His New Identity Era series, released in August, was another such collaboration, this time with multimedia artist Bai Yiyi, whose works concentrate on the role of digital technology. Meng uses the artist's ideas on data, gene and duplication to create patterns of gene chains, bringing up the question of how we feel and see ourselves in the digital age.

To help raise public awareness of the fashion sector's pollution, such as dyes or excessive consumption, the designer made a series of printed patterns from photos of discarded clothes.

Fashion designer Liu Yihang says Meng gave the impression of an artist rather than a fashion designer when they met for the first time. "His clothes are a combination of fashion and art, just like himself," says Liu.