Photo provided to China Daily

"If it's couture, it has to make you shine on the red carpet. If it's ready-to-wear, it has to make you shine in the crowd."

While the ready-to-wear line takes up the bulk of his time, he devotes the rest developing the China Collection, a Chinese-inspired couture set of 12 gowns all highlighting Chinese motifs and craftsmanship. Six of them have been completed, and three have been worn by Fan.

To make these gowns, Bu has traveled all over China to look for traditional craftsmen and women.

"I love old things that have been filtered by time. They are classics. But this is a time of fast fashion and it's hard for people to settle down to do these things," Bu says.

Bu studied styling at the Beijing Film Academy before dabbling into fashion, movies, advertising and the stage. He has styled Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi and Zhao Wei, and French actress Sophie Marceau. He has worked with Fan since 2006.

The varied experiences have led Bu to look at design more critically.