This is the first year a Shanghai designer will show a collection in the much anticipated iD Dunedin Fashion Show. Jude Hathaway writes.
In another first for iD Dunedin Fashion Week, a Shanghai fashion designer will this year join the line-up on the Dunedin Railway Station catwalk for the Friday and Saturday night fashion shows.
Jialin Guo (who goes by the name Candice) is a lecturer, fashion designer and sometimes a project organiser at the International Fashion Academy Paris (IFAP), which operates under the umbrella of the Shanghai University of Engineering Science.
She will present five outfits taken from her new collection entitled ''Ramification''.
The entire collection of 25 outfits will be shown at the 2015 Shanghai Fashion Week later in the year.
Candice has had close links with iD Dunedin Fashion Week and the Otago Polytechnic School of Design (Fashion) since 2012.
That year the fashion schools had their first student exchange, during which Candice's role included that of interpreter for Madame Zhou, vice-dean of IFAP.
She first established her label, GG, in 2012 after being involved in significant fashion projects since 2008. These were through the university's fashion studio.
''One of the projects was to design an evening dress for an actress attending the Golden Horse Film Festival,'' Candice said.
The double ''G'' of the label stands for Guo Guo.
But not only did GG reference her surname, it also stood for ''glamour'' and ''gorgeous''.
''All works are something between garments and accessories, each piece able to be used as part of the outfit either as clothing or an accessory. When matched with basic items of different styles new looks are achieved and sometimes they can be adjusted to take on two looks.''
A favourite aspect of her design approach is delicate detailing and her preference to embroider or stitch on sequins or pearls herself.
This gives her the freedom to change things as she goes.
As one of the propellants of the Shanghai-Dunedin Sister City project, Candice is in the position of being able to encourage both the joint fashion design and modelling projects.
''This is the only joint fashion design project at a higher education level between the two cities and because of this Shanghai and Dunedin students' work is presented on the open professional platform at the annual Shanghai Fashion Week and introduced to the New Zealand public by way of fashion shoots and shows,'' she said.
''Candice's involvement on the catwalk as a young Shanghai designer and teacher is yet another example of how the relationship between the two cities continues to grow,'' said Dr Margo Barton, who, as academic leader at the Otago Polytechnic School of Design (Fashion) had seen her work when in Shanghai and encouraged her to apply for this year's event.
Also involved have been students of the Shanghai University of Engineering Science modelling school who, since 2013, have modelled outfits on the iD Dunedin Fashion Show catwalk.
Back at iD for their third successive year, their presence will, like Candice's collection, have an exciting impact.
