Fabulous Guo Pei Exhibition

Rihanna in Guo Pei’s dress at NY Met

Until recently I didn’t really recognise the name Guo Pei. I did however remember the remarkable yellow dress that Rihanna wore to the New York Met Gala in 2015 gaining global comment (and sparking numerous memes about omelettes). This stunning dress was designed by Guo Pei, a Chinese fashion designer, and its creation took two years and over 50,000 hours. Although Guo Pei had been a renown fashion designer for the elite in China for many years, this dress marked her entry to the Western World of fashion and led to her becoming the first Asian designer to be admitted to the ‘Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion’. In 2016, Time Magazine listed her as one of the World’s 100 Most Influential People.

I visited the Guo Pei Exhibition currently at the Auckland Art Gallery and was absolutely blown away by it. I have previously appreciated the spectacular World of Wearable Art event and this exhibition certainly rivalled that, and perhaps even better because it allowed you to appreciate the elaborate intricate details up close in your own time.

Guo Pei’s story is even more remarkable because she grew up during the time of Chairman Mao when art and creativity were forbidden in China and fashion was unheard of. The ubiquitous Mao tunic suit was worn by the majority of the population. Guo Pei’s father did still secretly draw but it was her grandmother who remembered (she did have a photo but it was destroyed) the wonders of the emperor’s palace and the stunningly embroidered gowns. Her grandmother would tell her wondrous stories when she went to bed at night, in the dark, so her imagination created amazing delights.

Her mother had very poor eye sight so Guo Pei helped her thread needles from the age of 2. She went to study and graduate from the Beijing Second Light Industry School with a degree in fashion design, and then a job at one of China’s first privately owned clothing brand manufacturers. Although the demand for fashion was growing in China it was slow and Guo Pei still held those childhood dreams in her mind. She eventually set up her own fashion brand (supported by her husband) so that she could bring some of these dreams to life. There weren’t people who had the skills or knowledge to create her fantastical designs, so she had to train them herself. She now employs 500 people and is a great sponsor of Chinese creative arts.

Guo Pei: Fashion, Art, Fantasy immerses you in the material worlds conjured by China’s queen of couture. Presented thematically, and sampling from eight couture collections, the extraordinary garments and accessories in the exclusive exhibition weave threads of inspiration and storytelling across materials and time. You’ll go on a wondrous journey through playful dream lands, magical gardens and celestial realms, in which you’ll encounter mythological creatures, fearless legendary heroines and divine figure of faith. You’ll encounter astonishing realms of opulent visual poetry, in which sensations, dreams and cultural stories coalesce.

Dreamland