China's version of The X Factor had little impact on the country's television landscape, but judge Zheng Jun's outfit has attracted wide attention from the fashion world.

The singer wore a pair of shiny skintight trousers in several episodes and most of the TV commercials of the show. The trousers are silky-smooth, but the classic black gives the pants a bit of a wild touch, which suits the rock star's image.

Fashionistas soon discovered the trousers are from French label Jitrois - a comparatively low-profile brand in China. Jean-Claude Jitrois, founder and designer of the label, immediately flew to China to promote his creations.

"A strong relationship with my clients is an essential part of my work. That is the uniqueness that I try to offer through my designs, a delicate mix between fashion and luxury," the 69-year-old says.

Jitrois has a long list of celebrated fans, including divas like Celine Dion, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. Sharon Stone even wore Jitrois' creations in the movie Basic Instinct 2.

"Indeed, I have a really faithful clientele from my many years in Paris and London (My creations are) for great people who are dynamic and hungry for life and those who know how to lead it. I guess Jitrois' spirit is an emotional charge and a very high level of quality," he says.

Unlike other designers who want to make their collections full of different creations, Jitrois says he only creates leather products, and that is how he has attracted so many celebrities and the reason for his success.

"Indeed, designing only leather items implies that each piece of product is unique. Each skin is different and has a real emotional charge," the designer says.

Since the beginning of Jitrois in the 1980s, his first motivation has always been to innovate.

In 1995, Jitrois created a new material: stretchable leather, by selecting the thinnest part of the skin and attaching it to stretchable lycra.

Several years later, he produced a stretchable pair of leather trousers that can be washed and ironed at 30 C. Since then, he has played with leather by mixing it with silk, cashmere and embroidering it with crystals and different materials.

"Leather had been a rough and thick material for a long time, black or brown. I first brought colors to it, created evening dresses, namely for Princess Stephanie of Monaco, and refined it, and then in the 1990s stretch leather gave me an international visibility," he says.

Jitrois has two boutiques in Beijing and Hong Kong, but the silver-haired founder has plans to expand. He will open another store in Shanghai in the near future. Chengdu and Harbin are also on the list.

gantian@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/03/2013 page19)