Irish author launches Chinese fashion book

Fashion is booming in China now and is an area that offers opportunities for Irish designers. Ahead of the 2015 Year of Irish Design, Paul Costelloe presented his spring-summer collection at an event in the Irish Embassy in Beijing, hosted by ambassador Paul Kavanagh and his wife Rosemary Kavanagh.

Last week, a highlight of Shanghai Fashion Week was the publication of Fashion China by Tipperary-born writer Gemma Williams.

The book is the first comprehensive English-language book about Chinese fashion and looks at 41 design talents – including Guo Pei, Uma Wang and Huishan Zhang.

“The Chinese fashion industry is incredibly complex and layered, even though it is relatively new,” Williams says, “so I have heard that perhaps one solution was seeing it through a different perspective to try and simplify it. The book offers the world a snapshot of what is happening currently in the industry.

“To be honest, I think there are opportunities for everyone in China, you just need to be brave enough to try it.”