Chinese designer to show linen line in Perth

Chinese designer Zhang Yichao will present her creations at a show in Perth along with 12 Australian designers later this week.

The show, themed on Chinese culture, is organized by the China Fashion Association and the West Australia Fashion Committee as part of Spring Festival celebrations Down Under.

The Chinese forum aims to showcase the country's culture and designers abroad.

"We want foreigners to know about China and Chinese fashion. We hope more Chinese brands will make their appearance worldwide," says Yang Jian, vice-president of the China Fashion Association.

Chinese designers are expected to incorporate Chinese elements in the clothes they make and have a standard for manufacturing, he says of the criteria for their selection.

The Chinese and Australian fashion associations will also collaborate in the future on exchange programs, training and entrepreneurship guidance, Yang says.

Zhang, who owns the brand Rongchang Xiabu, highlights Chinese linen, or xiabu, in her clothes. While the country is mostly known for silk, the designer says linen is just as important in Chinese culture.

In 2016, she presented gowns, cocktail dresses and casual wear - all made from the fabric in red, purple and green - at the China Fashion Week.

"Our heritage is being hurt by mass production. True craftsmanship can be noticed only among a small group of people. But that is where our true wealth is," Zhang says.

She blends silk and brocade to create a fashionable and glamorous look.

Zhang also takes inspiration from Chinese paintings, embroidery and paper art.

As a designer, she is best known for her use of color.

She is the executive member of the fashion art committee of China Fashion Association, and won the 9th China Top Ten Fashion Designers Award and the China Best Womenswear Design Award of the Year in 2003.

She has also been the art director of the Chongqing International Fashion Week for the past three years.

sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn