chinese fashion - dialogue with the world and history
2024-10-04
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french designer pierre cardin's fashion show in beijing in the spring of 1979
in november 1978, french fashion designer pierre cardin (1922-2020) visited china. he was the first western fashion designer to visit china since 1949. this visit marked the beginning of pierre cardin's influence on the chinese fashion industry - an influence that reached its peak in the 1980s and early 1990s. it was also an important moment in the history of chinese fashion, at a time when china was in the midst of change. .
"not long after the cultural revolution ended and reform and opening up had just begun, pierre cardin saw the opportunity and quickly entered the chinese market," said liu wei, who teaches at beijing institute of fashion technology. pierre cardin foresaw the huge purchasing power that hundreds of millions of chinese consumers were about to release, and he decided to conquer his future customers through a fashion show held in beijing in the spring of 1979.
the fashion show was held on a temporary stage at the palace of nationalities and culture in beijing. models from france and japan walked the catwalk wearing cardin's latest designs. the audience was filled with media reporters, some of whom had cameras in their hands and expressions on their faces. with an incredulous expression.
pierre cardin visited beijing institute of fashion technology in the 1990s
for chinese audiences, pierre cardin's bold and futuristic designs are an eye-opener. this event played an inspiring role in china's emerging fashion industry: at the end of 1980, china published its first fashion magazine and established its first model team formed by a shanghai clothing company. the 19 members of the model team started from 3 selected from thousands of candidates.
"the 1979 show inspired people's strong interest in the pierre cardin brand, and pierre cardin cleverly introduced the brand to china through the 'authorization' business model," said liu wei. this licensing model means that all pierre cardin fashion products sold in mainland china are designed and produced locally under strict quality control.
"this approach not only greatly reduced costs, but also allowed the brand to adapt to the local aesthetics of the time. the dressing style of ordinary people at that time was far from the design style marked by pierre cardin's geometric deconstruction. in a sense "pierre cardin's business acumen is a huge inspiration to chinese designers, especially young designers who have just realized the power of brands," liu wei continued. "that includes me."
in 1998, the chinese brand "bo tao", for which liu wei was the designer, held a grand fashion show in the imperial ancestral temple in beijing. the models were gorgeous and exaggerated, wearing long, slim, royal-looking clothes with bold colors. these designs make full use of western tailoring principles while also exuding a distinctly chinese charm.
"the choice of venue and the clothing itself both show the brand's efforts in maintaining its cultural roots. at the same time, the influence of the western clothing industry is also obvious," said liu wei, who has visited paris fashion week many times to watch shows. said.
dior under john galliano as creative director
the top shows that liu wei saw in paris in those years included dior, where john galliano was the creative director, and givenchy, which was led by alexander mcqueen. liu wei was deeply shocked by their "extreme creativity" and their bold attempts to create a unique brand image.
not being able to go to the fashion capital of france to watch the show is a pity for many fashion lovers and practitioners, and this regret has even spawned a business. “during fashion week, there were people who specifically bought pictures and videos from journalists and fashion photographers who had access to the shows, and then resold them at expensive prices to people who were eager to get these materials,” liu wei recalled.
not long ago, liu wei returned to bo tao's company. there, many video tapes are neatly arranged on one wall of the office. the labels on the tapes are marked with "chanel (chanel)" or "dior (dior)". "these tapes record the shows from paris, london, milan and new york fashion weeks in those years," liu wei said.
in order to meet this strong demand for information, in 1995, the hong kong trade development council, the beijing institute of fashion technology and the china fashion designers association jointly established a fashion library on the beijing university of fashion technology campus.
the china fashion design association was established two years ago in 1993. in 1997, the association held the first china international fashion week in beijing. six years later, shanghai also has its own fashion week - shanghai fashion week. both are currently the most important display platforms for chinese designers.
in the early 2000s, yang jie, a student majoring in fashion at beifu, often visited this library. he is now a teacher at this university. "a deposit of 200 yuan ($28.35) is required to get a library card. these books, including imported fashion magazines, are not only expensive, but also precious - they gave me my first exposure to international fashion. ," he said.
but changes have come quietly. yang jie entered beifu as an undergraduate in 2000. shortly afterwards, on december 11, 2001, china joined the world trade organization, which helped chinese fashion and textile products enter the international market. at the same time, the influx of global fashion brands also means that local chinese fashion brands and foreign brands that have already established a foothold in china face greater competition.
"since the early 2000s, the cardin brand's appeal among chinese consumers has continued to decline. the reason is simple: after seeing the world's top fashion brands, they are no longer satisfied with buying licensed designs," liu wei said.
in 2001, shanghai, china's emerging fashion capital, hosted the ninth asia-pacific economic cooperation (apec) summit, where attendees wore tailor-made tang suits. in chinese history, the tang dynasty (618-907) was a powerful and open dynasty. for a long time, many overseas chinese have also called themselves "tangren", which is why overseas "chinatowns" are also called "chinatowns" ". apec's tang suit is made of exquisite silk, with stand-up collars and buckles highlighting the characteristics of traditional chinese clothing. it is widely regarded as a successful attempt at cultural diplomacy.
the “hanfu craze” rising among chinese young people
"in the next two decades, china's traditional costumes, including the costumes of all dynasties, successfully captured the beauty-loving hearts of the younger generation, triggering the 'new chinese style' trend of 'hanfu fever' among them. liu wei said. "wearing ancient costumes with layers of long, wide-sleeved robes, they experienced the feeling of fluttering clothes."
“underlying this phenomenon is a fascination with beauty and growing cultural self-confidence, as well as a mentality that is completely different from that of their parents and grandparents: these young people want to stand out rather than disappear from the crowd,” he continued.
designer's eponymous brand bo tao's works are inspired by chinese ink paintings
yang jie just participated in the 2025 milan spring and summer fashion week held in milan from september 17th to 23rd. "there is a small city called como about 50 kilometers north of milan, which is famous for its charming lakes and mountains, historic buildings and silk production since the 15th century," he said. “the archives of many local silk brands and workshops contain ancient silk samples, some of which came from china via the ancient silk road. this major trade artery connecting east and west dates back to the 2nd century bc , and reached its peak in the tang dynasty."
"foresight and history - these are the reasons behind the world-famous reputation of ancient chinese silk. if today's chinese fashion is to go global and achieve breakthroughs, these two points are indispensable."
source: china daily.com
