A bazaar of ideas

A menswear design contest is held as part of the China-UK Art & Aesthetics Forum. Designers from both countries showed their creations in a gala after the forum in the Forbidden City in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"It's much more about what the students bring in and how they can develop their talent. It is not better, just a different approach to teaching. It relies more on the students being self-motivated and having their own ideas, not just following what somebody tells you to do.

"So we are very careful about the students we accept. They absolutely understand how the education system works, what's going to be expected from them."

As a sculptor as well as dean of a fashion school, Dunhill believes an artist and a fashion designer should be evaluated in the same way.

"It's the clarity of the idea, the execution of the idea, and the originality that you conceive," he says.

He believes that fashion design has now come of age and gained confidence. It's able to operate on a sophisticated level, besides being very stylish and beautiful.

"Fashion designers are really thoughtful and provocative. They should challenge us to consider how clothing changes our behavior and our understanding of the world," he says.

He also suggests that designers should grasp the context that they work in.