“Metamorphosis” Heavy On Butterfly Imagery, Key To Miao Culture
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" collection S/S 2011
The Hong Kong-based, Richemont-controlled luxury fashion house Shanghai Tang, which recently turned heads with its Mongolian-influenced “Devastating Beauty” Autumn/Winter 2010 collection, pulls inspiration from the Miao minority of southern China with its upcoming “Metamorphosis” Spring/Summer 2011 line. Numbering around 10 million in China, with significant populations in Vietnam and Laos, ethnic Miao are traditionally concentrated in the southern Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hainan, Guangdong, and Hubei.
Renowned for their skill in silk-weaving, embroidering and jewelry making, the Miao place importance on symbols such as the phoenix, birds and butterflies. Re-imagining traditional Miao imagery in colorful, modern pieces, Shanghai Tang’s “Metamorphosis” Spring/Summer collection focuses on the butterfly, which embodies rebirth as well as the close relationship between the Miao people and nature. From a release:
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)
Shanghai Tang "Metamorphosis" S/S 2011 Collection (Photo courtesy Shanghai Tang)