Development of fashion design applied to costume of the Chinese Minority Xinjiang Uygur

Abstract

This study aims to develop fashion designs that combine atlas fabric with the characteristics of Uygur costume to modernize the costume of the Xinjiang Uygur. Research contents and methods are as follows. First, based on previous studies, research analysis was conducted on the cultural background, clothing characteristics, and material of Uygur clothing. Second, based on such research contents, designs combining the characteristics of Uygur costume and atlas fabric were presented. Third, to analyze the utilization of atlas fabric and examine fabric characteristics, material was gathered from collections on domestic and foreign web sites. Through field explorations of local museums in the Xinjiang area, minority group culture was observed in more detail. Based on collection of traditional clothing and analysis of its characteristics, fashion designs that apply contemporary trends were developed. General silhouettes without any restrictions to the waist and decorations made using embroidery were often used. Atlas silk, developed in China using Ikat weaving methods, is an important traditional clothing fabric of the minority group Xinjiang. Based on such data collection analysis, the produced works highlighted traditional ethnic characteristics by extracting classical patterns of atlas fabric, modifying or partially expanding them, combining them with hand knitting, and adding contemporary sensations, thus providing confirmations of the possibility of popularizing classic patterns in more practical manners.