Creative hub comes into vogue with style

Qingdao held the Giada Moment fashion show in mid-April to display Italian luxury women's clothing brand Giada's 2017 spring/summer collection, as part of the city's efforts to build a modern, fashionable and international city.

Twenty foreign models wearing clothes designed by Italian designer Gabriele Colangelo took to the catwalks at the 1,000-square-meter exhibition area at Hisense Plaza in Qingdao's Shinan district. The collection was exhibited at Milan Fashion Week in Italy last year, making its China debut this month.

The collection features silk dresses, shirts and coats, offering a day-to-night wardrobe for modern working women, according to Colangelo.

Qingdao, a city with fame for its beer, seaside and German-style buildings, has made the fashion industry a new engine for its industrial transformation and upgrading.

Shinan district, at the center of Qingdao, has decided to build a modern, fashionable and international district with an emphasis on developing fashion-related business, culture and lifestyle over the coming five years, officials said at the district's 13th Party congress in January.

Niu Hubin, chairman of the local Qilu Cultural Industrial Park, said: "Fashion is closely linked to innovation. And the fashion industry should also be relevant to local cultural characteristics."

Sui Yinghui, a researcher at the Qingdao Academy of Social Sciences, said the fashion industry - along with the culture, science, makerspace, healthcare and leisure industries - will help to promote a new economic model in Qingdao.

A wedding festival will also be on this year's fashion calendar in Qingdao.

According to Gao Jian, head of the Shinan district government, the festival will be held in September and attended by couples from about 100 cities at home and abroad.

"Here, we have mountains, seas and beaches, a perfect place for grooms and brides to make a solemn pledge of love," said Gao.

"There are also buildings with different architectural styles. You can have a Western wedding, a traditional Chinese wedding or a mixed one against various backgrounds."

To boost its fashion industry, Shinan district will introduce more than 10 franchised stores, experience stores and duty-free stores for major foreign and domestic fashion brands. It will also open China's biggest marketplace for gold and jewelry, Gao said.

Twenty renowned foreign models perform at the Giada show.Wang Hong / For China Daily