Exhibition addresses the pressing concern of sustainability
Every old piece of material has a story to tell, an emotional clue to follow, and a long-gone past to encounter.
The "Sustainable Mei Exhibition: Qing Gan Yi Jiu" initiated by canU, a sustainable fashion platform, is on display at the Modern Art Museum Shanghai through August 20 with support from the co-initiator, Huasheng ESG Institute.
Hundreds of old garments and collections from celebrities, artists, designers, participants from all walks of life, and well-known brands are wonderfully displayed in this building converted from a coal bunker at Shanghai's Laobaidu Wharf, together with upcycling works by various creatives.
From multiple perspectives such as aesthetics, culture, society, history, and individual experience, "Qing Gan Yi Jiu" shares the value and meaning retained in old clothes beyond time and expresses the closest concern of individuals for the issue of sustainability.
In the first section, "Rethink the Past," more than 40 celebrities, including actors, pop singers, film directors, writers, and athletes, are encouraged to choose an old piece of clothing and share the story behind it.
Actress Zhou Xun shows off her costume from the film "Confucius," which includes exquisite golden headgear and a peacock-blue Han Chinese robe.
Zhou portrayed Nanzi, wife of the king of the State of Wei, in the film. The peacock's elegant and aristocratic appearance, which evoked a sense of detachment, served as inspiration for the design of this courtroom drama.
Costume in "Confucius"
Shanghai-based writer Jin Yucheng selected an old Versace sweater from his personal collection. "Seeing this sweater from the 1990s reminds me of the days when I passed the Suzhou Creek, pushed my bike up and down the Xikang Road Bridge, and went to work at the editorial office on Julu Road every week," Jin recalled.
Table tennis gold medalist Ma Long displayed a jersey for the China National Table Tennis Team. He won the men's singles gold medal in this shirt at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. Before that, he went through a long period of lows. This shirt was a major turning point for him.
Uniform Of China National Table Tennis Team, 2010
Functional areas of one's "home" are segmented in the section titled "Reinterpret the Present." Well-known fashion designers use diverse artistic mediums to display their preserved collections of numerous famous brands in various household settings, including the living room, dining room, bedroom, and fitting room.
Dior, the exhibition's chief cooperating brand partner, invited fashion enthusiasts to share their personal Dior collections from various eras, and Burberry, the exhibition's special cooperative brand partner, also invited celebrities like Chen Kun and Qi Xi, Wang Quyou, Xu Chuang, and Yin Fang, each of whom chose a traditional trench coat from their own wardrobes.
The clues of time are stretched to the future in the third section, "Remake the Future," by displaying the recreated works of 23 designers, including SANKUANZ, Xander Zhou, Marine Serre, PRONOUNCE, Samuel Guiyang, Joseph Dejardin, Chen Min, and Oude Waag.
They mix re-creation with traditional clothing culture, ethnic handicrafts, recycled waste, ecologically friendly materials, and virtual fashion to pull classic clothing from the timeline of the past and begin a new life cycle in the present.
Louis Vuitton provided the trunks used by the brand in the 2021 China International Import Expo as the supporting brand partner for Remake Lounge. It turns out to be an aesthetic and functional piece called "Encounter," in which artist Sean Wu integrates and updates old seats of various materials and shapes.
Exhibition info:
Date: Through August 20; 10am-6pm
Venue: Modern Art Museum Shanghai
Address: 4777 Binjiang Blvd, Pudong New Area
