Beijing-based American model Anina Trepte is the first foreigner to be named one of China's top 10 fashion models at the China Fashion Awards. Her blog has attracted an increasingly large following inside China and she says: 'I modelled in several of the Dalian Fashion Week events last year and the one I enjoyed the most was the young designer competition,' she says. 'Although the quality of the garments wasn't particularly high, I found the designs incredibly innovative. The fabrics and attention to detail may have been a bit lacking, but the ideas were great. The students were all enthusiastic and filled with ambition and dreams.' Trepte feels that events such as the Dalian Fashion Week 'bode really well' for the city's future. 'Every year, Dalian Fashion Week becomes more professional,' she says. ' Last year, the fashion designers who featured were of a higher quality than the year before, and there were also a few interesting young brands that were experimenting with the cross-culture of East and West. 'The most exciting were the foreign brands such as Versace and Guy Laroche, that were the top international attractions. I'm looking forward to seeing how the event evolves over the next few years.' Trepte says the 'Dalian's fashion industry needs to understand how to use online media, press and public relations to build their brand'. 'They would do well to work with art directors to find more creative ways to present fashion,' she adds. 'Still, with a growing number of young designers forging ahead and expertise and innovation on the rise, these are undoubtedly exciting times.'
