Decoding the China fixation

Galliano for Dior, 1997.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Angelica Cheung, the directorial editor of Vogue China, dismisses criticism of superficial renderings as irrelevant.

"A painter may see a leaf and want to paint it. That's an impulse. To put a creative process, which is emotional and intuitive, under critical analysis is to go against the very nature of it," she says. "Western designers picked up certain elements of Chinese culture because those elements are different from what they are used to."

But Cheung, an iconic figure in China's fashion world, is reluctant to label any design "Chinese" just because it appears that way.

According to her, the confluence of cultures makes the creative process exciting and a designer may not be fully aware of the origin of his or her source of inspiration. But at the end of day, it's all about making clothes that make a woman look and feel beautiful.

With China, as with other non-Western cultures, the majority of Western designers indulge in their penchant for the sensuous, Zuo says.

"It's a more delectable form of foreignness, not only for the designers, but also for the buyers."