Tide of Chinese students studying high fashion rises in Paris

A growing number of Chinese students are heading to France to study fashion, with many enrolling at the most prestigious fashion schools worldwide, the Institut Francais de la Mode (IFM) in Paris.

At a show staged in the heart of Paris, the IFM unveiled the students' fashion innovation - from the sleek and minimalist, to the dramatic and bold - a diverse range of looks hitting the runway.

Students pushed the boundaries with patterns, textures and the use of unconventional materials, including using a hot glue gun for thread and goat hair.

Among them, 40 students from China are currently enrolled in fashion design and management across the bachelor's and master's programs.

Some were selected by the IFM to feature their collection at the show, including 23-year-old Sun Yujia, from east China's Zhejiang Province, who will be graduating this year.

"I took a lot of inspiration from ancient Chinese architecture and relics so the silhouettes and the shapes for this collection was mainly coming from the Chinese heritage part of me and the materials and archetypes were coming from the music aspect of my youth which is rock and roll," said Sun.

For this ensemble, Sun has hand-sown hundreds of shining silver guitar picks to adorn the outfit.

Fellow Chinese student Christian Ye moved from Beijing to Hungary before pursuing fashion. His designs were inspired by the people who made an impact on his life when he moved to Paris three years ago, but he says he may also follow in Sun's footsteps in the future.

"I want to open up a little bit [into] Chinese culture, like silk, celebrating the heritage but also adding something new, hopefully," he said.

The dean of IFM Xavier Romatet said the school has immersed the students in the French savoir-faire or "know-how", sharing the skill, artistry, and craftsmanship that define French haute couture, the creation of high fashion.

"We have very talented, creative fashion designers coming from China and the fact that a few of them have been selected in showcasing their work during this session is the demonstration, the proof that the level of creativity coming from the Chinese people is higher and higher," he said.

Romatet is hoping the school will attract more Chinese students in the future.

Trade may be the cornerstone of China-France relations, which this year celebrates its 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties, yet the exchange of ideas when it comes to fashion has had a long history, and many predict an equally long future.

Tide of Chinese students studying high fashion rises in Paris

Tide of Chinese students studying high fashion rises in Paris

A high-level mediation team from the African Union (AU) Commission has been dispatched to Juba, capital of South Sudan, to try to ease the rising tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, and help resolve the current political crisis in the country.

Riek Machar and several senior officials have been detained since clashes erupted in January between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces and the opposition fighters.

Machar was accused of instigating violence in Nasir in the northern part of the country.

The mediation team says it plans to engage Machar, but that meeting is yet to take place.

The AU is urging South Sudanese political leaders to resolve the current disagreement through dialogue.

Machar heads the largest opposition group that has an armed wing in the country, known as SPLM/A-IO.

South Sudan's government says it's still investigating Machar for being allegedly involved in clashes between government troops and armed civilians affiliated to SPLM/A-IO in Nasir.

"The mandate of the RTGoNU (the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity) is simple; that we stop war, we form a revitalized government of national unity so that we return security, sustainable peace in the country," said Martin Elia Lomuro, South Sudan's Minister of Cabinet Affairs.

Meanwhile, Machar's party members are calling on president Kiir to order the release of their leader.

The group argues that the arrest of Machar means the 2018 peace deal which ended five years of violence in the country has partially collapsed.

The government reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of the 2018 peace deal.

It says Mr. Machar is in conflict with the law and that the implementation of the peace deal should not be used as cover to commit crime. However, until now, South Sudanese law enforcement agencies have not charged Machar with any offense in a court of law.

South Sudan, which became independent in 2011, signed a peace deal in 2018 that ended a civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar. Nearly 400,000 people died in the civil war.

Relations between Kiir and Machar, who have dominated South Sudan's politics for decades, remain strained. The clashes and latest political tensions between the two leaders have unsettled many citizens and the international community.

AU dispatches Panel of Wise to address ongoing instability in South Sudan