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The 2015 Met Gala was a breakout fashion moment for China. Most notably, it marked the opening of the Costume Institute’s “China: Through the Looking Glass” exhibition, which went on to become the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fifth most-visited show of all time.
But it was also the moment Rihanna wore an elaborately embroidered, fur-trimmed creation designed by couturier Guo Pei on the red carpet, introducing the Chinese designer to a global audience. The cape and gown – in a glorious golden yellow, a color once reserved for the emperor – took Guo and her team nearly two years to make. Capturing headlines around the world, the dress became one of the event’s most unforgettable outfits.
Rihanna arrives at the 2015 Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
“I was very touched the first time Rihanna wore that dress,” Guo told CNN at her Beijing atelier. “I think dresses are meant to be worn and that’s why designers need very good models. I think Rihanna and that piece of work have merged together, and she has given the dress a new life.”
In the exhibition, one of Guo’s works, titled Dajin (“Magnificent Gold”), was even more labor intensive – representing approximately 50,000 hours of work. “I designed it nearly a decade ago. Dajin was part of a collection inspired by the concept of rebirth and clothes worn during the Napoleonic Wars,” said Guo, who employs some 500 artisans to bring her intricate visions to life.
“I think there has been a lot of talk about haute couture dying out, but I believe in rebirth and the cycle of life.”
Reviving glamour
Although only recently recognized in the West, Guo has been working for almost 30 years, and shows no signs of slowing down. Last year, she made her debut at Paris Couture Week, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
"Arabian 1002th Night" collection —
Guo Pei is a Chinese-born haute couture designer known for her expertise in embroidery and artistic understanding of fashion.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Samsara" collection —
This dress is called "Dajin," but is also known as Magnificent Gold. Embroidered with gold and pearls, it required more than 50,000 hours of work.
Rihanna wore this bright yellow creation to the 2015 Met Gala. Guo Pei and her team spent around 8,000 hours working on it. The dress is made of fox fur and Italian silk, and weighs 25 kg.
timothy a clary/afp/getty
"Arabian 1002th Night" collection —
Guo designed a costume for opera singer Song Zuying's performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics closing ceremony.
Guo Pei
"Arabian 1002th Night" collection —
Guo Pei's Spring-Summer 2010 collection showcased 16 works, and featured model Carmen Dell'Orefice, who was 78 at the time.
Guo Pei
"Arabian 1002th Night" collection —
The collection included origami-like, three-dimensional boleros with ornate gold applique, as well as elaborate metallic headgear.
Guo Pei
"Arabian 1002th Night" collection —
Guo Pei fused elements of Arabic culture and attire with her own Chinese aesthetics for the collection.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Arabian 1002th Night" collection —
The collection also featured a Japanese-inspired dress.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"An Amazing Journey in a Childhood Dream" collection —
Born in 1967 during China's Cultural Revolution, Guo grew up wearing a uniform with almost no variation.
Guo Pei
"An Amazing Journey in a Childhood Dream" collection —
Anything considered bourgeois was banned at the height of the Cultural Revolution. Guo dreamed of beautiful clothes and accessories, which eventually inspired her creations.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"An Amazing Journey in a Childhood Dream" collection —
In 1982, Guo was accepted into the Beijing School of Industrial Design, where she studied drawing, sketching and pattern-making. She began her career as a children's clothing designer in 1987 and opened her own venture, called Rose Studio, with her husband in 1997.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"An Amazing Journey in a Childhood Dream" collection —
In her 2007 collection, "An Amazing Journey in a Childhood Dream," Guo tells a fairy tale from a child's perspective.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"An Amazing Journey in a Childhood Dream" collection —
Guo used pink, blue and yellow fabrics to convey a sweet and romantic mood.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Garden of the Soul" collection —
Guo's 2015 "Garden of the Soul" collection took its inspiration from an old Chinese saying: "There is a kingdom in a flower, a wisdom in a leaf."
Guo Pei
"Garden of the Soul" collection —
The collection included a line of cosmetics by makeup brand MAC, with lip gloss, eye shadow, and blush in natural colors that complemented the clothes.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Garden of the Soul" collection —
Guo's favorite color is blue, and it is dominant in both her makeup and clothes.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Legend of the Dragon" collection —
The designer celebrated the Chinese lunar year of the dragon with her mythology-inspired collection, "Legend of the Dragon," in 2012.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Legend of the Dragon" collection —
The dragon is considered a very auspicious symbol in Chinese culture, and represents strength, power and good luck.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Legend of the Dragon" collection —
Guo's collection brought dragon motifs to life through golden embroidery and crystal embellishments.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Legend of the Dragon" collection —
The collection took Guo and her team almost three years to complete.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Legend of the Dragon" collection —
One of the dresses in the collection, called Dragon Lady, incorporates 465,756 hand-beaded pearls.
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Samsara" collection —
Guo's "Samsara" collection from 2006 was her first haute couture show.
Guo Pei
"Samsara" collection —
Guo said: "I am passionate about haute couture, for it freezes life at that moment. Unlike ready-to-wear, which simply gets popular and forgotten, real couture has an everlasting charm."
Courtesy Guo Pei
"Samsara" collection —
The collection was inspired by French leader Napoleon's military uniforms, which she saw at the Army Museum in Paris.
Courtesy Guo Pei
Design from "Samsara" collection —
Guo aimed to convey a sense of immortality.
Courtesy Guo Pei
The woman behind Rihanna's most daring look
Lucy Liu, a client of two years and a close friend, believes its Guo’s love for her work, delicate embroidery and whimsical themes (many of her pieces are inspired by legends and fairy tales) that set her apart from her contemporaries.
Guo Pei —
Among the most established Chinese designers is Guo Pei, who designed Rihanna's striking dress at the recent Met Gala. She's been creating over-the-top custom creations since the late 1990's, including 280 looks shown at the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.
Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images
Uma Wang —
Williams believes Shanghai-based designer Uma Wang, who shows her collections at Milan Fashion Week, will likely be the first Chinese designer to find major success in the West.
"She's taking it very slow, but focuses all her attentions on the materials, and I think that's what's really key," Williams says. "She has a very strong aesthetic. She's bringing in a little bit of a Chinese look, but it's also catering to the Western market."
FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images
Ryan Lo —
Ryan Lo is one of London's most acclaimed young designers, having won support from both Fashion East and New Gen, the city's most prestigious support schemes. His work is unabashedly feminine, kitschy, and generally over-the-top.
Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images
Ban Xiao Xue —
Ban Xiao Xue was a finalist for the International Woolmark Prize for China in 2012, the same year he founded his brand. His primary motive is to replicate natural forms. "All living things have their particular color, texture and structure, and what I do is just make records," he told Williams.
Courtesy Ban Xiao Xue
Masha Ma —
Masha Ma, who has an MA in womenswear from the prestigious Central Saint Martins fashion college in London, splits her time between Shanghai and Paris. In 2013, she took part in the CDFA/Vogue Fashion Fund China Exchange Program to learn from the best of the American fashion industry.
FRANCOIS GUILLOT/AFP/Getty Images
Haizhen Wang —
London-based Haizhen Wang's structured tailoring and androgynous silhouettes earned him the Fashion Fringe award (a business development award for cutting edge designers in the UK) in 2010. Though he too studied at Central Saint Martins, he says learned most of his technical skills in China.
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images
ffiXXed —
Ffixxed, the brainchild of Fiona Lau and Kain Picken, is meant to be a fusion of fine art and fashion. Though based between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, most of their stockists are in Japan.
"There are a lot of space there for things that are new and young and maybe a little more experimental, and a real appreciation of quality and production and finer details," said the designers.
Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Huishan Zhang —
Huishan Zhang was hand-picked to work at Dior's haute couture atelier when he was still a student at Central Saint Martins. His eponymous brand, which he started in 2010, is now stocked at Browns in the UK, as well as Barney's across America. (He's designing a five-piece made-in-China capsule collection for the latter leading up to the Met's upcoming China: Through the Looking Glass exhibition.)
Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images
Laurence Xu —
Laurence Xu has shown his work at Paris' invitation-only haute couture fashion week since July 2013. "I was born to be a fashion designer," he tells Williams in the book. "I also carry a strong sense of purpose to promote the combination of Chinese and Western elements on the international stage."
Courtesy Laurence Xu
Chictopia —
Christina Lau started Chictopia, one of China's most popular local brands, when she was only 24. The quirky prints and bright colors are inspired by Chinese indie designers from the 1990's.
Courtesy Chictopia
Chinese fashion designers to watch
“I think Guo Pei has a wild imagination compared to haute couture designers from the West,” she said of the designer in an interview with CNN. “I think her life experiences are infused into her design, especially her emotions and her passion towards design.” As she shows CNN a box of heavy threads spun from real gold, purchased from a vintage shop in Paris, it’s clear that, while modern, her designs are rooted in traditional craftsmanship.
“I do feel like old glamor doesn’t exist anymore,” Guo lamented, holding one of the spools. “If you think about it, these handmade materials should be the core of haute couture. If we don’t have raw materials as pure as this gold thread, how can we compare modern craftsmanship to what it was? Despite society’s advancements, we are losing what is very special.”
Watch the video above to find out more about Guo Pei, and the three objects she feels best represent her.
