rising in the east

hen Chinese fashion prodigy Huishan Zhang presented his first collection in a showroom in Paris seven years ago, several buyers remarked, “What a beautiful collection. Too bad it’s made in China. Our customers would never buy this.” The budding designer remembers leaving Paris dejected on a drizzly, overcast day, rolling two oversized suitcases packed with gowns along cobblestoned streets towards Gare du Nord.

How things have changed. Today, the term “high fashion” can confidently be attached to the Made in China label, thanks in no small part to Zhang’s burgeoning reputation as one of the best young designers working today.

“When I was growing up, there were only fast-fashion brands like Giordano here, so it was really hard to explain to my parents that