Alexandre Berger/Professor of ESMOD in Guangzhou:

I’ve noticed some interesting new details and some nice finishing to create design ideas of new traditional Chinese clothes.

Mandy Fong /Hong Kong Fashion Designer:

When I first got to know Xiangyunsha (gambiered Guangdong gauze),I was stunned by its beauty. The fabric, which has been soaked in the juice of the Chinese yam traditionally used for making herbal medicine exudes a lightness and elegance that surpasses ordinary silk fabrics.

Lee Chun Kit/Hong Kong Designer:

The entire clothing exhibition is about Xiangyunsha. We want to create an air of elegance by artistically blending in the key elements related to the production of Xiangyunsha. For example, the sun, the moon, cloud, sand, and soil. The combination of these elements shows the unique characteristics of Xiangyunsha.

We have been very careful and meticulous when choosing fabrics. Each piece of the original fabrics has to be soaked with the herbal juice and dried many times and go through various processes such as being covered by mud. The cost of each piece is high, so we need to be really careful and meticulous. The manufacturing process requires a lot of manpower, material resources, and very time-consuming. It’s a product which required a lot of human ingenuity and dedication.

 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Xiangyunsha Fashion Exhibition:

 Intangible cultural heritage turns into wearable fashion for young people  by young designers from Hong Kong

Joanne Cheung / Producer of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Xiangyunsha Fashion Show:

The vitality and creativity of young people can breathe new life into Chinese cultural heritage. We have exceptional craftsmanship and unique fabrics of high quality in Nansha. Hong Kong has an edge in branding and marketing and knows the international market well. With global vision, Hong Kong designers are able to create stunning and wonderful fashion items with Xiangyunsha. Their participation is pivotal for cultural inheritance among the younger generations, and for promoting Chinese culture to international friends. Besides taking the Nansha Xiangyunsha to a higher level I hope that there young Hong Kong designers will find a place to stretch their strengths and bring Chinese culture from Nansha to other parts of the world.

Xiangyunsha, a national intangible cultural heritage of China, is a unique silk fabric that has been sold overseas as early as the Ming Dynasty. Lanhe Town of Nansha in Guangzhou, has a history of producing Xiangyunsha for more than 400 years. The production of Xiangyunsha has strict requirements. The dye is extracted from dioscorea yam, a herbal medicine, from the mountain. The dyeing process goes through repeated washing, steaming and drying under the sun and it has to be covered by mud for a period of time to finally obtain a unique color and texture good for the skin. Xiangyunsha is a meticulous blend of the elements of the sky, the earth, and human craftsmanship, earning its esteemed reputation as a ‘noble silk’ as well as the ‘soft gold’ in the market.