Related News
Tailors fashion a future from ancient styles
By Gu Xianhui and Wang Jie |
June 28, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE moment you step onto the pebbled road of Zhouqiao Old Street, you will be attracted by a scenery characteristic of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River: low buildings side by side standing along the banks of the snaking rivers, and bridges spanning near and far. The street itself, meanwhile, zigzags along with fully shelved stores and busy workshops, among which is Longfeng Tailor's that perfectly matches the unique style of this street.
Inside this shop, there is a dazzling array of silk fabrics in all bright colors and Chinese traditional clothing of superb craftsmanship. Behind hollowed screens on the first floor, some clerks in qipao are ironing red bridal arrays, while up on the second floor, six or seven tailors are busy cutting, sewing or making traditional cloth buttons in a fairly big workshop.
Japanese influence
Moved here from the west gate of the town only two months ago, however, the Longfeng Tailor's actually has a history of over 10 years. The shop's owner is Zhang Jianqing, whose wife Chen Fang is very interested in making clothes. So the couple decided to start a tailor's shop. As for how to start the business, they had no idea. One day, one of Chen's best friends, who had just returned from Japan, enlightened the couple: The traditional kimono in Japan is the same thing as qipao in China, and the latter has more varieties compared with kimono.
Both of them are extremely popular and sell at fairly good price. Isn't it possible to popularize traditional Chinese clothing in China as they have done with the kimono in Japan?
Thus a decision was made and Longfeng Tailor's was born.
What the couple had never dreamed of was the APEC summit in Shanghai in 2001, just one year after the birth of the business.
Thanks to the group show of the summit leaders in the Tang Dynasty-styled suits, traditional Chinese clothing gained immediate popularity in China and has not lost any of its appeal today.
"Three hundred and sixty-five days a year is not enough for us, we wish to have 500 days a year to meet the ever-increasing number of orders," the couple told us.
"Talking about Tang suits, some people would automatically liken it to clothing of Tang Dynasty (618-907) style. As a matter of fact, the Tang suit made today does not have any trace of the clothing popular in the Tang Dynasty. Instead, it has evolved from the Manchu-styled clothing of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that features a stand-up collar, front opening, and coiled buttons," explained Zhang Jianqing, who has made profound study of Tang Dynasty clothing. Based on deep understanding of the traditional Chinese clothing, Longfeng Tailor's has its unique characteristics, which can combine the cultural taste of ancient Chinese clothing with Western style elements such as 3-D cut.
Gauze silk
As the summer approaches, gambiered Canton gauze is winning increasing favor among the customers. It is a kind of silk for summer clothes especially popular among the people in Guangdong Province and other South China provinces during 1940s-1950s, as it is pleasantly cool, easy to wash, quick to dry, and resistant to stains and wrinkles.
"Gambiered Canton gauze used to be a top-grade silk affordable by rich families only. Processed from silk fabrics, it involves exquisite craftsmanship to make. Even today, it sells at about 200 yuan a meter," Zhang told us.
In his shop is a big array of clothes made with gambiered Canton gauze, such as one-piece dresses, suits, and renovated qipaos. Different in style, they are all so silky and smooth to feel, and airy and cool to wear.
According to Chen Fang, the making of traditional Chinese clothing involves exquisite craftsmanship, and all the work should be done manually.
It takes no less than one or two hours, for instance, for an experienced worker to make a pair of intricately coiled buttons. This means the buttons for a suit alone will take five or six hours to complete.
The cutting is also time-consuming, and one worker is only able to finish about 10 suits a day. Each hand-made, the suit is a product of teamwork by several workers.
So far, traditional Chinese clothing is not so popular among younger people.
But as a type of clothing passed down from generation to generation for more than 5,000 years, it will never disappear in its homeland, Zhang Jianqing believes.
Inside this shop, there is a dazzling array of silk fabrics in all bright colors and Chinese traditional clothing of superb craftsmanship. Behind hollowed screens on the first floor, some clerks in qipao are ironing red bridal arrays, while up on the second floor, six or seven tailors are busy cutting, sewing or making traditional cloth buttons in a fairly big workshop.
Japanese influence
Moved here from the west gate of the town only two months ago, however, the Longfeng Tailor's actually has a history of over 10 years. The shop's owner is Zhang Jianqing, whose wife Chen Fang is very interested in making clothes. So the couple decided to start a tailor's shop. As for how to start the business, they had no idea. One day, one of Chen's best friends, who had just returned from Japan, enlightened the couple: The traditional kimono in Japan is the same thing as qipao in China, and the latter has more varieties compared with kimono.
Both of them are extremely popular and sell at fairly good price. Isn't it possible to popularize traditional Chinese clothing in China as they have done with the kimono in Japan?
Thus a decision was made and Longfeng Tailor's was born.
What the couple had never dreamed of was the APEC summit in Shanghai in 2001, just one year after the birth of the business.
Thanks to the group show of the summit leaders in the Tang Dynasty-styled suits, traditional Chinese clothing gained immediate popularity in China and has not lost any of its appeal today.
"Three hundred and sixty-five days a year is not enough for us, we wish to have 500 days a year to meet the ever-increasing number of orders," the couple told us.
"Talking about Tang suits, some people would automatically liken it to clothing of Tang Dynasty (618-907) style. As a matter of fact, the Tang suit made today does not have any trace of the clothing popular in the Tang Dynasty. Instead, it has evolved from the Manchu-styled clothing of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) that features a stand-up collar, front opening, and coiled buttons," explained Zhang Jianqing, who has made profound study of Tang Dynasty clothing. Based on deep understanding of the traditional Chinese clothing, Longfeng Tailor's has its unique characteristics, which can combine the cultural taste of ancient Chinese clothing with Western style elements such as 3-D cut.
Gauze silk
As the summer approaches, gambiered Canton gauze is winning increasing favor among the customers. It is a kind of silk for summer clothes especially popular among the people in Guangdong Province and other South China provinces during 1940s-1950s, as it is pleasantly cool, easy to wash, quick to dry, and resistant to stains and wrinkles.
"Gambiered Canton gauze used to be a top-grade silk affordable by rich families only. Processed from silk fabrics, it involves exquisite craftsmanship to make. Even today, it sells at about 200 yuan a meter," Zhang told us.
In his shop is a big array of clothes made with gambiered Canton gauze, such as one-piece dresses, suits, and renovated qipaos. Different in style, they are all so silky and smooth to feel, and airy and cool to wear.
According to Chen Fang, the making of traditional Chinese clothing involves exquisite craftsmanship, and all the work should be done manually.
It takes no less than one or two hours, for instance, for an experienced worker to make a pair of intricately coiled buttons. This means the buttons for a suit alone will take five or six hours to complete.
The cutting is also time-consuming, and one worker is only able to finish about 10 suits a day. Each hand-made, the suit is a product of teamwork by several workers.
So far, traditional Chinese clothing is not so popular among younger people.
But as a type of clothing passed down from generation to generation for more than 5,000 years, it will never disappear in its homeland, Zhang Jianqing believes.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
