SHENZHEN has become the most prominent base for fashion design and export in China, as up to 60 percent of women’s clothing sold in the shopping malls of China’s first-tier cities is made in the city, the Daily Sunshine reported yesterday.

    Over 2,000 clothing companies and around 800 brands are currently operating in Shenzhen, with 15,000 designers and 300,000 employees working in the fashion industry, according to official data.

    As one of the most significant sectors in Shenzhen, the local garment industry has transformed from export-only to targeting both domestic and international markets with original brands.

    Experts from the fashion industry discussed the industrial trends in a trans-industry forum held by Shenzhen Municipal Government, Shenzhen Garment Industry Association and Shenzhen Media Economic Development Association on Monday, at one of a series of activities that were part of the inaugural Shenzhen Fashion Week.

    An array of designers said they are exploring the combination of fashion designing with e-commerce, as well as interacting more intensely with consumers via online communication tools and offline activities.

    The founder of local brand Eachway, Zhao Huizhou, said that the Internet serves as a great platform for fashion designers to communicate directly with their customers, so as to involve the consumers in the process of designing, as well as promoting the ideology of the brands.

    The value of original designs was also a hot topic. A resident, surnamed Zhang, said that Shenzhen should stick to original designs, thanks to a great number of Shenzhen-based independent designers and brands.

    Su Baoyan, the deputy director of the association of the garment industry, pointed out that the current regulations concerning Internet in China should be improved to better protect intellectual property from being plagiarized. Su said there should be tightened restrictions on online shops.

    Shenzhen Fashion Week ended Tuesday. Forty-six fashion shows of both local and international brands were held, with an overall number of audience members surpassing 40,000.

    Designers proudly displayed a visual feast to local audiences. Some renowned brands which participated include France’s Eric Tibusch, David Longshaw from Britain, Australia’s Elliatt and Taiwan’s W.T.C Studio.

    Shenzhen also held diversified activities citywide to celebrate the fashion week. For instance, Futian District carried out a fashion show in front of the stores of some famous brands and Longgang District organized a music festival featuring models catwalking in the Universiade Stadium last week. (Zhang Qian)