Designer transforms lowly pattern into high fashion

The print gained more traction in Northeast China, where local people regarded the floral pattern as auspicious and being able to ward off evil; the vibrant print could also offer some contrast to balance out the drabness of the region’s long, cold winter.

Actors of Errenzhuan (a two-person folk performance of comedy, dance and song popular in Northeast China) became ambassadors of this print as they were often seen clothed from head to toe of this psychedelic print, which was gradually dubbed dongbei dahua.

Because of its long-standing association with rural China and errenzhuan, which used to be scorned by the cultured for its dirty jokes, dongbei dahua was for a long time associated with plebeian or even vulgar tastes.

That explains why in 2014 when the maverick designer transformed the ubiquitous print from his childhood memories into his first dongbei dahua-themed collection Dahuaao (big flower cotton-padded jacket), he was met with criticism and doubt.

That also explains why Chinese actress Zhang Xinyu’s debut look at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 attracted polarizing comments. She was clad in a dongbei dahua dress elaborately designed by Hu which accentuated her hour-glass figure. Some people commended her and the designer for promoting Chinese aesthetics on a global stage, while most others ridiculed her look as attention-seeking and embarrassing.