On March 28, co-sponsored by China Fashion Association, Cultural and Education Section of British Embassy, Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Fashion and Donghua University (DHU), the “UK-China Fashion Forum·Innovation & Entrepreneurship in the Fashion Industry” was held at the Yan’an Road Campus of DHU, which is deemed as a continuation of China-UK exploration in fashion education and innovation & entrepreneurship in the fashion industry after the visit of Justine Greening, the British Secretary of State for Education, to DHU last December.

Matthew Knowles, East China Area Director of the British Council, Kendall Robbins, Fashion Director of British Council, Jenico Preston, Commercial Director of British Fashion Council, Paul Alger, Director of International Affairs at UK Fashion & Textile Association, outstanding British designer Phoebe English, Bian Xiangyang, Vice Chairman of China Fashion Association and Director of Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Fashion, Zhi Yuebei, Vice Director of Shanghai Promotion Center for City of Fashion, DHU Professor Gu Qingliang, Wu Xuekai, Winner of Jinding Award, and Xu Yiwei, Founder of ALL COMES FROM NOTHING, together with dozens of designers, fashion education experts, senior executives from fashion incubator enterprises and senior commentators attended the forum presided over by Li Jun, Deputy Dean of Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation.

Bian Xiangyang and Matthew Knowles delivered speeches respectively and they both hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen the mutual understanding and learning, thereby boosting the fashion development in China and UK. Besides, the two sides entered into a memorandum of friendship and cooperation, which lays a solid foundation for promoting the China-UK fashion and cultural exchanges and cooperation to a higher level, deeper and broader area.

Seven Chinese and British fashion experts and outstanding designers gave wonderful keynote speeches concerning fashion education and brand incubation. Jenico Preston, Paul Alger and Kendall Robbins introduced the experience of their respective associations in supporting fashion innovation and entrepreneurship. Prof. Gu Qingliang and Designer Wu Xuekai gave, from the perspective of education and industry respectively, a brief exposition of the history of China’s fashion industry as well as looked into the future development trend. Based on their own experience in establishing and managing brands, designers Phoebe English and Xu Yiwei pointed out that guidance and assistance from the alma mater and industry association is of huge importance to the success of fashion innovators and entrepreneurs.

The participating designers identified themselves with aforesaid speakers. In the subsequent roundtable discussion, they interacted with fashion education experts, industry association leaders and senior executives of fashion incubator enterprises with respect to brand promotion, support from industry association, ecological environment of fashion and other aspects, deeply exploring the developmental trends and direction of innovation and entrepreneurship in the fashion industry.