Teen stitches future with trendy qipao turn
Print Edition
Leaning on a table covered with a piece of linen, Qu Shaoli marks the fabric with tailor鈥檚 tape and chalk.
Wearing a green Chinese one-piece qipao dress, Qu worked as a model and designer for the dress at a local mall during the May Day holiday.
The sophomore from Lanzhou, capital of northwest China鈥檚 Gansu Province, has been obsessed with the dress since a very young age, and plans to show the traditional craft to modern crowds.
Qipao, or cheongsam, were popularized in the 1920s and 1930s in Shanghai by Chinese socialites and upper-class women, but today many consider the dress unusual, expensive and exclusive to slender figures.
Qu thinks differently, believing it can be popular in society at large. She has been fascinated with designing and making clothes since primary school, when she often cut and stitched worn-out clothes to make dresses for her dolls.
Having heard her grandpa was a local qipao tailor, she became interested and made her first qipao in second grade.
鈥淚t was made of fabrics in an ethnic style and looked fabulous,鈥 she said.
Despite the heavy study load during high school, Qu stuck to her hobby. She even apprenticed part-time for a local tailor.
Two years in, she believes the qipao is the essence of Chinese fashion. After attending Lanzhou University in 2017, Qu had much more free time and often wore a qipao on campus.
The dress made Qu stand out, attracting many of her classmates. She soon sold her classmate a customized qipao for 500 yuan (US$74). At the end of last year, Qu was invited to design qipao for the etiquette team of her college. She made 12 pieces of qipao in an ancient style which were hailed by her teachers. The etiquette team will debut the qipao at campus sports games later this month.
Qu has since gained many customers and a good reputation. Encouraged by her teacher, she established a workshop with two classmates in January.
鈥淐ollege students can also wear qipao, and we believe it will be popular on campus,鈥 said Bai Ruoxuan, one of the classmates.
The workshop has been getting more orders as they design each qipao meticulously, from picking fabrics to deciding on patterns. 鈥淣ext we鈥檒l try to add more innovations in qipao to make it acceptable for the youth to wear in daily life,鈥 Qu said.
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