Chen Xi, Yaying's creative director [Photo provided to China Daily]

Exquisite Craftsmanship

With its suits, the brand is looking to accentuate a woman's strength with simple, yet strong, silhouettes, especially that of its three-dimensional curved shoulder blade design－masterfully made-to-measure and adorned with beaded patterns, once again alluding to ruyi clouds, rivers and cliffs. Each pattern is the product of 351 hours of hand-sewn craftsmanship.

Inspired by a Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) blue glazed plum vase with a white dragon pattern, the brand's artisans spent over 104 hours recreating the pattern with embroidery entirely by hand, emblazoned with iridescent sequins of 15 different colors and sizes. There is even a stunning black gown covered with 1,032 small, hand-pleated fans that required 205 hours of skill and precision to create.

Just a month after the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chinese fashion continues to be buoyed by the increasing popularity and attention given to Chinese culture.

And as Zhang Huaming, chairman of EP Yaying Fashion Group, will attest, culture is the soul of a country and its people. It is also something the brand has remained committed to protecting in its role as both inheritor and innovator.

Founded in Jiaxing city, Zhejiang province, in 1988, Yaying's fortunes have been almost directly tied to the country's reform and opening-up policy of the past 40 years. The fashion group has grown from a small garment factory into a modern business with more than 5,000 employees and an enviable portfolio of luxury fashion brands and retailers, including EP Yaying, Doublelove, N. Paia, Da Ya Jia, GraceLand, and Little Space.