CHINA: Fendi knocks on China's door by showcasing its new fashions at the Great Wall

China's Great Wall was not just a popular tourist spot on Friday night (October 19) - it was a catwalk. Eighty models from all over the world flew in just to be able to walk down one of the world's new seven wonders. The brain behind all this is Fendi, one of the world's most famous luxury brands. After working for a year to get permission to set up the glamorous stage, Fendi raised Chinese eyebrows with a star-studded fashion event. With a two thousand five hundred year-old Great Wall, 88 new Fendi outfits and China's glitterati in the crowd, it was an unforgattable night. It was the first encounter with China for most of the international models. But while many were blown away by the longer than normal catwalk, some said they were less impressed by Chinese street fashion. Anna Arendshorst, an 18-year-old Dutch model, said fashion still had a long way to go in China. "We were walking on the streets and we were like, 'these people doesn't really have a taste of fashion', you know? It's very relaxing clothes they wear. Maybe it's good that Fendi is doing this so they become a little bit into the fashion. I hope it'll work for them," Arendshorst said. Fendi's decision to knock on China's door comes at a time when the income gap between rich and poor is growing ever wider in the eastern nation. The World Bank estimated in 2005 that around 200 million people have been elevated from poverty and some have made fortune during the last twenty years of booming economic development. But still, around 160 million people live on less than a dollar a day. Despite the growing gap, examples of abundance and luxury can be seen throughout Beijing. China has 150,000 super-rich with personal wealth of 5 million U.S. dollars or more and more are fast joining their ranks, pushing up prices for golf club memberships, yachts, villas and other luxury treats. The growing number of China's wealthy have caught the attention of the world's luxury goods makers. Karl Lagerfeld, designer for not only Fendi but also other world top luxury brands such as Chanel, said fashion provides employment and so can better lives. "Fashion shows are also about business. Business means jobs. So you can not only make airplanes and things like this and think it is serious. Many people work and live from fashion. So there is nothing superficial about that," Lagerfeld said. But organizing something of this scale on an iconic landmark that the Chinese government has gone to great lengths to protect was full of uncertainties. Fendi didn't get final permission till six weeks before the scheduled show. Silvia Fendi, designer, said there was hardly anything left to top this. "Where do we go after? Maybe the moon? Why not? I feel like we have succeeded doing something that was really a dream. There have been a few days where we thought where maybe that we will never to get there. We've worked very hard for one year," Fendi said. There were 88 new looks which were featured on the catwalk at the Fendi show. Forty-eight of them made their debut in a fashion show in Milan about two months ago. The rest were seen for the first time by new fans in China.

ITN Source | October 22, 2007

Tags:. .pushing. .throughout. .taste. .attention. .wear