The schedule for Paris Fashion Week five years ago read like a who's who of established French houses. Today that list couldn't be more different, with names of designers originating from all parts of the world, including Asia.
More overseas designers are flocking to the city, lured by dreams of making it big in fashion's most challenging and respected arena.
Vietnamese designer Xuan-Thu Nguyen is one of Paris' rising young stars. Born in Tra-Vinh in Vietnam, her family emigrated to Holland when she was three, and settled in Oss.
After securing a degree in fashion management and design in 1999, she worked with various designers before launching her own label in 2001. Three years later, she moved her operations to Paris and opened a boutique-cum-studio in the trendy Marais area.
'In the beginning I would do trade shows and never had any intentions of moving here [Paris],' she says. 'I was always here for work as it was not far from Holland and most of our production is done in France. Eventually, it was much easier to be here, logistically and for administration,' says the 31-year-old designer.
'The great thing is that it is the fashion capital of the world. You get plenty of exposure because anything important to do with fashion happens here.'
