Reina de las Fabricas: CREATIVE ASSEMBLAGE-GUO PEI

Remember the iconic cape dress elegantly debuted by Rihanna at the MET GALA 2015? It did get a lot of mixed feelings didn’t it? The most famous was its being likened to a well baked pizza (lol, some people have no chill) Well what most people do not know is that that iconic creation is a master piece of Chinese couturier Guo Pei; a creation intricately crafted with real gold thread in a space of 20 months. Uniqueness precedes her designs and I for one, am a profound lover of her close attention to detail and cultural interpretation in ever collection and creation. Guo Pei as an advocate for cultural preservation and artistic diversity, have her views unapologetically resonated in her designs as well as the details that elevate them.She explores fabric, shape and texture to resonate meaning, telling stories that paintings and embroideries have conveyed throughout the centuries. With Guo Pei’s attentive support, embroiderers perpetuate a tradition that will endure as the very fabric of time. Although her work is necessarily anchored in tradition, it also constantly sails towards contemporary innovation. In spite of the infinite discipline and rigor they require, Guo Pei’s creations always are a canvas to be used for artistic expression and freedom. http://www.guo-pei.fr/about-1/

Spring Summer 2016

Her spring summer 2016 collection at the Paris fashion week was nothing short of memorable as it expresses her foundational values in translated modern silhouettes and soft colours. The collections comprised of dresses that were easy to wear as she show cases playful skirts and dresses with intricate embroidery shorts and pants; a more subtle approach for this young, and wearable, contemporary take on Chinese traditions . Blended perfectly were Chinese icons which expresses the designer’s heritage like mandarin collars and long sleeves with a Western aesthetic of flirty mini-dresses, pencil trousers and even perky shorts.

The couturier sent a few show-stoppers down the catwalk, such as the opening gown, a gold confection of guipure lace that was so heavily embroidered with crystal it made a gentle click-clack sound on the runway as the model passed by, a regal coat embellished with fluffy feathers and no fewer than four bridal looks, one matched with an extravagant 500-carat diamond necklace by Chopard.

Spring Summer 2016

The Daijin (left)

In a T magazine profile on Pei, legendary model Carmen Dell'Orefice told fashion critic Cathy Horyn, "I was awestruck by the pure beauty. She brings some part of the Chinese history forward and jumps over Mao Zedong."

During the 2006 Beijing Fashion Week, she unveiled her “Daijin” piece; a dress that required no less than 50,000 hours of work and was embroidered with gold and pearls. With the mind blowing dedication of her team of embroiders and seamstresses, Guo pei has proven herself timeless in the folds of Art and cultural preservation and interpretation in more ways than one.