Shows by two top international fashion designers will be among the events when Shanghai opens its International Fashion Culture Festival 2001 on April 24. This is the seventh time the city has held such a festival, according to today's China Daily.

Eighteen activities are on the agenda, including the trade fair, domestic and foreign fashion shows, and seminars.

The theme of the show, which will close on May 3, is trade in garments.

The highlight of the festival is expected to be the shows of designers Gianfranco Ferre and Daniel Tribouillard of the Leonard label. Both will fly to Shanghai to personally oversee their shows, which will take place from April 27 to May 1 at the Shanghai International Convention Centre.

Ferre, formerly a designer at Christian Dior, is now designing under his own label - Ferre. He will bring his US$2 million collection to Shanghai and will also design the stage himself. Six top young Chinese designers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan will introduce their autumn/winter 2001/2002 collections at a show titled Classic Legend.

It is the only fashion show in China for designers from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan to perform at the same time.

(Xinhua 04/18/2001)