By Stephanie Warren

Shanghai Tang celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and on the occasion has launched a project entitled China Fashion Chic that is set to nurture the very best emerging designers in China and inject new energy into the local fashion scene.

The Chinese fashion label's showcase at the Okura Hotel on 22 October served as the highlight of Shanghai Fashion Week, kicking off the series of initiatives under the China Fashion Chic umbrella.

Two young Chinese designers, Masha Ma and Wang Pei Yi, were the first pair of up-and-coming talents invited by the brand to develop capsule collections for the Spring/Summer 2015 season. Following their showcase during Shanghai Fashion Week, both the capsule collections will then be taken to international fashion weeks as the next step.

"They have to be Chinese," says Raphael le Masne de Chermont, Executive Chairman of Shanghai Tang. "They must have experience of doing catwalk shows, preferably in the West, and they have to design the capsule, as per Shanghai Tang DNA, which is 'Modern Chinese Chic'."

In all, the label's fashion show was a mega presentation of its own menswear, womenswear and Imperial Tailoring bespoke collections for the season, and featured internationally renowned Chinese super models Liu Wen and Zhao Lei.

le Masne de Chermont added, "Shanghai Tang has been the global curator of modern Chinese chic for 20 years and in 2014 we will take the next step in our journey to position luxury Chinese fashion on the world stage."

Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman who was herself decked in a black long-sleeved high-neck cheongsam-inspired Shanghai Tang gown from the Imperial Clothing line, was the star on the red carpet leading up the the label's fashion show at the semi-annual Shanghai Fashion Week.

"I met her at the last Shanghai movie festival in May and we just discussed it," said le Masne de Chermont, "She's a big fan of the brand."