2026 China Fashion Week's spring session opens in Beijing

The spring session of the 2026 China Fashion Week kicked off in Beijing on Friday, shining a spotlight on the fusion of traditional Chinese culture and modern fashion.

This year's Fashion Week will feature over 160 runway shows by outstanding designers from home and abroad. The event will focus on trend forecasting, digital fashion and sustainable fashion, aiming to promote the high-quality development of Chinese brands and Chinese design.

Eastern aesthetics are emerging as a vital source of inspiration for both Chinese and foreign designers, a trend that is particularly evident at this year's Fashion Week. Themed runway shows will draw on elements such as ceramics, brocade silk from the Song Dynasty (990-1279), Chinese ink painting, and the tri-colored pottery, or "Sancai" of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), highlighting the contemporary expression of China's rich cultural heritage.

"As Chinese designers, we must share the beauty of Eastern aesthetics and the ancient, inherited craftsmanship of China with the world. This is not only our responsibility as designers but also our mission," said Xiong Ying, a Chinese designer.

"We are building a platform to bring together outstanding designers and brands to delve into intangible cultural heritage, enabling designers and inheritors to engage in deep exchanges and innovative design while expressing themselves in a contemporary language, making it more accessible to young people," said Xie Fangming, full-time vice president of the China Fashion Designers Association.

This year's Fashion Week has also attracted over 120 high-quality brands from home and abroad for their debuts. By combining runway shows with exhibitions, the event strengthens connections across industry clusters, aiming to unlock the consumption potential of the cultural and sports sectors.

Germany's exports to the United States fell sharply in March, dropping 7.9 percent month on month and 21.4 percent year on year, according to figures released by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany on Friday.

Data also showed that Germany's industrial output decreased by 0.7 percent month on month in March.

Industry representatives said that U.S. tariff policies are increasingly straining trade relations between the two countries, and that turmoil in the Middle East is further dimming the outlook for Germany's industrial recovery.