Contemporary Designers: Guo Pei

Guo Pei

郭培

Guo Pei began her career in the early 1980’s and is recognised as one of the first generation of Chinese fashion designers. Under her company name Mei Gui Fang (Rose Studio) she is the leading Couturier in China and her list of clients includes people from Beijing’s highest political, media and social circles. Her designs were notably featured throughout the Beijing Olympics of 2008, including the ceremonial dresses, as well individual garments for performers, at the opening and closing ceremonies. Guo Pei stand outs from other contemporary Chinese designer due to her revival of many lost embroidery techniques as well as her catwalk collections. These are on a scale that equal, and in some cases surpass, the technical feats of Paris couture, with one dress in particular taking 50.000 hours to hand embroider in gold. Her showroom and studio, in Beijing, is both elaborate and functional and harks back to an age of opulence and craft similar to the Maison Lesage embroidery atelier of Paris. She manages to perfectly combine oriental references with western style cutting and her attention to detail underpins all of her work. This can be seen in the hand crafted garments loaned for the exhibition and the catwalk pieces from 2007, illustrated through the supporting visuals.

郭培是中国第一代时装设计师，从事服装设计将近25年，是中国时装高级定制的领军人物。她和她的玫瑰坊工作室为包括政界要员，社会名流，影视明星在内的高端客户设计制作礼服。她的作品出现在2008年北京奥运会开幕式，闭幕式及颁奖仪式上，及具中国特色，做工考究，令人惊叹。她那件花费5万个小时，100个绣工，纯手工制作的金色华服，代表中国远赴巴黎参加法国高级时装周，引起轰动。在位于北京中心地带，面积达三千多平米的玫瑰坊总部，那富丽堂皇的会客厅，风格迥异的试衣间，营造出唯美奢华的艺术空间。令人恍若置身于Maison Lesage（世界顶级刺绣大师）的巴黎会所。在郭培的作品中，你可以找到稀有罕见，几近失传的中国传统刺绣和剪裁技艺，也可以领略西方工艺与东方元素的有机结合。所展出的影像资料和实物作品来自郭培2007年时装发布