Shanghai clothing designers explore new possibilities in fashion created by China's booming hi-tech manufacturing sector
EDINBURGH, UK, AUGUST 24, 2019 (5:00PM) –Glowing tartan and shape-shifting fabrics were just some of the futuristic fashion spectacles witnessed by audiences this weekend (August 23–24) at Shanghai's signature Fringe fashion showcase, From Shanghai with Love.
Co-hosted by the University of Edinburgh and Donghua University with support from the Shanghai Promotion Centre for City of Fashion (SPCF), the event at the University of Edinburgh's Playfair Library explored the ways that cutting-edge technologies can help foster innovation in design, customization and sustainability for the clothing industry.
Now in its fourth year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, this year's event paid tribute to the past while celebrating the future. It consisted of a futuristic runway show themed Qipao 3.0 and a Kids and Parents exhibition, contrasting the clothing styles of Chinese families over the last 100 years with the emerging styles of the future.
Qipao 3.0 was all abou t showcasing the possibilities of Shanghai fashion in the era of smart manufacturing — and also gave a nod to Scotland's indelible mark on the world of fashion. The runway show was centred around the iconic figure-hugging Shanghainese dress known as the qipao (or cheongsam), featuring futuristic incarnations of the classic garment that represent close collaboration between cutting-edge technological researchers and forward-thinking fashion designers.
Highlights included a series of 3D-printed qipaos developed by Donghua University researchers working with hi-tech materials producer, Covestro. According to a spokesperson of the Shanghai International College of Fashion and Innovation at Donghua University, they were intended to symbolize a new era of possibility in terms of production and customization capabilities in the fashion world.
The design itself was inspired by the characters that make up the Chinese name for Scotland: su, ge, and lan. Respectively, these characters connote revival, which we took to mean a revival in the fashion industry driven by hi-tech manufacturing; the criss-crosses of the tartan design; and finally, the Yulan magnolia, which represents Shanghai.
Another eye-catching design was the glowing qipao, designed by Danish wearable fashion specialists Hanne-Louise and Michel in collaboration with staff and students from Donghua University. The signature glowing tartan effect of this garment was achieved through 3D-printed pankou knotted buttons housing LEDs, arranged in a criss-cross pattern and connected to a battery through conductive yarns made by Professor Zhu Meifang’s team from Donghua University.
