This week fans of fashion in New York will have the opportunity to see not only the various haute couture designs from various top fashion houses, but also another form of fashion from China's Miao ethnic minority as the 2016 China Miao Embroidery Charity Exhibition has come to the city.
Hosted by China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (SCLF), the Kaili government in Guizhou Province and fashion magazine Marie Claire, the event opened to the public on Thursday at New York's Venue 57 and will run to Wednesday.
According to the event organizers, the exhibition will act as a platform to display Miao history and culture through the Miao people's unique embroidery, which has been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries.
Featuring two sections, Classic Creativity and New Life, the exhibition will display traditional formal costumes and other embroidery pieces, as well as more modern items such as innovative crossover works from international designers who were inspired by Miao handicrafts.
Although Miao embroidery has been listed as a State-level intangible cultural heritage, this traditional art is still in danger of dying out. To help preserve this art, SCLF and Marie Claire established the SCLF Marie Claire Women's Happiness Fund in 2011, which helps organize training courses in Miao embroidery for local women.
