Designer Xiong Ying's Heaven Gaia collection at China Fashion Week, which runs until Wednesday perhaps best encapsulates the drama and exuberance being shown by China's designers this season. Ying’s collection featured delicate white gowns gently overlaid with embroidered flowers, earrings that extended down to the waist and dramatic caped ensembles that wouldn’t look out of place in a fairytale. One model even made her way down the runway astride a giant horse, taking the idea of the modern-day warrior woman to new levels. Another stepped out swamped in voluminous ruffles of green, paired with a dramatic headpiece fit for royalty. The Leaf Xia Colourworld collection by designer Xia Yiqi offered a heady, off-kilter kaleidoscope of exuberant colour, with oversized 3D floral forms appliqued on to voluminous bomber jackets and chunky beanie hats. The contestants in the Hempel Award, the 29th China International Young Fashion Designers Contest, served up models ensconced in transparent, space suit-inspired head caps, for the ultimate exercise in social distancing, and experimented with bold layering and patterns. For the Esa Liang show, designer BonQin Liang presented ultra feminine dresses in cheery shades of yellow, paired with heavy work boots, and a boxy red jacket and shorts combo that was utilitarian and hard-edged in both its cut and styling. These were clothes made for women on a mission.
