Kesi, a traditional form of embroidery and weaving in China, has become a key word for the 2009 collection of NE Tiger, the top haute couture brand in China. Kesi makes the most expensive silk products in China. It is extremely time consuming and complicated, as it usually entails the intricate weaving by hand of decorative designs and brocades, sacred iconography or calligraphy.
At last year's Wenjiu auction, a silk kesi quilt with Buddist scripts from the Emperor Qianlong period (1735-1796) was sold for 65 million yuan ($9.5 million), the highest price for a Chinese silk product ever auctioned.
According to Zhang Zhifeng, the art director of NE Tiger, the brand's kesi collection has support from Wang Jialiang, who is among the fifth generation of a family of kesi practitioners that made clothes for royalty; and Wang Yuxiang, the master responsible for the survival of kesi skills that were on the brink of extinction.
By applying ancient craftsmanship, the brand is continuing its aim of reviving Chinese luxury and building Chinese-inspired fashion.
Other splendid elements of the 2009 NE Tiger Hua Fu series include brocade and water painting peony patterns.
"The source of inspiration in this collection is from peony decorations and patterns from all of China's dynasties and its 56 ethnic groups. At the same time, we integrate contemporary Western, three-dimensional cutting techniques in the design, and use our own unique cutting technology to draw out the genius and delicacy of the Eastern frame, so as to achieve the ultimate luxury style among Chinese luxuries.
"Luxury goods have been a feature of Chinese culture since the earliest times, and we will play our part in what is a revival, but also a fresh blossoming of the art of luxury in China. We hope that as the inheritors of Chinese civilization, we can pass on the classical wealth of luxury through our brand," said Zhang.
The new collection comes in five colors: black, yellow, green, red and blue, as each of them have been the dominating colors for the five important dynasties in Chinese history. For instance, black was the most dignified color in the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), blue in the Southern and Northern dynasties (AD420-589), green in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and golden yellow in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
