Chinese Haute Couture hits catwalk

Traditional Chinese culture features prominently in the NE Tiger's Haute Couture collection, one of the opening shows of the Beijing Fashion Week.

The butterfly and the fan. These elements are the inspiration for NE Tiger's Haute Couture collection.

For Chinese, the butterfly symbolizes freedom, romance and eternal of life, while the fan, indicates elegance and artistry. The two are featured in the contours or details of the dresses, suits and gowns.

Braided embroidery makes the patterns stand out. The whole collection exudes a feel of both ancient and modern.

Su Mang, editor-in-chief of Bazaar Magazine, said, "The use of splendid Chinese elements in this collection is very chic, which make them acceptable to fashionable young people."

Haute Couture is just getting started in the Chinese fashion industry.

The concept, which comes from the west, emphasizes making clothes for the individual customer, and fine details of needle work.

Sometimes one garment can take up to three hundred hours to make.

Li Dongtian, image designer, said, "Each haute couture piece is one that demands painstakingly artful work of the designers or the creators."

NE Tiger, noted for leather clothes and gowns, is one of the first to bring haute couture to customers in China.

Source: CCTV online