Asked by Anonymous
hello!~ so about the hanfu posts (which are very informative btw, i just happened to stumble across your blog when the china hashtag was trending!), is it becoming more common for young people to also learn how to sew these clothes as well? or apprentice (?) under labels (??) and learn from them? do the fashion/design schools in china have classes on these trad. types of clothing? thank u so much! i’m very interested in sewing and it’s nice to see non-western silhouettes
Hi, thanks for the question!
Yes, it’s definitely becoming more common for young people to also learn how to sew hanfu, in addition to buying the garments. Because the hanfu revival movement is relatively young (it started in 2003), in the beginning most people who wanted to wear hanfu had to teach themselves how to sew it using online resources. In fact, most if not all hanfu labels that exist today were founded by amateur or trained tailors who taught themselves how to make hanfu, since resources weren’t readily available. As far as I know, apprenticeships aren’t really a thing (yet) because the labels themselves are so young. I’m sure fashion/design schools in China have classes on theatrical costumes and more recent traditional fashion like qipao, but modern hanfu would be a relatively new subject. Of course, as interest and demand in hanfu rises, I’m certain classes on hanfu making will also increase.
For more resources on sewing hanfu, please check out my masterpost ^^
Hope this helps!
Note: top image shows designer Sinan (left) modelling modern hanfu from her popular hanfu label Sinange/司南阁, which she founded in 2014 after teaching herself how to make hanfu.
