Models present the 2016 autumn/winter collection of Shanghai Tang, a Hong Kong-based label that targets global customers. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In its early days, most of its customers were Westerners. But now, about 60 percent of its clientele is Chinese.

"The designs (in the early days) were a bit cliched with dragons everywhere," says Le Masne de Chermont.

He joined the brand in 2002 and quickly began to transform it into a Chinese lifestyle brand with an international outlook.

"It was a very conscious decision. Our DNA is Chinese. But we are talking to global citizens with a modern interpretation of China."

Having lived in Hong Kong for 21 years, he says he wants to make Shanghai Tang a Chinese luxury brand that the Chinese are proud of.