NEW YORK, Sept. 11 -- The Winter Olympic Games and Chinese heritage were major design inspirations for one of the latest collections of Anta Kids showcased during the ongoing New York Fashion Week (NYFW), a famous Chinese American fashion designer has said.
Invited by China's leading sportswear brand ANTA, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, famous American fashion designers as well as founders of the American clothing brand and retailer, Opening Ceremony, designed a collection of 18 looks for the Chinese sportswear brand's kid line, Anta Kids, which debuted during NYFW and was the first collection being shown.
A total of three collections by Anta Kids were released on the runway show.
"For our collaboration, we were really inspired by the spirit of the Olympics and its history of sport competition," Leon told Xinhua in an interview on the sidelines of the show.
By fusing four countries, including Greece, China, the United States and Japan, together, Leon and Lim tried to tell a story about the Winter Olympic Games and make audience "see the story unfold into pieces."
Each of the four countries has its unique meaning and representation. Greece was known as the home of the Ancient Olympic Games; China represented the home country of Leon and also the origin of Anta Kids; both Leon and Lim grew up in the U.S. city of Los Angeles and Chinese athlete won its first gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics held there; and the 2020 Summer Olympics will be held in Tokyo, Japan, according to Humberto.
Leon expressed his excitement for cooperating with ANTA, which established strong connections to the Olympics as an official sponsor of the Chinese delegation and the designer for the podium wear and some sportswear.
Speaking of his Chinese origin, Leon said his mother was from the Chinese mainland and a lot of his storytelling and designs could be traced back to his "Chinese heritage."
"I've tried to bring a lot of my Chinese heritage into the brand (of Opening Ceremony) to really celebrate a lot of Chinese details," he said. "I feel it's an exciting time for me to be Chinese, I really wanted to express that."
Leon expects China's clothing industry will offer reliable support to young Chinese designers, and he believes such "perfect fusion" will make China "one of the most successful fashion countries out there."
The collection designed by Leon and Lim was for current season and would be launched later in September.