-
Ancient craftsmanship + modern spirit
Arriving into Paris fresh off the plane from China and desperately needing something to wear, I whipped up this hand-pleated black dress just in time for an art opening that evening at the Palais de Tokyo. In this dress, I finally felt able to bridge the Eastern artisanal craft with a modern Parisian spirit. The black cotton fabric for this airy pleated dress was hand-woven in the homes of the Dong families in...
comments 0 -
Ancient tradition
The fabric-making tradition of the Miao ethnic minorities can be traced back at least 1000 years. Fabrics were lightweight and easily transportable during these frequent periods of war and migration. The symbolic iconography protected its wearer from harmful spirits while chronicling the story of their people. In this image, an elderly woman weaves fabric for her funeral. It is a tradition for family members of the deceased to wear white fabric...
-
Growing cotton
In Guizhou province, each ethnic minority family is given one “MU” (670 sq meters) of land to grow their own crops. On this land, these self-sustaining farmers plant just enough crops to last them for the year. Cotton is grown in the warmer valley regions of Guizhou province. The seeds are germinated and planted in April, then harvested by October. In addition to clothing, the local cotton is...
-
Hand spinning
These days, it is rare to find hand-spun thread. It is a slow process that requires a lot of patience, but it produces beautiful results that cannot be replicated by machines. This is due to the uneven tension of the hand as the fiber is spun from fiber into thread on the wheel. Hand-spun thread will reflect the unique personality ofthe person who creates it. Was that...
-
Hand weaving
Before the Industrial Revolution, all fabric in the Western world was woven on hand-looms and did not use any electricity. It was a precious material that could be re-used, re-incorporated into new clothes, or over-dyed to give it a fresh look. In Florence during the Renaissance, velvet fabric took months to produce and the gowns produced from them could fetch the price of a house! In France, the Jacquard loom was...
-
Natural dyes
Mr. Yang, an 80-yr old dye master of the Miao people, collects plants, flowers, and tree bark from the surrounding mountains to dye my fabrics. The dye bath is all-natural and can even be consumed as an herbal tea! There are no synthetic chemicals used — just a combination of various plants, minerals, rice wine vinegar and soybean juice. The dye techniques are Miao secrets, so it is only...
-
Hand embroidery
The Miao ethnic minority group is world-renowned for their elaborate hand-embroidered costumes — a female tradition dating back over 1000 years. Young girls will learn the embroidery techniques from their mothers, who themselves learned it from their mothers. Their costumes can take up to two years to complete, are worn for over 20 years, and are then handed down to their children as family...
