When Jacopo Etro traveled to Lijiang in southwestern China's Yunnan province some 15 years ago, the city was so underdeveloped that the hotel where he stayed had rain pouring in the lobby through an unrepaired roof.

But the chief creative officer of his family business Etro's leatherwear and home collection considers himself lucky to have seen the area before its raw beauty started to fade.

He spent two weeks visiting various local tribes and was fascinated by their different styles of dressing and the vibrant colors of their clothes. As a result, he returned to Italy with 15 suitcases full of local garments.