Fashion designer Veeco Zhao

She worked at Jean Paul Gaultier and the Yiqing Yin Studio before returning to Beijing in 2013 to launch her own brand.

At a time when young designers are producing extravagant prints and patterns, Zhao stands out for her elegant, feminine style, says June Zhang, Zhao's business partner, who decided to collaborate with Zhao after seeing her first collection.

Zhao believes that her clothes should not be artworks. "They have to be worn by real people and make them beautiful," she says.

As a petite woman herself, Zhao says she makes clothes for women like her.

She is not afraid to show some skin with her designs, but is careful to ensure that this flatters the wearer's body shape and gives her a better proportion.

She says that while Western women tend to show more of their upper bodies, Asian women are more willing to show off their legs.

Her clothes, which are typically short dresses or long gowns, are now sold through multi-brand fashion boutiques like D2C and Anyshopstyle and cost up to 3,000 yuan ($461).

Zhao has recently added a children's line to complement her womenswear collection.

She is now working on her 2017 spring/summer collection that is inspired by a women's afternoon tea party.

Contact the writer at sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn