Away from the high street and Western luxury brands, there are a growing number of brands in China whose design DNA can be traced to the country's traditions. Chinese designers are now promoting their brands to the world.

Wang Peiyi, an independent Chinese fashion designer, who presented his creations at Milan Fashion Week this year, is the first mainland designer to hold a runway show at the event. The collection, inspired by the northern lights, was a critical success.

"My show in Milan was a milestone in my fashion design career. After all, its one of the four biggest fashion events in the world. I felt very nervous when I was preparing the show there because the scale of the attention was very high. It’s very different from what we do in China," Wang said.

Meanwhile, Italian Vogue has a photo spread of Wang's couture on its official website. His work been seen on the likes of Gong Li and Fan Bingbing. He has been an inspiration for many other young designers in China.

Wang said, "apart from getting ready for my own fashion in Milan, I found that people there have limited knowledge about Chinese fashion. So in order to increase our Chinese designers' influence abroad - this is a huge topic, it includes the entire fashion industry, from local fashion brands to models and whoever is working in this industry - we need to make a voice altogether on the global stage. I mean we do have great Chinese designers at Paris or London Fashion week, but the community is just too small and we need to grow."

It may come as a surprise that independent designers like Wang don't have the financial and management help they badly need. Most of them set up studios, hire a skeleton staff and produce collections out of their own pockets.

His experience underscores the difficult situation faced by many of his colleagues. "I would like to focus on my own designs, but being an independent designer means attending to a lot of other concerns," one designer said.

On the bright side, independent designers are finally starting to receive some support. The Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week, a landmark event, opened with Wang's collection this year.

"China Fashion Week is promoting independent designers by scheduling their runway shows at peak viewing hours, putting industry bigwigs in the audience and connecting them with sponsors. I hope our Chinese designers' hard work will pay off on the international stage," he said.

"I am sure everyone in the fashion industry is hoping to transfer from 'Made in China' to 'Designed in China'."

Right now, China is looking to build its reputation as a hub of design and innovation - not just a manufacturing giant. Designers like Wang Peiyi are at the forefront of the Chinese fashion boom. As domestic consumer interest grows and evolves at an exhilarating pace, Chinese fashion designers are strutting their wares on catwalks across the globe.

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