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And Shailene Woodley looks absolutely lovely on the cover of 'Instyle.'
And Shailene Woodley looks absolutely lovely on the cover of 'Instyle.'
Over the last few years we've seen countless luxury brands stage fashion shows in China--in Beijing, Shanghai, on the Great Wall--in addition to staging their shows in Paris, London, New York or Milan. With Chinese surpassing Americans as the biggest consumers of luxury goods, designers are focusing more than ever on China. Of course, for smaller labels that aren't part of luxury conglomerates, China is a market that's harder to tap into. Enter the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund's latest initiative, "Americans in China," which will bring Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, and Marchesa (three former CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists) to China to present their fall-winter 2013 collections at the Ming Dynasty City Wall Relics Park, at the Great Wall of China, in Beijing.
It’s no secret that big fashion labels are starting to court China and that Miuccia Prada in particular is a fan. She staged a runway show in Beijing on January 22 showcasing her bananas SS 2011 collection--with a few modifications. While a lot of the themes and colorways were the same, Prada designed many original looks specifically to be shown in Beijing. And westerners can now get their hands on them. Prada is rolling out a special order service to coincide with the various Fashion Weeks in New York, Milan, Paris, and London. The Beijing designs will be available at select stores in those cities: Via Montenapoleone in Milan; Avenue Montaigne in Paris; Old Bond Street in London; and Broadway in New York. Once you place an order, you’ll wait about four weeks while your piece is specially manufactured. Finally--Chinese Prada that isn’t a knock-off. Check out some of the Beijing looks up for special order.
While New York, London, Milan and Paris will always be fashion mainstays, it seems Beijing (and China in general) is the next big fashion spot. Not only is it place where most designers produce much of their collections, but it has also become an important fast-growing market for luxury brands. American Vogue has been focusing their business savvy on China lately. First the mag acknowledged the influx and import of Asian top models in a spread called "Asia Major," last month, and most notably (and most recently) Anna Wintour took a biz trip to China which resulted in the announcement that Vogue will set up a Fashion Fund in China. So it follows that fashion powerhouse, Prada, is focusing their attention on China, too.