Guo Pei: I can't help talking about my grandmother, who is like an inspiration to me in art and brings me many fantasies of beauty

06 Dec, 2020

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Guo Pei - Chinese designer, one of the prominent representatives of high fashion is known for her sophisticated and at the same time extravagant style. Guo Pei is the second after Lebanese designer, Eli Saab, to become a member of the French Fashion Federation (Chambre syndicale de la haute couture parisienne), founded in 1868. Each of her shows is a new discovery and a special performance for the world fashion industry. In 2016, Time Magazine listed her in the 100 most influential people. The head office of Guo Pei’s brand is on Saint Honore Street, in Paris. While the designer and her team are working on a new collection, Guo Pei found time to have an exclusive interview with "Kviris Palitra".

Let’s start our interview by talking about the beginning of your career. How did the journey of your art begin?

I've been in the fashion design industry for over 30 years. In fact, in the first decade, I worked as a designer for a ready-to-wear brand, I felt that there were too many restrictions, and turned to set up my own brand in 1997, hoping to have more freedom to design beautiful garments. But in creating my own studio, I found that the limitations were actually more. I need to face each client personally and meet their every need, for me this is a service, to satisfy the wishes and emotions of my clients. It has always been my dream and an expression of complete self to make the most beautiful dress in my imagination, and that's exactly what I'm presenting at Paris Haute Couture Week! I'm using these collections to express my emotions and my perception of the world, to express a timeless, unbounded beauty of time and space, which I think is the beauty of couture.

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Childhood experiences make a big impact on a person's thoughts and feelings, relationships, career, life. Which of your childhood memories are expressed in your works?

In many media interviews, I can't help talking about my grandmother, who is like an inspiration to me in art and brings me many fantasies of beauty. I also particularly loved to hear her bedtime stories about the slippery fabrics embroidered with butterflies and flowers that I still seek out. In my work, you will find a lot of embroidery elements that are not what my grandmother depicted at the time, as it is a mixture of different techniques from different countries, but I believe it was those fond childhood memories of my grandmother that led me to explore some of this.

I would like to ask you a lot of questions, thank you again for this opportunity. Let me ask you about your working process, how do you work on your new project, how much time do you need to create a new collection?

There is no definite time because the creation can happen in an instant, as in the case of my “Architecture” collection, for which I quickly completed the manuscript while waiting at the airport. What really takes a lot of time is the process of realizing the manuscripts, from the custom fabrics to the pattern designs, to the embroidery and decorative details, the final presentation of these designs takes my team months or even years. During this time there are many more tweaks and modifications to be made.

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Why gold? You use it so often in your collection?

When I was a child, I asked my grandmother for a yellow dress, but she refused: in her time, yellow was a royal color. Yellow was a special color to me, a symbol of royal luxury and majesty. At different times in my life, I have had different interpretations of yellow: in my “Legend of the Dragon” collection, I use yellow to express the powerful femininity, in my “Legends” collection, yellow is like the rays of the sun, which give life to everything, and I use it to express a selfless devotion.

Tell us about the persons who inspired you.

There are very many of them. Many historical figures and artists bring me a constant source of inspiration. For example, my “Legends” collection was released at “La Conciergerie”, that the building was converted into the Palace of Justice and prison, whose most famous prisoner was Marie Antoinette. I have long been intrigued by her stories—her glamour, beauty and extravagant lifestyle, as famously portrayed in Sofia Coppola’s film. So I created a luminous fabric using intricate knotting techniques to design a dress named “Ghost”, which evokes the spirit of Marie Antoinette wandering through the castle grounds. This dress served as the prelude to the "Legends" show in January 2017. In my “Alternate Universe” collection, many of the decorative details are inspired by Dali's surrealist creations. For me, Dali's work expresses another world in parallel space, which I also believe in.

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Your choice is Haute couture, why?

I don't want fashion to be a passing fad and then quickly forgotten, I hope that people will still be able to feel its beauty in decades or even centuries to come, I would like to leave a mark on the future through haute couture that belongs to the current era.

Please tell us about working experience with Fashion Legend Carmen Dell'Orefice.

I admire Carmen, who presented twice my designs in the shows of the “1002 nights” collection and “Legend” collection. I feel so affected by her inner power, which remains regardless of the time, and which makes her very elegant. And that's exactly what I wanted to convey through my works. She has a big beautiful heart, so elegant and sweet.

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Will a pandemic period affect people’s personality, how you handle this pandemic period?

The epidemic was a really unforgettable period for me, it was also a special time that slowed people down, made them appreciate the people and things around them more and think about life in a new way. Our 2020 autumn/winter collection was created during this time, which inspired by the mystical Savannah grasslands to express a joy of life and a reflection on life and nature.

What would you like to say to people all over the world, being in isolation?

I hope more people will pay attention to haute couture, because it is not just a piece of clothing that can be worn on the body, it can also represent your spiritual world, can even accompany you in your life, and bring you beauty beyond reality. Especially during this particular time of the epidemic, I hope people can feel the love and beauty of couture.

Thank you!

Author: Nino Tsipuria