EARLIER THIS MONTH, fashion week in Beijing presented a rapid succession of domestic and foreign collections that took viewers to dizzying highs - and lamentable lows. From outward appearances, Beijing Fashion Week (BFW) had all the necessary ingredients for a successful fashion fete. Amid cameo appearances by stars such as Jackie Chan, eagle-eyed fashion editors, buyers and China's nouveaux riches took in dozens of collections from both seasoned and fledgling designers.
Like Shanghai Fashion Week, which took place last month, BFW is a twice-yearly government sponsored event tailored to attract foreign and local buyers to invest in China's fashion industry. Ray Lee, style director for production company GalaxyElite (Elite International's China arm), pinpoints the essential difference. 'Shanghai is where the international brands - Dior, Gucci, Armani - go to get established in China,' he says. 'Beijing still deals very much with domestic talent.'
For this reason, Shanghai is often considered China's main contender as an international fashion capital. However, this season, there's been an unexpected shift. Shanghai Fashion Week was criticised for its lack of co-ordination and planning, and well-known international brands like BCBG and American sportswear company IZOD chose Beijing, instead.
BFW organisers took full advantage of this coup d'etat by co-ordinating three major programmes. The China Fashion Association chose the ritzy Beijing Hotel near Tiananmen Square for its biannual China International Fashion Week, under the theme 'My Vision of China'. It featured two fashion forums, three design contests, almost 60 designers from 19 countries, as well as 23 catwalk shows for mainland brands such as Bosideng, Edenbo, Weipeng and Whacko.
The second programme, Style Hong Kong - jointly sponsored by the China Council for Promotion of International Trade and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council - was held at the China World Exhibition Hall in Beijing's fashionable Guo Mao neighbourhood. It showcased 150 Hong Kong exhibits and myriad fashion shows, including Jackie Chan's JC Line and Hidy Ng's young collection.
The event that held the highest hopes for mainland brands, but delivered a three-ring circus, was the International Clothing and Accessories Fair (Chic) organised by the China Fashion Designers Association. Chic presented exhibits and fashion shows from established mainland brands such as EMU, Shan Shan, Cai Zi, and Xing Fu, but the dismal warehouse surroundings of Beijing's International Exhibition Centre and the often low-quality merchandise made for a disjointed and over-saturated event.