A Journey Into Light From East to West
A red thread intertwines past and future, art, beauty, and care, East and West.
This is the beating heart of HUI’s new vision, transforming the ancestral act of weaving into a symbol of universal connection. A special installation welcomes the audience at the show, where ancient embroidery techniques come to life through contemporary design.
During the Milan Fashion Week performance The Guardians of Light, artisans dressed in traditional attire embroider porcelain before the audience’s eyes, becoming guardians of time and memory. Everyone is invited to take part in this collective ritual—taking home a fragment of the installation or tying a red thread, a symbol of fate, to leave a mark in this boundless narrative, accompanied by the invitation: Weave Your Light. Be Brave, Be Yourself.
HUI
The red thread binding art and care extends beyond the walls of Palazzo Clerici with The Weaving of Light, a project promoted by the HUI Foundation. This intimate and powerful experience goes beyond the runway: LeSciure of the association Coltivare la Città, a group of women who have been contributing to collective well-being for over thirty years, and young Chinese participants, guided by Chinese artist-therapist Yuan Yuan, have woven red threads onto ceramic fragments, transforming each fracture into a symbol of hope and resilience. This collective artistic experiment has united generations and cultures. The project exhibition is open until March 31 at the maison’s showroom in Via Tortona 14, Milan.
Light is also the inspiration behind the HUI Fall/Winter 2025 collection, drawing from the myth of dawn and the rising sun to convey a message of renewal through the encounter of Eastern mythology and Western art history. The brand, which integrates the essence of Chinese culture into contemporary fashion, continues to reinterpret classic motifs in today’s designs with FW25. Qing Dynasty embroideries, such as the sun and clouds—symbols of imperial power—are reimagined in layers of semi-transparent organza, evoking the sensation of sunlight filtering through the clouds.
The journey into tradition continues in the valleys of Guizhou: the earth fabric pattern of the Bouyei minority carries a deep respect for nature and the world; the geometric patterns of brocade narrate migration and the development of communities; the Miao motifs express devotion to ancestors and spirits. In Bouyei villages of Guizhou, weavers still carefully select high-quality locally grown cotton, weaving it into intricate patterns where the spiral motif gradually emerges, symbolizing the cycle of life. Brocade artisans use natural dyes sourced from the mountains, skillfully weaving geometric motifs representing stars, the sun, the moon, mountains, and rivers—expressing the community’s understanding and reverence for nature. Meanwhile, Miao embroiderers craft butterflies and birds, symbols of freedom and hope, sealing a collection themed around the aurora—a light that travels from the Guizhou mountains to the Milan runways, amplifying its message of a borderless narrative.
THE HUI FOUNDATION DEBUTS IN MILAN WITH “THE WEAVING OF LIGHT”
A THERAPEUTIC ART PROJECT BRINGS TOGETHER MILANESE LESCIURE AND YOUNG CHINESE PARTICIPANTS
HUI is not just a brand; it is also a foundation, established in 2016 by designer Zhao Huizhou, dedicated to preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of ethnic minorities and the ancestral craftsmanship of Chinese culture.
The Chinese designer, who holds a master’s degree from the Politecnico di Milano, has always been passionate about the intersection of art and fashion. She founded a brand that seamlessly blends classic Eastern beauty with contemporary elegance. This vision led her to create the CENTENNIAL FASHION MUSEUM, where she has curated a collection of artworks from both China and around the world. Her continuous exploration of fashion, traditional culture, and artistic value has given her a unique approach to showcasing the evolution of intangible cultural heritage and fashion history, ultimately establishing a museum dedicated to fashion and cultural heritage.
Through the HUI FOUNDATION, the museum successfully exhibits historical costume designs spanning from the Qing Dynasty to the embroidery of intangible cultural heritage ethnic minorities, the stage costumes of the Republic of China, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the reform and opening-up period, and into the modern era. “HUI,” explains the designer, “is more than just a brand. Since 2016, it has also been a foundation committed to preserving and promoting the ancestral craftsmanship of Chinese culture. Through art and design, we aim to develop public welfare projects focused on poverty alleviation, with a particular emphasis on improving the quality of life for women and children.”
The Hui Foundation actively encourages donations and organizes cultural tours for students, taking them to the Guizhou hinterlands and remote villages beyond the usual tourist destinations. These experiences allow students to engage with local communities and immerse themselves in authentic cultural exchanges. The goal is to foster connections—between students who gain a deep spiritual enrichment from these cultural encounters and the villagers who, through this support, are able to sustain their craftsmanship. Thanks to these initiatives, local women can continue their artisanal work, preserving the extraordinary heritage of their handmade techniques.
Today, the foundation makes its Milan debut with a collective therapeutic art experiment titled “The Weaving of Light”, in collaboration with artist Yuan Yuan. In an intergenerational and intercultural experience, Le Sciure, members of the association “Coltivare la Città”—a group of women who have been contributing to collective well-being for over 30 years—join young Chinese participants in weaving red threads onto fragments of ancient porcelain, transforming them into shared works of art. This weaving and embroidery process becomes an intimate form of communication, warming and preserving the collective soul of humanity, forging fluid connections between people of different ages and cultural backgrounds.
“When Italian grandmothers and young Chinese participants weave ceramic fragments together,” says the designer, “fashion transcends national borders and becomes a true symbol of cultural integration.”
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