The fine line of design

China's creative types strut their stuff at exhibitions in Italy, displaying the strides they've made past the 'made-in-China' label.

Hardly any domestic luxury brands could claim space in the pages of Vogue magazine or on the shelves of top-tier retailers just a few years ago. But times - and the country's creative spirit - are changing. Now, Chinese designs are gracing the glossies and boutique displays, and will take center stage at the China New Design exhibition now under way at the Milan Triennale Design Museum, and the Turin Palace Museum (Palazzo Chiablese) from June until September.

The show, which is part of the 2011 Year of China in Italy, displays 134 works by 29 of China's most dynamic new generation designers. The creations come from mavericks in the country's publishing, graphic design, fashion, multimedia and public space and interior design spheres.

Fashion designer Zhang Da presents his newest clothing line, Ping. Wang Yiyang introduces a menswear line that fuses Chinese and Western traditions. And multimedia dynamo Zhu Jinjing exhibits his work, Nokia-Bruce Lee.

"If there is a common link among China's young designers, it's that they are down-to-earth, good at making use of their Chinese backgrounds and belong to the school of hyper-realism," says exhibition founder Cui Qiao, who is also the director of education and public programs at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA).

"These three months of design-oriented programs and events offer the Italian public an opportunity to learn about the latest trends in Chinese design and the new generation of Chinese designers, who are leading the way toward more innovative design."

UCCA has invited three curatorial consultants to design the exhibition. Chinese-American architect Yung Ho Chang is in charge of the exhibition hall space, and young designers Liu Zhizhi and Guang Yu are responsible for the graphic design.

"This is the first time the Chinese government has included an exhibition of modern domestic design in an international cultural exchange program of this kind," 35-year-old graphic designer Liu Zhizhi says.

Liu's works include posters for Beijing's 798 art district and for the Brand New China (BNC) clothing store in the capital's Sanlitun Village shopping district.

"The government usually promotes traditional Chinese culture - things such as lion dances and Peking Opera - in the West. I believe this is a chance for the world to see the most current stories about what's happening in China. These stories are told by young Chinese designers' works."

Liu is also a consultant for the exhibition. Some of the Beijinger's posters and book covers, which are imbued with a strong Chinese essence, will be shown.

Liu says graphic design didn't exist outside of government creations when he was growing up.

It was at the country's first-ever graphic design exhibition in Guangdong province's Shenzhen city that he first encountered the field.

"I knew immediately it was what I wanted to do," he recalls.

Liu opened his studio, the MEWE Design Alliance, with two classmates in 2002, after graduating from Beijing's prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). Most of their early works were for artists, architects and designers whom they had known at the academy and who were also based in 798.