Swiss Ambassador to China Jean-Jacques de Dardel addressing a press conference on the official celebrations to mark the 65 anniversary of Sino-Swiss Diplomatic Relations at the Swiss Embassy in Beijing on Monday, September 14, 2015.(Photo Source: CRIENGLISH.com)
BEIJING, Sept. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- A glamorous show and discussion on Swiss and Chinese fashion was held on Monday at the Swiss Embassy in Beijing to celebrate the 65th anniversary since diplomatic relations were established between China and Switzerland.
Talented young fashion designers from the two countries including Julian Zigerli, enSoie, Yingz. C and CH'IN showcased their latest work to mark the iconic event.
Design pieces from students from Geneva University of Art and Design, China Central Academy of Fine Arts and a jewelry exhibition were all part of the event.
The creative display of innovative Swiss technical textiles on the Embassy's compound also offered an insightful look into Switzerland's long history, rich heritage and the latest innovations in the country's textile industry.
The fashion show was organized by Mode Suisse, Switzerland's leading platform for emerging fashion designers, in cooperation with Brand New China, a visionary concept store created by Hung Huang, one of China's most influential fashion figures, to support promising Chinese designers.
During the 30-minute catwalk, Swiss and Chinese designers showcased their fresh, bold interpretations of modernity and innovation with their latest collections.
"People might not necessarily associate a fashion and design event with a diplomatic occasion, especially such an important one like the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Switzerland and China. Yet, the dynamism, modernity, innovation and the intimate collaboration among all partners involved at our event is the best demonstration of the substantial Sino-Swiss relationship," Swiss Ambassador to China Jean-Jacques de Dardel said.
"We'd like to use this occasion to bring to everyone's attention a domain where both countries might not be internationally well known but have lots to say." he added.
The well-known luxury Swiss watchmaker Hublot, has long been an emblem of Swiss creativity.
As an official partner of the anniversary events, Hublot revealed its Classic Fusion Chrono Aero "65th Anniversary Swiss-China" Limited Watch on Monday, paying tribute to the historic milestone when bilateral relations between the two countries began.
"As one of the world's most innovative nations, Switzerland has been enjoying an exclusive reputation in the fashion and design field thanks to its unique and high quality Swiss textiles as well as a number of emerging designers. Meanwhile in China, a group of talented Chinese fashion designers also consistently refresh the international stage with creative ideas," Ambassador de Dardel noted. "In this sense, we intend to create new perspectives, offer new insights into and shape traditional visions for the fashion and design industries in our two countries," he added.
Besides the fashion show, an exhibition presenting Switzerland's know-how in technical textiles was held to demonstrate the country's innovations in the textile industry.
Eastern Switzerland has long been known for its tradition and expertise in the textile industry and a large number of Swiss companies have been in the business for well over a century. As Asia has become the engine for producing classic fabrics, Swiss textile companies started to specialize in developing high-tech and smart textiles.
With innovation as the key word, the exhibition, produced in collaboration with the Swiss Textiles association, showcased how Swiss companies continue to play a pioneering role by applying state-of-the-art technologies for new applications and solutions in various fields such as healthcare, mobility and sustainability.
"Switzerland is a country which embraces innovation with great gusto and the evolving textile industry is an excellent example to illustrate this," noted Swiss Ambassador de Dardel. "Meanwhile, China is also a world powerhouse of textile production and it has been tackling global challenges by developing high-quality, sustainable technologies and added-value products. The making of fabrics and the interweaving of threads somehow signify the network our two nations are making."
On January 17, 1950, Switzerland recognized the People's Republic of China. The first Swiss representation in Beijing opened on September 14 of the same year, marking the final step in establishing official diplomatic ties.
Since those early beginnings, the relationship between the two countries has strengthened and grown steadily. The dynamism of the intensified bilateral relationship is has been underscored by several great achievements in a wide range of fields including political, economic, cultural, educational and technical corporation. Recently, there have also been collaboration in the field of environmental protection.
The latest development in the intensive economic co-operation between Switzerland and China has been the successful implementation of the free trade agreement since July 2014. Switzerland has also become a Renminbi hub and is actively involved in the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank .
The bilateral trade between the two countries was 45 billion US dollars in 2014 and Switzerland has become China's eighth most important source of imports earlier this year.
The overnight stays of Chinese visitors in Switzerland set a remarkable new record of close to 1.2 million in 2014 and that figure is up by 33 percent in the first half of this year.
(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)
