Rising year for 'dragon robe' designer

A model presents creations by Laurence Xu at the Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Photo provided to China Daily

Xu first impressed the world in 2010 when Chinese actress Fan Bingbing wore his "dragon robe" on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. The gown was made using Nanjing Yunjin brocade with a dragon pattern that was only used for emperors in ancient China. It was listed among the top three gowns in the Red Carpet Fashion Awards of that week.

The "dragon robe" was later collected by the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and will be displayed at the Metropolitan Museum this year.

The Victoria & Albert Museum describes it as "an eye-catching example of the luxury fashion popular in contemporary China. It also illustrates the growing interest Chinese have in their cultural heritage".

Curator Bolton chose the gown because he believes Xu was influenced by Tom Ford's dragon robe. Tom Ford was influenced by Saint Laurent and Saint Laurent was inspired by something from Shanghai. "That's how the East and West influence each other," Bolton says.

Last year at Paris Haute Couture Week, Xu presented a collection of 36 gowns that continued to draw on the traditional Chinese dragon motif. This year, he presented 30 gowns in the theme of Dunhuang.

Dunhuang, in Northwest China's Gansu province, was a major stop on the ancient Silk Road and is best known for its Buddhist caves with murals and sculptures.