A Study on the Modern Fashion Design Using the Characteristics of Chinese Traditional Shadow Play

Abstract

Chinese shadow puppetry constitutes the intangible heritage of the Chinese traditional culture. In its long history, its costumes reflect the unique cultural characteristics of each era. Moreover , the unique expression of shadow puppet art applies various elements and characteristics in designing personalized and artistic costumes, which not only display the regional culture of Chinese national art but also puts forward new design concepts. Therefore, this study obtained inspiration from multiple aspects of Chinese traditional shadow puppets, including artistic images; characteristics of figures in shadow puppets and their joint actions; collocation of traditional colors; combination of light and shadow; and created works. Specifically, such an inspiration included methods of creation, forms, materials, colors, and patterns. Afterward, the results were applied to the design and development of modern fashion. First, it connected various shadow puppet workmodes , which have been separated from creation methods. Five Chinese traditional colors were selected as basic and major colors, whereas leather, which is the basic material for shadow puppets, was used as the basis for using multiple materials, such as transparent fabric and PVC . Moreover, patterns were created through the inspiration obtained from figures in the shadow puppets. In other words, the fashion design considered various elements and characteristics of shadow puppets. Four sets of works with unique artistic characteristics was produced. This thesis highlights shadow puppets, which is a Chinese traditional culture, as the basis of design and analyzes the segmented bodies, costumes, and ornaments of figures in shadow puppets and produced modern form features. On this basis, the study designed shadow puppet works that reflect contemporaneity and originality. Therefore, this research integrated the forms of the traditional esthetic sense of Chinese traditional shadow puppetry with modern fashion design and puts forward new design possibilities. In addition, the study hopes that the Chinese traditional culture will inspire fashion design and will continue to explore new designs that combine traditional and modern beauty.