Xueqi Wang
My collection of hand embroidery and garment uses materiality and traditional decoration to show people
how Chinese folk craft can be used in contemporary fashion. The final dress is a long flare dress with a
V-neck and no sleeveless bodice and made by green thick satin. The two butterflies on the bodice were
finished by traditional Chinese embroidery technique which named Su embroidery. For the decoration, I
stitched every single laser cut fabric with beads and the layout was based on the photos of the butterflies'
wings under the microscope. For the closure of the dress, I applied traditional Chinese buckle on the right
side, because in Chinese custom we say “men left women right.” The buckles were handmade and the
material is polyester rope. The pattern of the buckle that I applied called Pipa Knot, the shape of the
buckle looks like Chinese traditional instrument “Pipa” that is why called Pipa Knot. For leave a split, the
closure of the dress is end at mid-thigh; this idea was inspired by “Cheongsam” which is the traditional
Chinese garment popular in China during 1920s-1930s.
