Guizhou’s “Village T” makes a stunning appearance at China International Fashion Week
On the evening of September 11, 2024, a unique fashion feast kicked off at Beijing • China International Fashion Week. 56 audition models from Guizhou’s “Village T” boarded the stage of Fashion Week, adding a touch of gorgeous color to this fashion event full of creativity and trends.
The 56 models are all from villages across Guizhou. They brought the Miao flying songs, batik, embroidery, textiles, silver jewelry, field work, Miao and Dong medicine, ethnic food, etc. from their hometown to the international show, and collided with professional supermodels wearing fashionable design clothing to create a national aesthetic that amazed the world.
In July this year, Miao designer Yang Chunlin led the “Gu A Xin” team back to Kaili, Qiandongnan, Guizhou, and launched a fashion show invitation named “Village T”. They showed their works designed over the years to the folks in their hometown, and also attracted villagers from villages across Qiandongnan. They put on their own national costumes and came to the Fengyu Bridge show in Kaili Folk Culture Park to walk the runway, showing the beauty of their confident national culture. Thus, “Guizhou Village T” was born.
Guizhou “Village T” has provided free stage and prizes to participating models since its launch, and has received strong support from all walks of life. Models who come to participate in the show include grassroots models from the folk, villagers in the countryside, and tourists and outstanding young scholars attracted from home and abroad. It is understood that Guizhou “Village T” has been successfully held for 7 weeks, 21 shows, and about 7,000 participants, attracting tourists from all over the country and more than 30 countries to the stage of Guizhou “Village T”.
On September 11, Yang Chunlin, the founder of “Gu A Xin”, led more than 20 folk models selected from Guizhou “Village T” to Beijing and walked on the stage of China International Fashion Week.
As 56 “Village T” models sang pleasant Miao songs, girls and grandmas dressed in Guizhou ethnic minority costumes and models dressed in national fashion slowly appeared on the stage. The collision of traditional aesthetics and modern trends made the guests at home and abroad feel the unique style bred in Guizhou, a mysterious and colorful land.
The girls and grandmas were filled with confident smiles, and the ethnic culture inherited for thousands of years bloomed on them. They came from the countryside and generously showed the unique cultural charm of Guizhou to the world.
The supermodels on the scene wore costumes designed with the elements of ethnic minority intangible cultural heritage such as Miao embroidery, Dong embroidery, Shui horsetail embroidery, Buyi patch embroidery, Zhuang strap embroidery, Miao silver jewelry, Miao batik, etc., combining the old and the new to inherit the old and innovate, empowering intangible cultural heritage with fashion, and making intangible cultural heritage enter fashion.
Use clothing to show traditional culture, use clothing to tell traditional stories well, and use clothing to interpret national spirit. This fashion show with the theme of “Guizhou’s ‘Village T’ brings my hometown to the T stage” not only shows the yearning of Guizhou people for a better life, but also reflects the confidence of Miao and Dong compatriots in their national culture.
The appearance of Guizhou’s “Village T” not only brings new vitality to China Fashion Week, but also brings new opportunities for the inheritance of Guizhou Qiandongnan’s intangible cultural heritage. It allows more people to understand the beauty and culture of Guizhou Qiandongnan, and injects new impetus into rural revitalization. I believe that in the future, Guizhou’s “Village T” will continue to shine in the fashion industry and become a bright business card of Chinese fashion.
