Mr Xi recalled that many years before that, when he was in Huazhou , he searched the whole city for a pair of jeans and found no stores sold them.

'You can imagine how bad the situation was more than 30 years ago,' he said.

At the time, mainland residents were still staggering from the tumultuous decade of the Cultural Revolution and the dress code was limited to baggy, military-style clothes in blue, black, green and grey. The clothes were the same for both men and women, and were cut to show that the wearers were revolutionary and uncorrupted by capitalism.

Although there is no data on spending three decades ago, the mainland has come a long way since then, with urban residents spending over 1,000 yuan (HK$1,130) on clothes on average last year.

Landi Group president Xiao Wenjiu has seen those changes first-hand as a player in China's apparel business for more than 20 years.

'What people wear is the best and most obvious showcase of the reform policy's impact on ordinary people. The development of the fashion business proved the correctness of the market economy and its benefits to people,' Mr Xiao said. 'The apparel business really is well suited to the market economy because the business is completely driven by the market and the relationship between supply and demand.'

For many mainlanders, the first break with dull clothes came in 1979, when French fashion designer Pierre Cardin and 12 models staged the first modern fashion shows in Beijing and Shanghai.

One year later, the country's first team of fashion models was established in Shanghai and the city's apparel trade fair was revived after a long absence. The fair's turnover soared 68-fold from the 1968 level.

The massive demand for clothes fuelled the private garment trade and dealers went to Guangdong and Fujian to source supplies thought to be from Hong Kong to sell in inland cities, where people craved new colours and fresh designs.

In 1980, the airing of the television series Man From Atlantis ensured that sunglasses like those worn by the leading character became a fashion statement. And four years later the release of the mainland movie Red Dress in Fashion saw red dresses becoming popular with young women.

Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology professor Ma Jiucheng said that in the 1980s people had no idea what fashion was.

'They saw what people on TV or the street wore and just wanted to quickly buy themselves the same clothes,' Professor Ma said.

'Aesthetics was not involved, and that's why ugly clothes like batwing blouses and tight, chicken-feet trousers came in.'

According to Mr Xie, it was a seller's market and so there was no motivation for apparel makers to come up with new designs. He said that in the early 1990s, domestic menswear brand Shanshan had only a few designs for their suits but sales still went through the roof, so much so that people in the northeast had to show a marriage approval certificate to get one.

'They didn't need designers because one design could sell all year,' Mr Xie said.

However, supply surpassed consumer demand at the end of the 1990s and business owners were forced to reposition their ranges and come up with novel designs to attract customers. The state-owned apparel companies were also squeezed out of business by private firms, which were more flexible and encouraged a freer flow of talent and capital.

Private companies started to build their own brands but the designs were mostly copies of overseas trends, however out of date.

'Around the time of the new millennium, manufacturers realised they needed fashion designers and there should be more choices. The Chinese fashion business really took off,' Mr Xie said.

And that is when he set up his own brand. He launched Jefen in 2000 after working for 10 years in Japan for Nicole Company, and his label became the first from China to be invited to stage a show during the Paris Spring fashion week in 2006.

'You can see now in Beijing and Shanghai that the [variation and types] of style are very close to what is popular throughout the world. The market has been carefully defined with clear consumer targets,' he said.

Other designers agree that China's consumers are savvy and the huge demand has made fashion more than just 'something to wear'.

'You can see that the approach to consumption is much closer to the international one, especially since the millennium. China used to lag behind international style 10 years ago but now you see the fashion is sometimes in step with international trends,' Amy Xi, a designer for mainland men's brand Masa Maso, said.

Professor Ma said the innovation of the fashion industry could be attributed to formal fashion education and general awareness.

In the 1980s, there were just three major fashion institutes but in the 1990s, as more trained designers graduated and saw the world, the industry really took off, even though the style was unsophisticated at first.

He said the influx of information was a tremendous boost to people's perception of fashion.

Since the first mainland fashion magazine, China Fashion, was launched in 1980, fashion journals and magazines have flourished and global titles such as Elle and Vogue have launched Chinese editions.

Since 2003, the China National Garment Association has also arranged for elite Chinese brands, such as Jefen, to go to international shows and invited designers from France, Italy, Russia, Japan and South Korea to the mainland for fashion events.

Also, the popularity of luxury brands such as Gucci, Chanel and Versace have encouraged those companies to expand into second-tier cities such as Kunming , Chengdu and Suzhou . High-street fashion retailers such as H&M and Zara have also opened outlets in mainland cities.

From Mao suits to modern couture

In the days before the economic reforms, mainland wardrobes were full of drab tones and simple tailoring, but the rise in prosperity has been accompanied by an increased interest in the latest fashions

Then and now

Modelling industry practitioners

1980: First modelling team set up in Shanghai

To date: More than 12m

Schools with fashion design classes

Early 1980s: 3

2008: More than 140

Annual rural clothing expenditure (in yuan)

1983: 6

2007: 130

Items of clothing sold

1978: 673m

2008: 60b (projected)