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The minority style stakes

By Elsbeth van Paridon: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, September 19, 2012

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With New York Fashion Week done and dusted and London getting into full swing baby, I found myself facing camel mohair (the real deal that is; still attached to the animal) in the middle of China's far-west outback Xinjiang deserts. I have previously mentioned the extensive influence China's exuberant minority traditional dress has had on many a young Chinese designer. So as we were hobbling 'n wobbling along the province's unforgiving yet stunningly rugged features, I figured: Let's take an up-close and personal look at what the woman next to me is wearing and maybe even find out where she got that fabulous headscarf. Even Taobao, China's immensely popular online shopping Mecca sells trendy ethnic minority-inspired items. How much more part of the in-crowd can you get?

Yours truly in a poor attempt at desert fashion. The long colorful skirt was fabulous though- too bad you can't see it.

From Han to Hui

As I journeyed from the province's capital Urumqi, which moves at an even faster pace than fashion's annual collections, across the deserts, through the hamigua (honey melon) fields of Hami City and into the towering mountains with their ivory snowy peaks, it struck me that what makes Xinjiang the Oscar De La Renta of this vast nation is its variety- in terms of both landscape and population. Just like the famed designer, who has experimented with different colors, textures and materials in his New York Spring/Summer 2013 collection, mixing a red latex top with an ivory pencil skirt for example, Xinjiang is a blend of cultures as it is home to some 46 of China's 56 ethnic minorities. Due to the dazzling array of choices open to me, I opted to highlight the traditional dress of one minority which has a both a significant presence throughout China and a considerable influence on many designer's runways: The Huizu (回族 or Hui minority).

From the riverbanks to the catwalk, Hui fashion has stood the test of time. Copyright@Cultural- China

From west to east

The white, brimless hats of the Hui Muslims can be spotted across the nation's 32 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Gansu province hold the largest Hui populations, 1.86 and 1.18 million, respectively, while Xinjiang is home to about 0.86 million Hui people. Not the majority, stating the obvious, but one with a strong presence. It is precisely because of this regional spread, as well as their Muslim beliefs, that Hui clothes have different styles and components. Eclectic was the word used to describe the latest New York Fashion Week, and it also suits the Hui perfectly. The Hui call clothing yizhuo or chuandai (dress or traditional apparel) and several of their styles still feature that strong Central Asian influence which can be traced back to their Arab, Persian, Central Asian ancestors who married Han-Chinese. From housing, and they are very particular about their interior design, to cooking- abiding by Islamic dietary rules- high skills and special flavors matter. To appliqué-ably quote designer Jeremy Scott after he presented his quirky Arab Spring 2013 collection during NY Fashion Week, they basically "carry out their vision with precision." The embroidered (flower) patterns form the constant silk lining of both the Hui indoor decorations and clothing. It must be the combination of desert and unrelenting sun that inspires such colorfulness.

The Hui must-have: the hat. Copyright@Cultural-China

From head to toe

The Hui closet is home to distinctive national features and is additionally influenced by gender, age, marital status (I wonder what my 30-year-old single woman's closet would look like to a Hui woman)- regions, seasons and professions. The main elements of the Hui wardrobe include: The silk, linen, cotton, two- or one-layered multi-seasonal waistcoat (); the maisaihai, leather-like socks which are very Rodarte; the brand described its New York collections as "punk meets medieval." I'd say leather socks match that concept seamlessly.); the zhunbai (robe), the so-called white praying hat and the headscarf. The latter are the most prominent pieces in the Hui's seasonal collections, with the (principally) men's white hat and women's headscarf being its sell-out items. Some choose to leave the hats in their boxes and opt to wrap white towels or cloth around their heads. Others, perhaps the more fashion-forward ones, prefer pentagonal, hexangular or even octagonal headgear, depending on the branch of Islam they belong to and their region of origin. The preferred double-breasted, very New York street cool, white shirts for men, which are sometimes combined with all-white trousers and socks, make for a very Viktor&Rolf clean and bright silhouette. Women tend to go for the white, round-edged hats and veils masterfully draped across their heads. Young girls wear green veils with golden hems and flower or grass embroidery. In their next role, that of wife, the young women will don a black veil that runs from head to shoulder. Finally, as they reach the age of 81-year-old Carmen dell Orifice, the world's oldest supermodel who still strutted her stuff on the New York runway recently, they shall put on a white veil which covers them from head to back. The Hui female dress for young girls and married women often features thread inlays, embedded colors and designs such as embroidered flowers. My hat's off to such eye for detail.

Bared arms, let alone cleavage, are a no-go and will-clash with the beautiful delicateness of the Hui girl or wife's costume. Copyright@Chinahighlights

Fashionistas United, Marc Jacobs may have been optical illusion-inspired in New York, but:

Minority fashion forms an oasis of inspiration in the vast Xinjiang desert!