Born global: A new perspective for Chinese fashion design

In this article I contend that the gathering momentum of the Chinese fashion industry has reached an important tipping point. Typically this impetus has been constrained by two key forces that have shaped the perception of Chinese development. Chinese culture and Chinese politics have long held an almost insurmountable presence over many aspects of daily life, including cultural and creative expression; however, this is changing rapidly, in part because of China’s global ascendency as an economically powerful nation, but more importantly because of borderless exchanges of aesthetic information due to globalization and the integration of digital and social media in daily life. This new perspective means that Chinese fashion designers must increasingly be born global, with a focus on creating innovative and agile business models as well as distinct aesthetic design signatures that resonate no longer with a country-specific consciousness but invoke a sophisticated world-view.