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September 27, 2009

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Local gear makes quality point

WITH more international fashion brands entering the Chinese market, people have perhaps overlooked some homegrown brands that are of equally good quality, fashionable design and offered at more competitive prices.

I was very impressed by the Bernini Group fashion show held recently at the River South Art Center. Founded in 1976, Bernini is a Taiwan-based fashion group which has more than 150 points of sales across the country.

The show lasted for nearly an hour, introducing the spring/summer 2010 collections of the group's four brands: "Bernini," the main line, "Bernis," the casual, sporty line, "Bernini 1976," designed for sophisticated professional women and "Robyn," for young, trendy city girls who love the fun of mixing and matching.

Obviously, the company put a lot of effort into presenting the show. There was a live band accompanied by group dancers paying homage to Michael Jackson. The host of the night not only skilfully controlled the pace of the show but also interacted with the models, including top Chinese model Chang Chunxiao.

The Bernini collection for spring/summer 2010 is inspired by both the sweet, elegant 1950s Barbie style and the flamboyant, dynamic 1980s powerful style.

It features a palette of sweet colors such as nude pink, mint green, sky blue and khaki gold, as well as rich hues including purple, royal blue and black. The high-waisted silhouette helps to create a perfect body line while bringing out femininity. Floral and geometric patterns, especially those with the images of butterflies, prevailed through the whole collection. They are featured on both jacquard and silk fabrics.

For "Robyn," the inspirations came from the daily attire of fashion's "It" girls such as Agyness Deyn, Daria Werbowy and Lily Allen. It encourages young girls to mix and match the seemingly irrelevant pieces from the collection, such as multi-functional jackets, chiffon dresses, embellished tops and aged denim as well as big, statement jewelry.

Shanghai, as China's fashion capital, is known to be the battlefield for international fashion brands and, nowadays, more brands with Chinese origin have joined the battle. Apart from throwing dazzling parties, some have also launched flagship stores of huge size and sleek layout to attract customers.

Young people

Most recently, Hong Kong fashion group I.T has opened a two-story store in the Grand Gateway Mall in Xujiahui. The store covers an area of 1,900 square meters, selling mid-range fashion brands targeting young people.

Founded in 1988, I.T has played an important role in bringing to China international high-end fashion brands such as Kenzo, YSL and Stella McCartney. At the same time, it has also successfully launched its own brands for younger shoppers, including the much beloved "http://www.izzue.com" by local trendsetters, "b+ab" and "tout a coup" for girls who love Japanese street fashion styles. All are available in the new Shanghai store.

Apart from these original brands, the new store also features "shop-in-shops" featuring international brands for young fashion lovers to access the best in fun, edgy casual wear. They include Japanese street fashion brands such as "as Know as," "Pou Dou Dou" and "Ray Cassin," as well as "Obey," "Carhartt" and "Fred Perry" from the United States and Europe.

At the opening ceremony, Chinese actresses Zhou Xun and Zhang Yuqi, Hong Kong actor Shawn Yue and Taiwan star Joseph Cheng all dressed up in the latest collections from I.T's own brands. It was a dazzling fashion show including a group of models from both home and abroad.




 

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