Strong Chinese presence at Milan Fashion Week

Milan Fashion Week kicked off Tuesday with a focus on emerging talents and an international outlook, including a strong presence from China.

The first edition of the twice-yearly event, which runs Feb. 19-25, kicked off with an unusual, eco-friendly fashion show by Matchless London, which placed its models dressed in sustainable clothes on electric scooters and sent them out onto the streets of Milan.

Historic Italian brand Benetton followed up with its Fall/Winter 2019/20 collection later on Tuesday, Vogue Italy reported.

A total of 60 fashion houses will show their collections, according to the National Chamber of Italian Fashion (CNMI).

On Wednesday, fashion lovers will be treated to the latest offerings from Annakiki, the brand founded by Chinese designer Anna Yang, whose fans include Beyonce's daughter Blue Ivy and British singer Ebony Bones, who wore Annakiki on the cover of her critically acclaimed 2018 album, Nephilim.

On Feb. 20-24, the Xi'an International Community, Tande Real Estate and Chic Group will launch the Fashion Town project, with seven Chinese designers presenting their collections in a dedicated section of the Fashion Hub, the CNMI announced.

"Their presence during Milan Fashion Week represents one of (our) principal objectives: supporting rising talents in the fashion industry," the CNMI said in a statement.

Xi'an International Fashion Town is a complex of about three square kilometers outside the Chinese city of Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi province, whose objective is to "become the best possible ecosystem" for fashion designers and brands, according to the CNMI.

In addition, Xi'an International Fashion Town will present collections by Alex Liu, who designed for Hugo Boss before founding his own brand Alexstorm, and Zac Zeng, the designer and founder of the F/FFFFFF label, on Thursday.

The other international designers selected for Fashion Hub events are from India, including a brand founded by a group that aids acid attack victims, Hungary, and Ukraine, according to the CNMI.

On Sunday, another Chinese talent will take her turn on the runway: Angel Chen, a young designer who made the 2016 Forbes China "30 Under 30" shortlist and who has shown at London, Milan and Shanghai fashion weeks and has dressed influential pop culture figures such as Fan Bingbing, Chris Lee, and Kris Wu.

In 2017, Chen's window display in London's Urban Outfitters Oxford Street store was the first of its kind between a Chinese designer and the high street retailer, according to the Business of Fashion website.

Of course, fashion mavens will also witness new creations from "heavy hitters" such as Armani, Fendi, Ferragamo, Gucci, Missoni, Versace, and Prada, among others.

The next edition of Milan Fashion Week will take place on Sept. 17-23.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)