Some people call fashion a religion. For Chiang Mai-based Chinese designer Zheng Qing'er, religion is where her fashion begins.

The devout Buddhist made her runway debut at China Fashion Week recently. Inspired by a trip to the Tibet autonomous region, the collection features robes, gowns and capes influenced by both Tibetan ethnic wear and traditional Chinese costumes.

The show was held in five parts - blue, white, red, green and yellow, in accordance with the Tibetan prayer flag, which is invoked for fortune.

The runway was constructed like the wooden corridor of the 500-year-old Wat Ton Kwan temple in Chiang Mai where Zheng usually meditates.

The catwalk was lit with lanterns inspired by Loy Kra Thong, a traditional Thai festival when people release paper lanterns into the air.

Zheng believes that loose-fitting garments made using natural fabrics can help people find inner peace.

"All objects have a power within them. If you put your heart in it, people can feel it," she says.

The cotton sourced from northern Thailand is treated with herbal dyes. All items are handmade by Thai craftsmen.

Born to an engineer father and a singer mother in East China's Shandong province, Zheng was trained in ink painting as a child and learned dressmaking from her grandmother.

She moved to Hong Kong to work in the movie business after university.

While living a fast-paced metropolitan life, Zheng turned to Buddhism to seek inner peace. At the same time, she started making clothes, which became a hit among fellow practitioners at her meditation camps.

Guided by her spiritual calling, she settled in Chiang Mai, where she was thrilled to find high-quality cotton, which offers softness, comfort and is eco-friendly, she says.

Zheng founded the brand Qing's in 2003, selling to travelers and international merchandisers.

The brand uses only cotton for its clothes, she says.

"I believe that clothes are not just for looking at. I want my customers to feel at ease in these clothes."

Brand-conscious Chinese customers have also grown more aware of indigenous brands as they start to get interested in their own culture, Zheng says.

"I hope my clothes can be part of that evolution."

She is now planning a studio in Xiamen, a coastal city in East China's Fujian province. It is a city that tries to attract designers with favorable policies and subsidies.

She says the studio will integrate everything she has experienced and learned, including the art of drinking tea, Buddhism, spiritual music and Chinese costume history.

Designer Zheng Qing'er with children wearing her outfits at the recent China Fashion Week.Provided To China Daily