Chinese online discount retailer Vipshop Holdings Ltd announced a strategic cooperation with London Fashion Week on Thursday, one of the highest profile fashion events in the world to boost the upgrades of the fashion industry.

The partners will carry out cooperation in five fields. Vipshop will send information related to the products and brands showed during fashion week to consumers. The two will customize a fashion show for Vipshop, covering exclusive fashions, designers, skin care and hairstyling.

Fashion art exhibitions will be launched in Shanghai to allow Chinese consumers to experience top fashion artwork. Vipshop will also promote face-to-face communication with CEOs and entrepreneurs from the global fashion industry in order to bring select global fashion brands to users.

Furthermore, as the exclusive e-commerce partner of London Fashion Week, Vipshop will also bring more Chinese fashion elements, concepts and local brands to the international fashion stage.

Huang Hongying, vice-president of Vipshop, said 80 percent of the company's users are female, and "we plan to cooperate with more international brands and fashion weeks this year, building a fashion industry that covers culture, intellectual property, brands, designers, consumption and services."

China's influence on the global fashion stage continues to grow, and Chinese consumers who are keen on fashion are developing at an incredible speed, said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council.

She believed the cooperation with Vipshop will help many talented designers from the council stand on the Chinese stage. In addition, Vipshop possesses the core competitiveness which can guarantee authentic products, which relieves their concerns and become the most trustworthy partner.

Vipshop offers high quality and popular branded products to consumers throughout China at a significant discount to retail prices. Since it was founded in August 2008, the company has rapidly built a sizable, growing base of customers and brand partners.