Handy with fashion tech

After enrolling, Hu realized that the skills she needed to learn included not only designing but also fashion production. She was inspired by her then-senior Chen Bihua who won the bronze medal for fashion technology at the 43rd WorldSkills Competition in 2015 and signed up for the qualification trials at the school for the 44th edition of the competition.

To have the opportunity to get to the place where she could represent China in the WorldSkills Competition, Hu needed to go through several rounds of selection. She had to be selected for the Beijing team first before making it to the top 10 in the country. After making the top two, she had a final round, defeating the other competitor, to become the national champion.

After she made it to the top 10 in the country, Hu was selected for the national training team to better prepare her for the competition. The training was hard yet worthwhile for Hu. The coaches paid more attention to the development of the contestants' professionalism and industry standards. Many coaches often created difficulties during training by shortening the competition time, increasing the difficulty level or raising the standard.

"They even created obstacles for me during the simulation competitions such as providing an iron which was not easy to use," Hu says. "It was through such training that I improved my skills and honed my ability to face emergencies and solve problems."

One of her training sections was an internship at a clothing company. By taking up real tasks, Hu strengthened her ability to respond, improve the product design, master the skill of screening fabrics and refine the skill of craft production. She also attended some design classes at the Central Academy of Fine Arts and helped the students turn their design into finished clothes. The process helped find "my professional value", Hu says.