China’s leading fashion designer Guo Pei celebrated at Hong Kong’s M+ museum
Couture artist is known for blending Western and Chinese influences; her most well-known piece was even worn by Rihanna at the Met Gala.
An exhibition at M+ titled “Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination” showcases key pieces from the Chinese fashion designer’s collections. Photo: Kathryn GiordanoEvery week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we’ve written.
Global superstar Rihanna turned heads at the 2015 Met Gala in New York. It was because of her beautiful yellow dress covered in flowers.
The theme for that year’s event was “China: Through the Looking Glass”. However, Rihanna was one of the few wearing clothes from a Chinese designer. The dress was made by China’s leading couture artist, Guo Pei.
Guo was very anxious on the night of the Met Gala: “I was under a lot of pressure and ... just generally unwell. I wanted to get off the red carpet quickly,” she said.
Her nerves settled once Rihanna stepped out. Guo heard cheers filling the room.
It was one of the most poignant moments in her career. However, Guo’s work has been impressing fashion and art lovers for nearly 30 years.
An exhibition at Hong Kong’s M+ museum showcases her key collections and early designs. “Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination” kicked off in September and runs through April 6 of this year.
“Museums are the best platform to share love and the message that these creations are not only my own,” Guo, 57, said through a translator. “It’s a creation for humanity.”
Getting her start
Guo grew up in China during a time of poverty and scarcity. All her family’s clothes fit in a single cabinet.
“We only got new clothes once a year during Chinese New Year,” she said.
She learned to sew at the age of two and became interested in creating dresses.
Her abilities landed her a spot at the Beijing School of Industrial Fashion Design. She graduated at the top of her class.
After a decade of designing for major manufacturers, she launched a label called Rose Studio to create her own designs. She had her mind set on making “a big dress”. It would eventually become the piece Rihanna wore.
However, things didn’t go as planned right away. It was challenging to make money to pay her employees’ salaries.
Things started to go more smoothly a few years later, and her mind returned to the big dress. “Magnificent Gold” required 50,000 hours of work. It is considered one of Guo’s signature pieces.
“I simply wanted to make a big dress – the most beautiful dress in the world – that I had dreamed about since I was very young ... I finally brought my vision to life,” she said.
Blend of cultures
Guo has long been celebrated for blending elements of Chinese cultural heritage with a modern Western twist. She has held solo exhibitions in Paris museums.
“Western culture drew me in. It naturally became part of my life, integrating within me,” she said.
Still, Guo has remained rooted in her culture.
“The fact that my work can enter museums ... represents us as Chinese people. I’m not just speaking for myself; I carry the weight of a nation,” she said.
Guo credits her inspiration to “life and a love for life”.
“Many people are curious about how Eastern and Western cultures are integrated in my work. There is no specific method; it is simply love,” she said.
“Chinese culture flows through me like my blood, like my mother language. It is an inseparable part of my life; it is my very existence.”
To test your understanding of this story, download our printable worksheet or answer the questions in the quiz below.