On October 12, the “Hubei Intangible Cultural Heritage Fashion Show and Innovation Exhibition,” part of the Yangtze River Cultural Arts Season series of events, opened at the Wuhan International Exhibition Center. This event was organized by the Hubei Cultural Industry Development Investment Co., Ltd., under the guidance of the Publicity Department of the Hubei Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Hubei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and the Hubei Provincial Office for Spiritual Civilization Development.
A highlight of the event was the intangible cultural heritage fashion show, designed and produced by the non-material cultural heritage team from Wuhan University of Textiles, with the assistance of several intangible heritage inheritors who contributed embroidery. The collection featured over 60 outfits that combined Chinese fashion with traditional garments, including women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing. The designs utilized traditional Chinese tailoring and trendy colors, with embellishments featuring Jingchu traditional embroidery techniques on collars, front openings, and waist areas, as well as on accessories like handbags and hair ornaments.
The elegant, traditional, yet fashionable clothing attracted many spectators who eagerly took photos, and it received high praise from leaders in attendance. The non-material cultural heritage team from Wuhan University of Textiles drew on years of training programs for inheritors of intangible heritage, supported by academic research, to extract and develop the plum blossom—a representative symbol—focusing on the fusion of traditional embroidery with contemporary life. They are actively exploring new contexts for contemporary expression, aiming for the creative transformation and innovative development of outstanding traditional Chinese culture.
In addition to the dynamic exhibitions, Wuhan University of Textiles hosted a static exhibition showcasing the results of the 2024 Hong’an embroidery talent training program aimed at rural revitalization. This training took place from July 8 to August 7, 2024, lasting for one month, and included 33 students from various places such as Xinjiang, Jiangxi, Henan, and Hubei, all of whom were inheritors of intangible heritage.
The event ran from October 12 to 14, and included the Hubei intangible heritage fashion show, an exhibition of Hubei intangible cultural heritage, and a discussion forum on the innovative development of Hubei’s intangible assets, aiming to showcase the results of the second Hubei Cultural and Creative Design Competition themed “Inheritance and Artisan Spirit in National Trend.” This initiative continues to promote the inheritance, development, and transformation of Hubei's intangible cultural heritage into cultural creativity.
