With the improvement of the cultural self-confidence and national pride of the younger generation of consumers, "national style" clothing has become a hot spot in the past two years. The rise of the "national tide" has had a profound impact on China's garment industry. It not only promotes the inheritance and development of traditional culture, but also stimulates the innovation enthusiasm of designers and promotes the transformation and upgrading of China's garment industry.
More and more designers have begun to pay attention to the application of traditional cultural elements, combining them with modern fashion to create clothing brands with Chinese characteristics. These brands not only attract attention in the domestic market, but also in the process of going to the international market, for the Chinese garment industry to win more reputation and market share, but the current consumer market still exists in the homogenization of products, design elements misuse, mixed use of the phenomenon, not only can not spread the traditional culture well, and may even have the wrong guidance for consumers.
What makes a good design? How do designers balance traditional and modern, Eastern and Western elements in the design process? What is the impact of the "national tide" on China's garment industry? The reporter interviewed Wu Haiyan, the designer of the highest award for Chinese fashion design "Golden Top Award" and doctoral supervisor of China Academy of Art, to exchange and share her experience in the integration of traditional culture and modern fashion, as well as her experience in the design process.
Design thoughts
Wu Haiyan first explained the three elements of design: artistic originality, design concept and commodity attributes. The originality of art is the cornerstone of design, which represents the designer's unique thinking and personal understanding of beauty, but original design does not mean completely abandoning traditional or existing elements, but to innovate and transform on the existing basis, giving new life and connotation to the work.
Wu Haiyan's design work
A good design also needs to have a clear design concept as a guide, this concept should be closely related to the design goals, uses, user groups, etc., the design concept is the designer's understanding and interpretation of the product, which can convey the designer's intention and the core value of the product.
Design is ultimately transformed into a commodity, so commodity attributes are a part of design that cannot be ignored. Product attributes include functionality, practicality, durability, comfort, and more. Designers need to enhance the added value of goods through design, such as brand image, cultural connotation, etc., on the basis of ensuring the attributes of the product.
"From art design to becoming a commodity, the core is to extend to a deeper level around who is designed for and what occasions to wear, and designers should think about what contributions design can provide to human beings?" Wu Haiyan believes that a good design should not only meet the needs of consumers, but also make a positive contribution to mankind. This includes inheriting and carrying forward excellent traditional culture, promoting social progress, protecting the ecological environment, etc., as a designer should have a sense of social responsibility and promote social development and human progress through design.
Culture is the root
China has a long history, profound cultural heritage, and inexhaustible resources. How to extract the essence of traditional culture from China's rich treasure trove of inspiration, better integrate it into modern fashion through innovation and revitalization, and inherit and carry forward the excellent traditional culture in the process has become the direction of designers' focus.
Since 1993, when she won the gold medal of the first China International Young Fashion Designer Competition with her work "Heyday" with significant Chinese characteristics, Wu Haiyan has adhered to the two core strategies of "traditional revitalization" and "design transformation" for decades, balancing the aesthetic elements of tradition and modernity, East and West in design, and successfully combining traditional Chinese cultural elements with modern design to form a unique "Oriental paradigm".
First of all, "traditional revitalization" means not only to simply reproduce or copy traditional cultural elements, but to dig deep into the cultural connotation and spiritual value behind them, activate them and give them new vitality and a sense of the times. Wu Haiyan emphasized: "In the process of revitalization, it is necessary to grasp the Chinese cultural context and skillfully integrate the classic cultural elements into modern life, so that it not only has the charm of the East, but also meets the needs of modern aesthetics and life." ”
Secondly, "design transformation" requires designers to carry out all-round transformation of design on the basis of maintaining the roots of traditional culture, including the transformation of materials, technologies, concepts and design techniques. This transformation is not only a modern interpretation of traditional culture, but also a fusion and innovation of Eastern and Western cultures.
"I think that Eastern and Western cultures should be blended, respectful, and appreciated each other, although the process of Eastern and Western civilizations is not the same, different regions and different lifestyles will grow different cultures, but these cultures should not be mutually exclusive, but a big whole, like a tree growing on the land of the East, its growth needs to be nurtured by light from all directions." Wu Haiyan believes that designers need to have a global vision, understand the world's cultural trends, and combine traditional Chinese cultural elements with international fashion trends in order to create design works with Chinese characteristics and international influence.
Finally, Wu Haiyan proposed that the "Oriental Paradigm" is a prospect for the future development of China's garment industry. She said that only by taking root in their own cultural soil and loving their own life, spirit and culture can Chinese designers better promote China's traditional cultural elements to the world through innovative design.
In Wu Haiyan's view, the rise of "national tide" not only reflects the confidence and love of the younger generation for Chinese culture, but also brings a huge impetus to China's garment industry. By excavating and inheriting traditional Chinese cultural elements, Chinese designers can create clothing brands with unique charm and international influence, and contribute to the rise of China's garment industry.