She says that in Exception's first small office there were always a lot of fashion magazines, but in the Wu Yong workshop, there aren't any. She claims not to have gone shopping for seven years.

While Exception has boutiques in most cities, competing with international luxury labels, Wu Yong has just one workshop and only a few close friends like Peng are able to wear her clothes. Ma says before 35, she learned the language of design, but since then she has focused on expressing herself through Wu Yong.

In February 2007, she became the first Chinese designer to present a show at Paris Fashion Week. The Wu Yong show created a stir because the audience walked around the seated models dressed in earth-colored robes, rather than strutting around on the stage.

Since then she has appeared to be more like a contemporary artist, providing exhibitions of her work in Shenzhen, Venice and London.

Ma adds her first role model was Jane Goodall. At 8, she read all about her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania and wanted to devote herself to animal welfare issues, which likely explains the presence of eight dogs at her Wu Yong workshop.

"Living with animals makes me aware of the importance of the balance between nature and humanity. It's the basis of my creativity now," she says.

"Professor Peng shares the same values. She devotes herself to environmental protection and welfare issues. Our common goal is to raise people's awareness and to treasure the Earth and make the sky clear, water clean and life better."

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