She’s the star behind that infamous Rihanna yellow gown and now, Linchpin of the asian civilisations museum’s latest exhibition – Guo Pei: chinese art and couture – where 29 of her designs will be displayed,including two never-before-seen pieces that were inspired by the museum’s artworks. Keng Yangshuen speaks with China’s first couturier on the evolution and relevance of couture in 2019.
How she defines couture “Couture is more about creating a bespoke piece, than one that is ornate and opulent. However, every couture piece must be exquisitely made, embodying the highest level of traditional workmanship and culture.”
WHY COUTURE STILL MATTER
“Couture is much more than just a piece of clothing. It can be viewed from the point of art and aesthetics, technical craftsmanship, and even the challenge of establishing new production standards. When creating couture, we devote a lot of time and attention to details. It is often through details that you express your feelings, like gratitude and love.”
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COUTURE AND READY-TO-WEAR
“I do not think we can find the perfect combination between couture and ready-towear. More often, you can only choose one. Couture is about pursuing perfection, new standards and new techniques. The pursuit of couture is similar to the Olympics, where a long-distance runner is constantly challenging the limit to one-tenth of a second or less. Couture is about the vertical challenge, while ready-to-wear is about horizontal development and the pursuit of breadth, with regards to expanding and occupying market share. What they have in common is constant persistence.”
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