The clock struck 9 PM in Beijing, but inside Paris's Palais de Tokyo, the night was just beginning. Editors from Vogue, influencers clutching their iPhones, and celebrities like Liu Yu and Yuan Shanshan buzzed under the cavernous ceilings, their eyes fixed on towering embroidered tapestries depicting mythical butterflies, celestial cranes, and love stories woven into silk. This wasn't just another Paris Fashion Week spectacle—it was SHIATZY CHEN's Fall/Winter 2025 collection, a masterclass in bridging 1,000-year-old Miao traditions with the pulse of contemporary luxury.
For founder Shiatzy Chen (Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia), this show wasn't merely about aesthetics; it was a manifesto. "When I first started, department stores told me, 'No one wants Chinese styles—give us international,'" she recalls, her voice steady yet charged with defiance. Nearly five decades later, her brand stands as a beacon of neo-Chinese chic, proving that heritage isn't a relic—it's a revolution.
Ancient Stitches and Avant-Garde Craft
The collection, titled Far&Near, hinged on a radical proposition: What if Miao embroidery—a UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritage—could speak the language of modern urbanites? To answer this, Chen and her team embarked on three pilgrimages to Guizhou's remote Miao villages, collaborating with seven intangible cultural heritage artisans. Their mission? To decode ten embroidery techniques—Xiu (锡绣) with its metallic shimmer, Diao Xiu (雕绣) resembling carved reliefs, and the intricate Horsehair Embroidery (马尾绣)—and rework them into wearable art.
Traditional Miao attire, heavy with indigo-dyed hemp and layers of silver, was never meant for a Zoom-meeting world. Chen's solution? Swap the fabrics, not the soul. The opening look—a sleek black gown with sinuous embroidered bands—used a featherweight Italian material mimicking aged leather. "It feels ancient but moves like liquid," Chen explains. By the 46th ensemble, what appeared to be leather straps were actually a tech-infused textile, embroidered with Pan Xiu (盘线绣) knots that danced with every step.
Embellishment as Storytelling
Miao silver ornaments, symbols of prosperity and protection, were reimagined as detachable brooches—tiny suns, butterflies, and phoenixes rendered in oxidized metal. Even the show's centerpiece, a gossamer-thin gown embroidered with the Butterfly Mother myth, avoided costumey tropes. Instead, Chen laser-cut the embroidery into lace, letting the folklore peek through like fragments of a half-remembered dream.
The Silent Poetry of Silhouettes: Migration, Memory, and Modernity
If the embroideries whispered stories, the silhouettes shouted poetry. Miao culture, shaped by centuries of migration, inspired fluid lines that echoed both wandering and rootedness.
Chen deconstructed the iconic Miao pleated skirt—a symbol of resilience—into a lexicon of folds: peng bai zhe (澎百褶, voluminous pleats) on wool coats, pi bai zhe (皮百褶, leather-like creases) on tailored jackets. A floor-sweeping cape in oxidized gold jacquard billowed like mountain mist, its hem stitched with Bian Xiu (辫绣) braids—a nod to Miao women's hair traditions.
The palette, drawn from Five-Colored Miao symbolism, balanced reverence with restraint. Indigo—a Miao staple—morphed into midnight navy for a velvet blazer; ceremonial reds softened into dusty rose on cashmere scarves. Only in the finale did Chen unleash unapologetic vibrance: a vermilion qipao jacket with Da Zi Xiu (打籽绣) beadwork, its cuffs studded with brass moons.
From Atelier to Avenue: Making Miao Wearable
For all its artistry, Far&Near had a pragmatist's heartbeat. "This isn't a museum exhibit," Chen insists. "Every piece must live in someone's closet."
The real sleeper hits? Bags and shoes. Ten iconic purses—the Hobo, the Secret-Zip Satchel—became canvases for Miao techniques. A mini crossbody bag featured Dui Xiu (堆绣), its 3D floral mounds achieved through 72 hours of hand-stitching. Footwear hybridized Miao leg wraps with combat boots, ankle straps secured by hexagonal rivets (a sly reference to traditional silver ankle bells).
To court Gen-Z, Chen played with proportion and context. A cropped bomber jacket in "antique" synthetic leather bore Shu Sha Xiu (数纱绣) grid patterns—a technique once used to map constellations—now recast as streetwear hieroglyphics. Even the show's viral moment, model Lin Yuxi's sheer embroidered gown, came with a twist: detachable sleeves for Instagram-perfect layering.
Behind the romance lies rigor. Chen's team logged over 2,000 hours timing each embroidery's production—from sampling to bulk. A single Pan Xiu belt took 40 hours; the Horsehair Embroidery clutch required 18 artisans. "We're not just preserving culture," says CEO Henry Wang (Chen's son). "We're creating a sustainable ecosystem where craft meets commerce."
The Unseen Thread: SHIATZY CHEN's Vision
In an industry obsessed with "cultural appropriation" discourse, Chen's approach offers a blueprint: collaboration, not extraction. By partnering directly with Miao embroiders—and ensuring their techniques are credited and compensated—she turns artisans into co-authors.
Yet the brand's true triumph lies in its refusal to exoticize. There are no dragon motifs or mandarin collars here. Instead, Chen distills Miao philosophy—the interplay of nature, ancestry, and movement—into a universal vocabulary. That cobalt pleated dress? It's not "ethnic"; it's a wearable ode to the migratory birds that inspired Miao embroidery patterns.
As the lights dimmed in Paris, one final look stole the silence: a trench coat embroidered with Qing Niao (青鸟), the mythical bluebird symbolizing hope. Its wings, rendered in Po Xiu (破线绣) split-thread stitches, seemed to flutter—a metaphor for a brand that's spent 47 years teaching heritage to soar.
