Get your cameras ready. China's fashion capital is preparing its catwalks for the haute couture collections of international designers once again next month.
Since its first session in 1988, the Dalian International Fashion Festival has won a reputation as the first step towards entering the fashion market in China among international designers, said Li Yao, director of the Organizing Committee of the World's Masters' Haute Couture Collections, a key project of the fair.
In the past five years, the committee has organized more than 40 catwalk shows for about 30 well known designers.
This year's festival, to be held from September 16-25, will showcase the works of Jean-Louis Scherrer from France, Hanae Mori from Japan and Carlo Ponti from the United States.
Scherrer will introduce the works of his chief designer, Stephane Rolland, to local residents. The designer merges his youthful energy with Scherrer's traditional classical style.
Rolland's innovative designs combine materials such as plastic with silk and leather with metal, resulting in charming and refreshingly individual pieces, Li said.
Mori was the first Asian designer accepted as a member of La Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, the most authoritative organization in fashion in France.
Mori's works are highly acclaimed for their fusion of Eastern and Western elements.
Mori has also designed costumes for operas such as the 1985 staging of "Madame Butterfly" at La Scala in Milan and "Elektra," which was performed at the Salzburg Festival in 1996.
This will be the fourth collection Mori has showcased in Dalian.
Carlo Ponti, a young designer from the United States, is known for his modern American style.
Li said a garden wedding collection will be also held in the city's Jinshitan National Tourism Resort. Costumes designed by Yumi Katsura from Japan will unite the Western and Japanese wedding styles with the picturesque view of the golf links and the long seabeach in the area.
Traditional French handicraft art is also scheduled to be highlighted at the festival. Perfumes and crystal bottles from 25 top French brands, including Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Baccarat and Lalique will be on display, Li added.
(China Daily 08/22/2001)
