Weaving tradition into fashion

Hong'an handloom cloth, a traditional coarse textile native to Hong'an county in central China's Hubei province, was once seen as old-fashioned and rustic.

Today, however, this once-overlooked fabric has stepped into the spotlight. In 2024, it made a striking appearance at China Fashion Week, symbolizing a shift from its humble origins to a modern fashion statement.

Driving this revival is Tao Wencheng, a 34-year-old graduate of Wuhan Textile University with a degree in mechanical engineering.

That momentum has continued. On Jan 6, 2026, Tao launched a pilot industrialization base for Hong'an handloom cloth under an intangible cultural heritage project. The base is currently the largest of its kind among Hubei's ICH fabric-industry initiatives and is expected to begin operations in May.

But it took courage for him, as a man, to step into a craft long dominated by women.

"At first, I only tried weaving for fun," Tao admitted. "I never thought it could become a career. Doing a craft traditionally associated with women can feel unusual — even a little embarrassing."

Beyond gender stereotypes, the craft itself has often been dismissed as outdated — something practical and ordinary, and seemingly irrelevant to young people today.

"Weaving was common among those born in the 1960s and 1970s — my mother's generation," Tao said. "But very few people my age chose to learn it. Most saw it as a thing of the past."

The turning point came in 2016, when Tao returned to Hong'an to assist his mother with her weaving business. As he spent more time at the loom and began observing each part of the process, he noticed something unexpected: the mechanics of weaving closely mirrored the principles he had studied in engineering.

"A loom is all about balance, tension, and motion," Tao explained. "The warp and weft are similar to engineering concepts like the X and Y axes, where vertical threads intersect with horizontal ones."

Leveraging his technical skills, Tao revamped aging looms by repairing worn components, reducing strain, and improving efficiency — all while preserving the handmade character of the fabric.

His physical strength also proved helpful in this labor-intensive craft. Contrary to the common assumption that weaving is light or delicate work, Tao emphasized that it requires considerable endurance and force — especially during long hours of repetitive motion.

"Textile weaving is physically demanding, and in this regard, men tend to have a bit more of an advantage," he said.

According to Tao, creating Hong'an handloom cloth involves as many as 72 intricate steps, from the very beginning — selecting raw cotton — to spinning, dyeing, and finally weaving the finished fabric.

"A weaving machine can produce just over a meter per hour," he said. "But when you spin the thread by hand, making two or three meters can take an entire day."

The painstaking process results in a fabric with distinctive qualities: a sturdy texture and vivid hues that once made Hong'an cloth a popular choice for Red Army uniforms.

"It is waterproof, highly durable, and doesn't cling to the skin,"Tao noted. "The bold reds and greens may seem unconventional, but they're part of what gives it its unique charm."

Determined to make the craft more appealing to modern audiences, Tao began experimenting with contemporary designs.

One of his earliest projects was weaving a scarf for himself — not in the traditional bright colors, but in earthy tones favored by young people today. Later, during a weaving techniques class in college, he cut the scarf apart and transformed it into a fashionable handbag.

"My classmates thought I was crazy to 'ruin' a perfectly good scarf," he recalled. "But at the time, it felt like exactly what my creativity was pushing me to do."

As his skills developed, Tao took his work even further. Inspired by Hong'an's revolutionary legacy — and its reputation as the "County of Generals" — he hand-wove a national flag and donated it to his university museum. He later created a flag of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and even wove the lyrics of a revolutionary song into cloth, character by character.

"It brought together calligraphy, craftsmanship, and red culture in one piece," he said. "It was my way of expressing love for my hometown — and for my country."

Tao also actively collects vintage pieces from local elders, paying generously for heirloom fabrics that others might overlook.

"These pieces carry decades of wisdom," he said. "We're not just inheriting skills — we're learning from the patterns, the logic behind the colors, and the stories woven into every thread."

In the future, Tao hopes more young people will join in preserving Hong'an handloom cloth and carrying the tradition forward.

"Preserving heritage isn't just about keeping the technique alive," he said. "It's about passing it on — helping young people understand it, value it, and ultimately make it their own. That's our lifelong mission."

Contact the writers at guojiatong@i21st.cn