WEARING HISTORY
Chinese collection with Miao ethnic elements make stunning debut at Fiji Fashion Week
Twelve clothing designs featuring typical clothing elements of China’s Miao ethnic group stunned audiences at this year’s Fiji Fashion Week, which came to its end on May 26.
“It’s amazing and unbelievable,” one member of the audience said while applauding the models who had just finished walking the catwalk wearing Miao-style clothing.
“We love this Miao collection. We love their bright colors, beautiful embroidery and motifs,” two middle-aged women told the Xinhua News Agency while a Fijian girl aged around 15 said that “I like this Miaostyle clothing as it is really beautiful and special.”
It was not surprising for the audience to praise the collection, as the Miao costume elements were truly stunning. Even some photographers could not help but laud the collection while busily taking pictures of the models wearing the uniquely designed clothes.
The two-day Fiji Fashion Week, which took Resort Cruise 2018 as its theme, was held at the FMF Gymnasium in the capital city Suva. The specially-decorated performing hall of the facility was crowded with fashion lovers, designers and models from Fiji and other countries and regions such as China, India, Vietnam and Australia.
Chen Bin, professor of the fashion institute of the Shanghai-based Donghua University, told Xinhua that the 12 clothing designs that appeared on stage were designed by himself and some of his students. He was not surprised to receive such positive comments from the audience as he believes that Miao elements help the clothes stand out from the crowd.
“This is the first time we have taken part in Fiji Fashion Week. As you can see, it is very interesting for beautiful foreign models to wear our Miao collection. We can truly say this is a place where fashion meets tradition, and the East and West also meet and mingle harmoniously,” he said proudly.
In his eyes, Miao clothing, often described as a history book worn by people, is a rare treasure in Chinese history and culture.
“This is not only about beautiful clothing, but also about China’s long history and culture,” he said.
“There are 56 ethnic groups in China, and the clothing of the Miao ethnic group in southern China is an important part of China’s ethnic clothing. As designers, we should also go out to showcase our fashion designs and learn from our foreign colleagues,” he said.
For her part, Yang Hui, director of the Confucius Institute at the University of the South Pacific, was also very happy for Chen Bin and his team.
“I am happy for their success and I am happy for our Confucius Institute here, as we helped Chen’s team take part in the fashion show. We would like to be a bridge for language and culture to help promote cultural exchanges between China and South Pacific island states,” she said.
This was the 11th year for Fiji Fashion Week, which is the biggest fashion show in the South Pacific.