Peking Opera, knitwear and hip-hop?

Placing those words into one sentence, let alone one show may seem impossible. That is until you attend a fashion show by Wang Xinyuan, one of China's most recognized designers in the on-going Chinese International Clothing & Accessories Fair (CHIC).

Knitwear made from cashmere, wool, yarn and mohair, materials formerly used for inner wear, have been designed to be jerseys, overcoats, skirts and even evening dresses, featuring a full colour spectrum reminiscent of Peking Opera makeup.

The models sashayed down the catwalk to a combination of hip-hop and Peking Opera.

Inspired by Peking Opera masks, the show was entitled Mianzi, or Face in English, a term as typically Chinese as Peking Opera.

This week Beijing was abuzz with the biannual ritual of the country's high-fashion shows.

Almost louder than the buzz of the shows, however, was the industry's fretting over its own future. China's fashionistas are asking how long their brands take to be recognized.

As Chinese people fear 'losing face,' Chinese fashion brands are afraid of being neglected by the international market.

They are eager to present their own brands and ready to "Share (them) with the World," as the event's theme this year says.

"The year 2005 is of special importance to the global fashion industry as global textile quotas were scrapped at the end of last year," said Du Yuzhou, chairman of the China Textile Industry Association during one of CHIC's press conferences. "The coming of the post-quota era declares the integration of the world and China. We want to share with the world, not only our labor and skills, but our designs and brands,"

Launched in 1993, CHIC witnessed the development and changes of China's garment industry and is universally regarded as the symbol of China's garment industry.

This year, more than 1,000 exhibitors from 16 countries and regions, including Italy, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Finland, Turkey, the United States, Japan, Korea, Singapore, India, as well as China's Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan attended the fashion gala.

The event is divided into two sessions, one featuring Men's and Casual Wear from March 27 to 29, the other presenting Women's, Kid's and Accessories that starts Saturday and runs until next Monday.

For the first time, the fashion fair, now the second largest in the world and the largest professional show in Asia, is segmented by categories. In previous years, overseas pavilions were separated from domestic exhibitors. This year the overseas groups are featured in pavilions with domestic brands according to category.

Branding, more than ever, has been enhanced by the Chinese fashion industry.

The Firs Group, originally from Ningbo, a coastal city in east China's Zhejiang Province, and now Shanghai-based, is promoted as an example for Chinese fashion companies.

As the first group to adopt the "multi-brand and globalization" strategy in China 10 years ago, Firs has become one of the leading companies in China's fashion industry. It presently has 18 sub-brands and 22 brand companies.

During the first session of exhibition, Firs rented a theme hall to present 14 of its sub-brands, ranging from men's business, business casual and sports lines to women's couture and casual wear.

"The usage of CHIC as a grand stage to exhibit its brand influence before visitors and professional buyers, is a clear message that China is catching up with their branding efforts," says Chen Dapeng, Vice President and Secretary General of the Chinese Garment Association.

At the same time, CHIC 2005 also adds jeans, silk wears and accessories halls to its line up. The organizer hopes to help such Chinese enterprises transform from purely export processors to brand operators.

(China Daily April 1, 2005)