The first Monday of May isn’t just any other day, it’s when the Met Gala occurs, and while every year there is plenty of stunning one-of-a-kind pieces shown on various celebrities, it was Rihanna who took my breath away when pictures surfaced of the 2015 outfits. In a trailing yellow gown with a breathless amount of details, the mogul stunned the crowds- but it was something else about her dress that left me speechless. While the theme of the Met Gala that year was ‘China: through the looking glass,’ not every celebrity chose to embrace Chinese (or even Asian) designers, and even fewer had Guo Pei design for them. A stunning couture artist who grew up under the Mao regime, she perpetually defies both logic and gravity in her designs and gives both the wearer and viewer a sense of entering a fairyland.

Despite all this talent, Pei had not been largely recognized by members of the Western fashion community until Rhianna showed up at the Met Gala in her stunning couture fit. After this moment she became the only Chinese designer to become part of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture- one of the highest honors a fashion designer can receive. And, yet when it comes to surrealist couture the name of ‘Schiraparelli’ often hits the lips before that of ‘Guo Pei.” While this can be semi-understandable, given that Pei is still alive and producing the stunning works of art that she is, it only seems fair to talk about her and dive deeper into the amazing career that she has created for herself.

The start

As briefly touched upon in the beginning, growing up in Mao’s China she was expected to don the suits expected of everyone at the time. And yet she refused to conform to this expectation, flouting danger by wearing loose dresses instead to highlight both her inner rebellion and personal style. Part of this came from inspiration at her grandparents’ house, a place filled with stories of the beautiful embroidery that Pei now puts into most of her work.

As China embarked on a larger cultural revolution, Pei was able to enter the Beijing School of Industrial Fashion Design and begin work at various manufacturers throughout the country before she eventually created her own fashion house under the name of Rose Studio.

Introducing the collections

During China Fashion Week in 2009, Pei’s first collection was released. Her stunning “one thousand and two nights” collection received plenty of praise. Using the Arabian tale of ‘1001 nights’ she used her collection to explore life, death and infidelity. However, the item that simply must be mentioned is that of the opening piece to the collection; a trailing yellow robe that you will certainly find familiar…

Finding the limelight

2015 might be the year that everything truly changed in Pei’s mind, yet I’m holding out hope that 2022 will provide her with even more of the recognition that she deserves. Earlier this year, an eighty look collection entered the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco to highlight not only her talent, but also the “shift in global fashion narratives and China’s rise as a fashion leader,” as the director and CEO Thomas P. Campbell stated.

This choice in place and designer seemed to release a breath of air from my lungs that I didn’t know I was holding. Growing up in California, it’s become common knowledge that so much of the area was built off the backs of Chinese immigrants with little to no recognition- particularly in the San Francisco area. With racism and Asian American hate crimes at a high with the pandemic, knowing that the graceful beauty of Guo Pei’s stunning works of art has reached the West Coast is like being dunked into a bath of cold water…the fire could rise again. Now my main concern is how to visit the exhibition.