She also prepared herself through simulated contests. "Every day, a teacher gave me a picture and I started to work on it immediately. This was meant to test my on-the-spot capabilities."

The training helped Wen Caiyun become calm and her performance during the contest in Kazan was steady, except for one incident.

During the last module, with 10 minutes left to complete the task, she found she could barely sew up the back of the dress because she had hastily made the cut at the hip too straight. She fixed the problem by reducing the seams.

Winning the contest was not only reward for years of training, but also a result of the teamwork involving teachers, Wen Caiyun said.

The training helped her improve her knowledge, techniques and communication skills, which helped her overcome her natural introversion. It also gave her access to some of the best teachers in the country and has been financially rewarding.

Wen Caiyun has received more than 1.6 million yuan ($227,100) in awards from governments and the school.

Jiang Shaorong, head of the fashion department at the college, said: "Caiyun is now outstanding in skills, design, pattern-making and manufacture. I hope she can further improve her design knowledge and theories."

Wen Caiyun will soon apply for admission to the Guangzhou campus of a French fashion school to further her studies. She is also considering setting up a workshop at Baiyun Technician College of Business and Technology where she hopes to make designs and help train students.