Stitching a plan for progress

Speaking about the trip, she said: "At that point I realized that the Chinese aesthetic was what I really appreciate, and it was also the root of Eve's brand value. Now, we not only look for embroidery, but also originality that comes from this cultural heritage."

Xia said she still remembered that when she first visited the poverty-stricken counties, she found that many houses were covered in darkness, because people didn't want to spend on electricity, and she saw no decent furniture.

She confessed that in the beginning, she was simply thinking of working with the craftspeople, and presenting traditional elements in a modern, fashionable manner in new collection. But after approaching them, she found that many people had to give up on embroidery, and leave home and their children to work or sell fruits in the city. And that was when Xia decided to find a way to help embroidery workers make a decent living from their craftsmanship.

Recounting one of her other experiences, she said: "Once, the county magistrate brought together hundreds of people wearing different costumes, holding handmade products on a playground. I was very touched and I said, 'Thank you, everyone, you introduced me to the most beautiful art pieces.'

"But the county magistrate said that they don't understand 'art'. So I decided to encourage them in a simpler way - 'you've done a good job, I will take you to Beijing', I said. The elderly applauded. I was much excited and added, 'I will take you to London (for fashion show)', but the crowd remained silent. The county magistrate said, 'See? I told you, they don't know where London is.'"

Xia delivered on all her promises.

She took the Bouyei people to several events in London, including the event to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and China, which was jointly organized by the Chinese embassy and the UK-China Entrepreneurs' Club. There, while Eve Cina held a fashion show, presenting 45 dresses inspired by Chinese embroidery on the runway, the Bouyei people performed ancient folk songs, which are traditionally sung during the embroidering process.

So far, the Eve Group has created a database with information of over 8,000 female embroidery workers, including their location and specific capability, and over 7,000 kinds of traditional patterns. At the same time, over 400 brands at home and abroad, as well as 1,600 designers, have established relationships with the company and gained access to the database.

Separately, the company has set up over 1,000 workshops and helped 137 minority small-and-medium-sized enterprises to design products for international markets and produce them on an industrial scale.

After the bazaar was launched last year at Parkview Green, it was then taken to Shanghai, Xi'an, Chengdu, Wuhan, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Xiamen. The bazaar created income of tens of millions of yuan for the mountain villagers and small-and medium-sized handicraft enterprises in Guizhou, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Qinghai.