Exhibition “Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy” introduced in celebration of Asian Heritage Month

(SAN FRANCISCO) Guo Pei is a world class fashion designer from China known for designing dresses for Chinese celebrities. The Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco presents an exhibition “Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy” in celebration of the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month through September 5.

Guo is regarded as one of the best designers in modern Chinese history. The exhibition, which runs from April 16 to September 5, includes more than 80 ensembles from Guo during the past two decades. It highlights Guo's most important fashion collections, shown on Beijing and Paris fashion festivals, including many designs that have never before been shown to the public.

“Drawing inspiration from European and Chinese artistic traditions, Guo Pei’s creations blur the boundaries between art and fashion. Displayed in a neoclassical architectural context at the Legion Honor, amidst our collection of European art, Pei’s designs encourage our visitors to consider the rich historical ties between China and the West,” states Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Campbell continued, “San Francisco, with our position on the Pacific Rim and our significant Chinese heritage, is a natural location to premiere the first major museum exhibition on Guo Pei’s work and we are delighted to present her exquisite designs to US audiences.”

Guo was born in Beijing. She started sewing at the age of 2 helping her mother make clothes for the winter. Guo developed her love for dressmaking and graduated from the Beijing Second Light Industry School with a degree in fashion design in 1986.

In the 1980s, China began to emerge as a leader in the fashion world. Guo found a job at one of China's first privately owned clothing brand manufacturers. She spent 10 years designing for major manufacturers before she left the private sector in 1997 to form her own fashion brand, Rose Studio, at the age of 30.

In the early 2000s, Guo's reputation continued to grow. She was selected to create styles for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Guo's collection was first showcased in Paris Fashion Week in 2016. Guo was the first born-and-raised Asian designer to be invited to become a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, the chief governing body of the high-fashion industry, allowing her to show on the Paris Haute Couture Week calendar.

In the same year of 2016, Time Magazine named her as one of the world's 100 most influential people and one of the business of fashion's 500 most influential people shaping the global fashion industry.

Guo said in a statement on her exhibit in San Francisco, “As a creator and artist, there is no greater honor or privilege than to share my creativity with a wider audience. I am therefore honored and humbled that the prestigious Legion of Honor Museum is presenting a retrospective of my work. In doing so, I hope that it brings greater awareness and understanding of my life’s passion, and conveys Chinese culture and traditions, and shows the new face of contemporary China.”

Guo's design and dressmaking is well known for being handmade for long hours. Her collections reflect modern Chinese fashion with a mixture of the Chinese traditional culture and western ideas, including the Chinese embroidery and painting.

"From daywear for successful businesswomen, to elegant gowns for the red carpet, to elaborate wedding gowns, or costumes for films, the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the annual CCTV New Year’s gala, Guo Pei is one of China’s most prolific designers," Guo stated in her own website.

Today, Guo employs nearly 500 skilled artisans in her Rose Studio in Beijing dedicated to producing her stunning creations, some of which can take thousands of hours and up to two years to complete.

On May 14, Saturday, 11am -4pm, Legion of the Honor Museum will hold a day of film screenings highlighting Guo Pei’s journey, from the early beginnings of her career to becoming China's most renowned couturier. Film screenings include “Yellow is Forbidden,” “Mao’s New Suit,” and the exclusive premiere of its own “Guo Pei: Couture Fantasy” exhibition film.