Profile Facts: Chinese models hit runways around the globe

Sunday, October 24

Chinese models hit runways around the globe

When the willowy Liu Wen stepped onto the runway at New York Fashion Week this season, she finally began to see a parade of models who looked increasingly like her: This fall, major design houses featured a number of Chinese models in fashion weeks as part of a bid by the firms to boost their sales in China.

"We are making history every day," said Liu, 22. Widely considered to be China's top model, the tour guide-turned-runway star from Hunan Province was among the most-booked models at fashion weeks in 2010, second only to French model Constance Jablonski.

It is a world that Liu's parents could not imagine when they grew up. Liu's designer-clad image is a giant leap from the monochrome gray-and-navy blue suits that crowded the streets of China just a few decades ago.

Today, Liu's image is splashed across fashion magazines, runways and designer brands around the world.

Asian models, led by a group of emerging Chinese faces, broke records this season, accounting for 7.1 percent of all models at New York Fashion Week, according to a seasonal survey by Jezebel.com, a blog targeting women's interests, and Chinese state media. Chinese women made 296 appearances, with Liu Wen, Shu Pei, Fei Fei Sun, Du Juan, Emma Pei and newcomer Ming Xi, gracing the catwalks for major design houses.

Despite significant growth in 2010, the luxury markets in the traditional fashion capitals in the U.S. and Europe have not fully rebounded from the financial crisis. Luxury brand companies hope consumption in emerging markets like China will drive the market's growth as the Western economies continue to recover.

Chinese consumers will spend $9 billion in 2010 on luxury products, up from $7.5 billion last year, according to research by Shanghai-based consulting firm, China Market Research Group (CMR). CMR expects the market to grow by 20 percent annually for the next ten years.