London Fashion Week is coming to an end. For the second year running, this was a hybrid event, combining digital and physical runway shows. However, this year brought with it a new sense of optimism about the future of the industry.

People are once again gathering in London to explore the color and creativity of the city, where more than 130 designers have shared their work with audiences around the world.

In China, designer Wang Feng Chen has been making a splash in independent boutiques. She is now one of the big names to watch in the industry, bringing to London her Autumn 2022 collection featuring comfy, casual, unisex designs with a unique Chinese touch.

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Wang said she was inspired by the craftsmanship of traditional Chinese bodiless lacquerware, which has a history of more than 700 years. It is the connection to local artists in her hometown, Fujian province in Southern China, that gave her the idea of hand-dyed and painted fabric.

This year, Wang herself is unable to join the London fashion show in person due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. She believes that the whole industry needs to adapt to the fundamental changes the pandemic has brought to the world of fashion. The world-renowned designer also says she thinks digital campaigns and fashion shows could reach more audiences and make things easier for the world of fashion.

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Wang's designs were also showcased at the Beijing Winter Games as the official uniform of the Olympic flag bearers. The style echoes the Olympic motto of "Together Stronger" and "One World, one family." 

Mountains and rivers are depicted in traditional Chinese brush painting on the jackets. Wang told CGTN Europe she appreciated the opportunity of working with a team of talented designers to bring East and West together in the uniform.

Caroline Rush, the chief executive of the British Fashion Council, said: "London Fashion Week is very much about the international buyers and media coming and seeing the collections that will be on sale in six months time. But we've had fantastic appetite from the department stores, from the U.S., from Europe, there's independent boutiques."

London Fashion Week usually brings in more than $270 million, plus thousands of jobs, into Britain. It may not be on the same scale as similar events in Paris and Milan, but the success of this year's return to the catwalk represents a vote of confidence in the future of fashion.