The video of Guizhou Miao designer A Xin searching for his mother has gone viral.
During the backstage preparations for the Autumn/Winter 2024 China International Fashion Week, A Xin, the designer of the Gu A Xin brand, and his team were waiting to showcase their fashion show “Breaking Out.” However, A Xin realized his mother was still in Guizhou. He quickly rushed back to his hometown in Wanshui Town, Kaili City.
Upon reaching the serene village of Shuangyuan, he found his mother, dressed in traditional Miao attire, sitting under an ancient wooden structure, skillfully doing embroidery as if it were second nature.
A Xin brought his mother along, carrying a basket, and they passed through several famous Guizhou landmarks such as the ethnic-styled Wind and Rain Bridge, the vibrant Hundred-mile Azalea Forest, the magnificent Huangguoshu Waterfall, and the wondrous Dragon Palace, finally arriving at the fashion show in Beijing.
As a rooster crowed, a spotlight slowly revealed a dazzling circular area. A Xin’s mother, in her sixties, sat in the center of the stage, telling her granddaughter the story of a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon. Then, to the tune of ancient Miao folk songs, models wearing A Xin’s mother’s handcrafted embroidery pieces emerged from a giant cocoon, presenting a visual feast symbolizing metamorphosis.
The video has received over 60,000 likes and more than 10,000 shares on WeChat’s short video platform. Viewers praised its creativity and sincerity and applauded Guizhou’s intangible cultural heritage of Miao embroidery and beautiful scenery.
From the hometown to the capital, the scenic and landmark-filled journey showcased Guizhou’s picturesque landscapes and unique ethnic customs. Miao embroidery, moving from a small mountain village to an international stage, has become known and loved by more people. The journey also symbolizes the persistent pursuit of dreams by A Xin, his mother, and the embroiderers, ultimately breaking out of their shells.
“For this stage, my mother has supported me for 17 years,” said A Xin, accepting the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Innovation” award for the Gu A Xin brand at the “Starry Night” of the fashion week. He brought his mother on stage, stating that the award was not just for him but for a group of people representing an entire ethnicity.
“How about this color of thread?” A Xin asked an embroiderer, picking up a thread ball. On an afternoon in late April, in the flat courtyard of A Xin’s home, the embroiderers were focused on their needlework.
Suddenly, someone began singing softly, and others joined in, filling the fields with melodious singing. “Traditional Miao embroidery has been naturally passed down in such an environment. Children, through constant exposure, start embroidering from a young age,” A Xin explained to his assistant’s phone camera, noting that both his grandmother and mother had this experience, as did he.
As a child, A Xin’s mother would embroider new patterns on his older brothers’ hand-me-down clothes, making them look new. In high school, A Xin, with his skilled hands, would help classmates embroider flowers, wings, or other designs on their uniforms, giving each piece a unique style.
For centuries, Miao embroidery techniques have incorporated familial love, historical memories, and songs of life, ultimately transforming into vivid colors and intricate patterns preserved for posterity.
In 2005, the Guizhou Provincial Government launched the “Colorful Guizhou” cultural brand strategy, with the Craftsmanship Tourism Commodity Selection Competition being one of its initiatives. The following year, Miao embroidery was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage lists.
Seeing the potential, A Xin’s father registered the Kaili City Gu A Xin National Clothing Co., Ltd. in 2007, aiming to promote Miao embroidery and clothing to a larger market.
That year, A Xin, with funds collected by villagers, left his hometown’s quiet path for college in Xi’an. He sold Miao embroidery pieces and his own embroidered clothing designs on the street, earning his first “bucket of gold.”
Each breakthrough marked a “cocoon-breaking” transformation.
In 2013, with 100,000 yuan in savings, A Xin opened his first brick-and-mortar store in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter, selling Guochao (Chinese-style) men’s clothing. Unlike other stores, A Xin’s shop had embroiderers on-site, showcasing Miao embroidery’s beauty. Customers could buy finished pieces directly from the embroiderers’ hands.
As business flourished, Gu A Xin opened stores in many tourist spots nationwide, with over 20 stores at its peak. Locations included Beijing’s Qianmen Street, Shanghai’s Tianzifang, and Chongqing’s Ciqikou. The vision of creating a national brand that makes the world love Chinese beauty was taking shape. However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, reducing tourist foot traffic to zero, causing Gu A Xin to close many stores.
But the experience with short video platforms since 2018 laid the groundwork for the brand’s rebirth.
Early on, A Xin posted videos showcasing Miao embroidery, sharing handcrafting techniques, and daily anecdotes, gaining a following. “I never expected to become a viral sensation,” A Xin admitted, pleasantly surprised.
“One of the first viral videos featured an embroidered Monkey King, with about 60 million views,” A Xin said. This design became a best-seller, with around 100,000 pieces sold to date.
Using short videos to attract traffic, increasing brand exposure and attention, and then selling products through e-commerce and live streaming platforms has become a vital bridge between sellers and buyers.
In the competitive clothing market, short video platforms have become Gu A Xin’s survival strategy.
Today, the Gu A Xin Douyin (TikTok) account has nearly 2.16 million followers and over 27 million likes. Their Douyin e-commerce store has been included in the treasured shop collection.
“To move forward, we need constant breakthroughs. We hope people see the fashionable side of the Miao ethnicity and the innovative side of Gu A Xin,” A Xin said. There is a consensus that Miao embroidery, traditional yet fashionable, deserves to be celebrated and promoted.