Chen Peng, a rising Chinese fashion designer behind the performance outfits at the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has again proven his creativity at the 2023 Met Gala.

This year's Met Gala encouraged guests to dress in honor of the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, in support of his legendary career in fashion. Chen Peng's sculptural gown, featuring 3D camellia flowers and a sleeveless top with a black tie, was worn by American singer Cardi B on the red carpet, to honor the theme of the gathering.

"It's a pleasure, but also a challenge for me and my team," said designer Chen Peng in an interview with CGTN. "Usually, guests choose high fashion brands to wear on such occasions. Chen Peng Studio is an independent label from Shanghai, though we've been recognized by audiences in China and abroad. It requires extraordinary creativity, execution, and communications to complete such a mission," he added.

The story behind the gown

From hair dress to shoes, Chen Peng created the whole look in tribute to Lagerfeld's style. Yet despite collaborating with a renowned celebrity, he also maintained distinct features from his own label. Without copying his previous work, Chen used structural silhouette and black-and-white to interpret iconic fashion codes. 

"The design consists of over 600 camellia petals and took more than 300 atelier hours to complete. Me and my team worked in our Shanghai workshop around the clock to get the most satisfying results. It's not only testimony to the craft of design, but also shows my studio's capabilities to handle an international celebrity's tailor-made gown project," Chen said.

Indeed, it's no easy job to liaison with a celebrity's team in New York, accurately execute the production work of the gown, and ensure the final result is perfect. Chen told CGTN some fun titbits from behind the scenes, like how nervous he was upon finding the gown made headlines around the world as well as his worries about the bold no-heel shoes. 

"All in all, the effort was fully reflected in the dress. The moment I heard people along the red carpet were wowed about this Chinese label, everything was worth it," Chen added.

China, a creative superpower

According to McKinsey, China surpassed the U.S. in the fashion and apparel market at the end of 2020. China's fashion market is growing at a rate of 25 percent per year. The data shows that Chinese consumers will account for 40 percent of the world's luxury spending by 2025.

In recent years, Chinese designers have made waves in the international fashion landscape. From top fashion weeks to high-end galas, the designs are speaking for themselves and showing China is no longer just a strong clothing manufacturer. The country is becoming a creative superpower in the design world.

This year's Met Gala also saw more Chinese designs, like Robert Wun's silk stain gown. The designer was also the first Chinese Hong Kong designer to enter the Paris Haute Couture Week schedule. 

Chinese designers are not only increasingly embracing the latest trends, but creating their own unique fashion statements too. "The era of mechanically blending traditional Chinese elements like the color red and Chinese knotting into design has long gone. With the rapidly increasing demand for good design in China, the notion of creativity for the new generation of designers has been transformed and its strong influence spurs a lucrative market," Chen Peng said in the interview.