The exhibition hall at the Wuxi Canal Arts Center is decorated in a novel style. [Photo/ chinadaily.com.cn]

There are various ways to have a memorable Christmas in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. This year, attending an independent fashion show and soaking in the artistic atmosphere is a decent choice.

A total of seven independent designers gathered at the Wuxi Canal Arts Center on Dec 25 with their latest design collections ranging from clothes to leather products. The show displayed the unique design concepts of each designer, highlighting the artists' spirit of craftsmanship.

"I design for fun," says Xue Qing, a designer for the brand Banbao (meaning half full) at the show. Independent designers value innovation over mass production and high profits. The high quality and original design of their works are much more important than fashion trends, which demonstrate the spirit of craftsmanship in the modern age.

Some designers at the show have been quite famous in Wuxi for years. Da Lu, the owner of the brand ISSYEE, has the nickname "Uncle Bird" and is known by many art lovers in the city. He runs a special workplace called "Bird Space" in an old community. The shop is a mixture of a coffee shop and an exhibition area for his works, with images of birds seen everywhere.

"I think black is a mysterious color," says Uncle Bird when explaining the black tone of the collection he displayed at the fashion show. He insisted that the design of clothes should serve people's need and that all parts of clothes can be broken and reconstructed.

In addition to the fashion show, the designs were also on display at the arts center, so visitors could experience the quality at a close distance. Handmade leather products by ICE HANN STUDIO attracted visitors with their shiny leather and exquisite designs.

The Wuxi Canal Arts Center was built on the remains of the Wuxi Kaiyuan Machinery Factory in 2014. The factory was previously established by the notable entrepreneurial Rong family 68 years ago, and is now managed by China's famous real estate enterprise Vanke Real Estate Group.

Designer Uncle Bird brings a series of black-toned garments to the independent fashion show at the Wuxi Canal Arts Center on Dec 25. [Photo/ Ou Xiaoxiang]