The 2009 look

By Xiao Changyan (China Daily)


China Fashion Week Spring/Summer Collection 2009, the biggest and most important fashion gala in China, will begin at the Beijing Hotel and D PARK Beijing House next Wednesday.

Running until Nov 12, it will feature nearly 40 shows, 10 press conferences, seven professional competitions and two forums. Thousands of journalists, designers, models, aficionados and businessmen from all over the world will gather in Beijing for this event.

Eagerly awaited by industry insiders, China Fashion Week attracts China's top designers including Mark Cheung, Qi Gang and Mary Ma.

The design competitions provide an opportunity for new talents to show their creations. For instance, the upcoming fashion week will have the 2008 Ordifen Innovative Design Contest for lingerie, the Famory China Wedding Dress Design Contest, the Qiaodan Cup, the 3rd China Sportswear Design Contest, the 17th China Jeanswest Casual Wear Design Contest, the 7th China National Fashion Illustration Art Contest, and the 2008 China Fashion Week Makeup Design Contest.

According to the China Fashion Association, there are now more than 100,000 people working in China's fashion design industry. Nearly 30,000 students majoring in fashion design graduate every year from nearly 200 colleges or institutes. They make up the new force that is transforming China from a garment- making center to one of upscale fashion.

Since its debut in 1997, China Fashion Week has held more than 440 fashion shows, 54 design contests and 11 China Fashion Award Festivals.