THIS year marks the 10th anniversary of Shanghai Fashion Week, a decade that has seen China's fashion industry develop and flourish. The city fashion week celebrated its 10th birthday this month with waterside shows at Xintiandi Taipinghu Park, and looked confidently ahead to its next decade.

Over the past decade, Shanghai Fashion Week has -- together with events such as the FIA Formula 1 World Championship and the Tennis Masters Open - become a calling card for the city, say organizers.

The week has evolved from merely importing foreign brands in its early days to supporting and showcasing domestic innovative work. In this time, it has increasingly become the first choice for season debut shows by houses, and can now boast more than 40 catwalk shows - a far cry from the early days when the number barely reached double figures.

Shanghai Fashion Week is now firmly moving the city toward becoming an established fashion center, like Paris, Milan, New York and London, say organizers.

China's Huayi Brothers Fashion Group, in association with Harper's Bazaar China, held the opening ceremony at Shanghai International Fashion Center and featured Vera Wang's first runway show in Asia. Among those on the red carpet were famous Chinese mainland actress and "Weibo Queen" Yao Chen, Taiwan actresses Alyssa Chia and Ann Yi-xuan, local pop music producer and songwriter Gao Xiaosong, pop singer Liu Liyang, international top models Qin Shupei, He Sui and Xi Mengyao, plus the CEO of Vera Wang Mario Grauso.

Shanghai Fashion Week from October 18 to 24 presented new designs from more than 40 brands and gathered the work of 60 designers at two runway sites at Taipinghu Park. In addition to Vera Wang, other top names included Dorian Ho from Hong Kong, Nathan Jenden from the US, Cheap Monday from Sweden, and MO&CO from Paris.

Other leading Chinese designers Ji Cheng, Wang Qingfeng, Li Hongyan, Liao Xiaoling and Zhan Wenshu have grown up with Shanghai Fashion Week and also brought their new creations in the shows.

"We are committed to supporting our local fashion brands and designers. We have so many talented people, but we also need more good leaders and platforms like Shanghai Fashion Week," said Xiao Guiyu, the Executive Director of the organizing committee.

"China has a brilliant history and culture which can inspire fashion. We should be more confident of our own culture," insisted Xiao.

Some of the creations showcased during Shanghai Fashion Week are available for sale online at www.i-modec.com.

Vera Wang

American iconic wedding brand Vera Wang launched a range of new garments at Shanghai Fashion Week, the brand's first show in Asia. The 40-piece show included bridal and ready-to-wear collections. Traditional white wedding dresses were conspicuous by their absence, replaced by Chinese red and black gowns that evoke romance and mystery. The ready-to-wear collections featured tailored styles and elegant tones - classic and low-key.

Based in New York, the world-famous brand includes both haute couture and ready-to-wear collections. Vera Wang has also expanded the name through her fragrance, jewelry, eyewear and shoes.

The brand manufactures the majority of its bridal collection in its own workshops in the United States.

Vera Wang will open a flagship store in Xintiandi Style in Shanghai soon.

Judy Hua

An art collector and critic, Judy Hua founded her haute couture brand in 2004. Its style is renowned for being elegant, calm, delicately detailed and featuring Chinese elements.

The Judy Hua 2013 spring/summer haute couture collection showcases this leading local designer's presentational skills in the clear-cut mash-up of bright colors - orange, yellow, rose and blue - plus black and white.

Natural materials, such as cotton, hemp and silk, are featured in this collection creating elegant and confident styles of females.

"The dark night has given me dark eyes. Yet I use them to search for light. For me, brightness is the happiness and sadness, the desires and dreams that design brings me," Hua said.

Helen Lee

After graduating, Shanghai native Lee spent three years working with Japanese fashion houses before striking out on her own to start a successful denim brand.

Then three years ago, Lee founded her own brand in her hometown, with the dream of bringing the world a contemporary image of Shanghai fashion.

Her spring/summer 2013 collection "Waking" is inspired by the moment between dreaming and waking up. Part of the collection features bright colors and perfect flower patterns to evoke springtime - coral, mint green, cherry blossom pink, light blue, oilseed rape yellow and wasabi green - mixed with the same colored Swarovski elements.

"Flower patterns and lace represent the beautiful images in waking up from a dream in spring," Lee explained after the show.

Dorian Ho

Versatile designer, Dorian Ho's "Doll" collection was a highlight of Shanghai Fashion Week. Ho is a young eponymous label which is being sold in Hong Kong, Tokyo and New York among other leading retail destinations. The brand was created in 2001 and the Dorian Ho Collection made its international debut on both sides of the globe that year, at the Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in Sydney and at New York's Seventh on Sixth.

French spirit inspired his Doll collection for 2013 spring/summer of classy dresses and evening gowns, according to Ho. Presented in the colors of red, coral and contrasting shades of black and lily white, the Parisian vision includes ruffles, mermaid gowns with Swarovski elements and taffeta ball-gowns with floral appliques.

Cheap Monday

Cheap Monday held its first show on Chinese mainland at Shanghai Fashion Week, its spring/summer 2013 collection focusing on anomalies such as the androgynous or genderless. Inspiration came from outer space: UFOs and aliens. Colors including "almost there pastels" mixed with fruity reds, greens and turquoise, combined with stark black and bright white. Important fabrics are clear, coated wetlook jerseys and knits mixed with sheer windbreaker fabrics and clear taping on sport-influenced stitching.

"Our participation in Shanghai Fashion Week is a signal that Cheap Monday is here to stay. We're looking forward to making contacts with local media and buyers," said H?kan Str?m, Chief Operating Officer at Cheap Monday.

La Vie

This luxury designer brand from Shanghai says its values are lifestyle, womanhood, originality and celebration, through these seeking to deliver one essential message - happiness.

In its third year at Shanghai Fashion Week, La Vie's spring/summer 2013 collection combines Buddhist culture and modern design; the comfortable materials and light colors inspired by pure elements.

La Vie seeks to celebrate the female form in a way that is both original and romantically reflective. For instance, it incorporates the symbolic Chinese character, "xi" - double happiness - into most of its designs. Established in 2002, the brand has main line La Vie and couture line The Wedding by La Vie. It has stores in Shanghai.