Weaving cultural heritage into the fashion of today

Aurora, the Fall/Winter 2025 collection by Chinese designer Zhao Huizhou, draws on stunning Miao embroidery, Zheng Wanyin reports in London.

Back when humans were still far from knowing the science of cosmology, deities were seen as the rulers of the universe and imagining how and why the sun rises and sets was deeply rooted in many cultures.

In Roman mythology, Apollo was the sun god while in ancient China it was Xihe, the solar deity in Chinese mythology, who drove the carriage that transported the sun.

Whether in the East or the West, people all shared a reverence for the source of light, which is something that inspires Chinese designer Zhao Huizhou's Fall/ Winter 2025 collection named Aurora, which was unveiled on March 2 during Milan Fashion Week.

Sunlight is a universal symbol of hope, of mending the broken, and cleaning the mist, Zhao said.

Embodying an image that resonates across cultural boundaries in its chic design is just one hallmark of her brand, HUI.

Something that has remained refreshing and consistent throughout Zhao's 10 years of appearances at the "Big Four" global fashion weeks is her ongoing interest in China's time-honored cultural legacy, which this time means her work features Miao embroidery.

Miao embroidery is a national intangible cultural heritage in China. The Miao ethnic people, who live mainly in Southwest China's Guizhou province, are well-known for the exquisite embroidery on their costumes.

Working with needle and thread, embroiderers adorn clothes with designs of natural phenomena, mythical creatures, and even ethnic history, which all reflect the worldviews, values, and esthetics of the Miao people. Therefore, Miao embroidery is often known as "the Miao epic worn on the body".

For example, the Mother Butterfly pattern echoes the Miao legend in which one egg laid among 12 by a butterfly hatched into Jiangyang, the ancestor of the Miao people. Consequently, the Mother Butterfly is worshiped as the Miao's most venerated god.

For the new runway, Miao patterns featuring the sun, seas of clouds, and dragons have been woven into dark blue fabric, evoking the vastness of the universe, and the bold use of contrasting colors, such as vibrant orange, symbolizes the breaking dawn.

Because light takes on many shapes, in some ready-to-wear pieces, embroidery has been stitched into lightweight, translucent organza, which mimics the rippling effect of sunlight filtering through the clouds.

Another highlight this season is the special collaboration between HUI and Guizhou Textile Industry Development Group. A total of 11 jacquard dresses showcase the art of Miao brocade, which employs a variety of interweaving techniques using warp and weft to create intricate designs.

The textile group, which was established last July, aims to lead the development of a competitive textile industry chain in Guizhou. It also seeks to explore opportunities for the global promotion of locally produced clothing, household items, wearable jewelry, and more, which all inherit the province's distinctive culture while embracing modernity.

"The redesign of our intangible cultural heritage is a concrete step in leveraging Guizhou's strengths in developing boutique manufacturing, rooted in its rich diversity of ethnic cultures, and ensuring the enduring legacy of China's traditional craftsmanship," said Min Jiangtao, vice-chairman and general manager of Guizhou Textile Industry Development Group.

Appreciating history

Yet, reinterpreting classics in a modern way is no easy feat.

"It needs wholehearted dedication to truly experience, understand, and uncover the stories behind the heritage — conducting field visits, engaging with local artisans, and looking for an appropriate way to present these cultural elements to the global market," Zhao once told the Chinese edition of a US fashion magazine.

During the development of the new seasonal collections, Zhao's team and colleagues from the Guizhou Textile Industry Development Group spent two years in Guizhou, immersing themselves in Miao history firsthand.

Alongside the runway show, a workshop that combines Miao embroidery with art therapy also captured attention. Miao embroidery inheritors Long Luying and Long Ting, together with Chinese artist Yuan Yuan and Le Sciure, a Milan-based social welfare group for elderly women, wove red threads onto fragments of ancient Chinese ceramics.

Broken pieces were given new life and transformed into artworks that embody collective memories and hopes.

"It is the moment when fashion brings us together," said Zhao.

The project is another attempt led by Zhao's Hui Foundation, which was founded in 2016 to back Chinese folk artisans in overcoming poverty and promoting handed-down craftsmanship.

All efforts have been made to revitalize time-honored traditions, said Zhao.

"As a designer from China, I have been thinking about the origin of my designs. I believe it's rooted in my culture, and I think this culture is more about inheritance," Zhao said. "The esthetics of intangible cultural heritage are not mere historical relics but a language of the future."

Contact the writer at zhengwanyin@ mail.chinadailyuk.com.