Cheng Gong: Fashion insider's view on industry

"Cultural confidence is being promoted by the leadership of this country, and these fast-rising Chinese fashion designers should be confident about our culture, and strive to show Chinese fashion ideas to more and more foreign people."

Chinese designers aren't short on talent or skill, and many of them have trained at the world's most prestigious design schools. However, the biggest problem they face is that only a few Chinese are interested in Chinese brands.

With regard to the issue, Cheng said that Chinese designers should have a long-term plan and the global version to build their brands.

"Rome was not built in a day. Likewise, the success of a fashion brand cannot be achieved instantly. Instead, it takes patience, persistence and creativity," he said, adding that "When the days comes that Chinese designers are taken to their showing on our own fashion week, then China's fashion industry is really a top player across the globe."

"I believe that fashion is a universal language," Cheng said. "The golden days for Chinese fashion magazines may have already gone, but as China becomes more closely integrated into the global community over the past years, there is now a more enabling environment than ever for the fashion industry."