China Artists Association "Youth Art Talent Program": Fashion 100, since its opening, five successful fashion shows have been staged at the CAFA Art Museum. The grand finale show (special session by faculty members of Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology) will follow at 16:00 on April 19.
Bringing the Fashion 100 shows to the CAFA Art Museum has not only integrated static and dynamic presentation formats typical of fashion design, but also employed high-definition LED screens to continuously play 3D runway videos of virtual AI-generated models. These echo the winding and varied circulation of the exhibition space where real fashion models walk, creating a uniquely shaped catwalk tailored to the museum’s distinctive aesthetic field. Virtual and real, screen and live performance overlap and complement each other. Audiences are deeply immersed in the experience: as models pass by, they vividly perceive the youthful vitality of the performers, the immersive allure of fashion, the lightness and structure of fabrics, and the exquisite and distinctive craftsmanship.
The Fashion 100 shows held at CAFAM organically combine rigorous academic research with dynamic fashion trends, cross-disciplinary experimentation in fashion design with profound cultural heritage. Meanwhile, they extensively integrate high technology with traditional craftsmanship. Two examples are shared below:
Jiang Xi’s Lacquer Layered Delights bag series innovatively transforms traditional lacquerware techniques from daily utensils into apparel and bag design. It not only continues the sophisticated textures and unique surfaces of China’s long-revered and influential traditional lacquer craft, but also inspires and expands the boundless possibilities for widely adapting outstanding ethnic traditions from other cross-disciplinary fields in the fashion industry. Xie Mengdi’s Rising Wind and Surging Water fashion collection is designed based on the distinctly Eastern aesthetic of traditional Chinese cross-cut pattern making. Supported by 3D modeling technology, it digitizes, infinitely replicates, and renders multi-dimensionally the traditionally flat-cut construction, realizing a sustainable ecological vision that integrates traditional Chinese costume aesthetics with new technology. Zhang Yidi’s Traces of Wind · Grottoes series fashionably reinterprets the time-honored Chinese grotto culture through textured expressions using ramie fabric and paper art with ethnic characteristics. Zhang Yan’s Pastoral collection transforms ethnic minority materials and aesthetics into contemporary urban garments. Other remarkable works include Wei Qinwen’s Between Lines series, Cheng Zhilu’s Evolving Forms series, Xiong Yi’s Mountains · Whispers series, and Liu Qiwen’s New Adornments of Intangible Cultural Heritage series, all of which are highly noteworthy.
The Fashion 100 runway shows at CAFAM differ from the prevailing trends of luxury, niche positioning, haute couture and marketing-driven scarcity in the international fashion industry. Instead, they place greater emphasis on academic confidence and industrial responsibility, as well as on culturally expressive design empowered by technology and the concept of sustainable ecological design. Although the 100 participating young designers feature diverse styles and distinct creative visions, their works generally follow a shared trend: rooted in Eastern aesthetics, drawing on global fashion currents, and grounded in China’s profound cultural traditions. The language and temperament of their creations highlight the contemporary expression of their national cultural roots, integrating the characteristics of Eastern aesthetics with new trends in contemporary fashion.
The presentation of "Fashion 100" is not only a reflection of the current academic research status and future development potential of 100 young designers in China's fashion industry, but also a new expression of China's cultural soft power and the strength of Chinese youth in the new century.
∕
China Artists Association "Youth Art Talent Program"
IN — The First Fashion 100 Achievement Exhibition & Runway Series
Exhibition Dates: March 22 – April 19, 2026
Venue: Hall on the 1st Floor / Gallery B on the 3rd Floor, CAFA Art Museum
Chief Editor / He Yisha
Executive Editor / Du Yinzhu
Contributor / Hong Mei
2010-10-23
2010-11-06
2011-05-20
