Watch the video and find out more about Miao embroidery techniques...
In an industry dominated by fast fashion and mass production, traditional hand-embroidery techniques, and the communities that depend on them, are in danger of dying out.
Marie Claire China’s Happiness Fund teamed up with individual community groups to support the country’s beautiful and underrated textile forms with a video exploring the people and places behind the crafts.
‘Fashion propels the re-birth of traditional handicraft,’ explains the video, which focuses on the techniques of Miao embroidery.
‘Miao people live in remote mountains with lush bamboo forest, gurgling streams and gentle breezes. Farming and embroidery are the most important businesses for these people. Without a writing system in these communities, Miao embroidery has been used to record every big historical moment for this minority group, as well as every small detail of normal Miao family life.’
‘However, now Miao embroidery is becoming an endangered handicraft. The Marie Claire Happiness Fund travelled 2,000km from Beijing to Guizhou to explore the precious handicrafts and interview the 75-year-old Miao women with incredible embroidering skills.’
‘Let us endeavor to support traditional Chinese handicrafts and stop them from disappearing altogether in the future.’
Watch the video below:
Used in articles