Fashion week concludes in Harbin

The 2018 Harbin Fashion Week, seen as part of Harbin’s effort to build itself into a fashion center in China, concluded on Jan 13.

The annual event attracted 138 designers from 46 countries to show off their latest designs, notably from France, Russia, America, Japan, and Singapore. It also invited scholars and experts from around 30 art institutes, such as Paris College of Art, Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, and the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.

A total of 54 fashion shows were held during the week, the most since the event began several years ago.

Designers Pearly Wong from Malaysia and Elisabetta Silvestri from Italy won the New Designer Award, which was introduced by Ai Liming and Zhang Wanping, officials of the Harbin city government.

This year marked the seventh time the event has been held. It has played an important role in the development of the fashion industry in Northeast China.

To encourage innovative design and boost employment in the industry, a grant will be created aimed at training highly-skilled designers, with an initial reward of 1 million yuan ($155,400).

Harbin residents take photos during the 2018 Fashion Week, which concluded on Jan 13. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

Some models walk the catwalk at a show during the 2018 Harbin Fashion Week. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

A model walks the catwalk at a show during the 2018 Harbin Fashion Week. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

A model walks the catwalk at a show during the 2018 Harbin Fashion Week. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

A model walks the catwalk at a show during the 2018 Harbin Fashion Week. [Photo/Chinanews.com]