Chinese fashion, it also provided a platform for Chinese designer brands to stand on the world stage. The Showroom proved a perfect spot to sell, and the main objective for the brands involved was to expand into the European and global markets while enhancing international market awareness of Chinese domestic brands. What really sets the Showroom apart from press conferences or exhibitions is that it’s a long-term platform for brands to hook up with international buyers and media, while laying the foundation for a brand’s international marketing efforts.
POST: 2024-11-25