China's Li Brocade makes debut at Paris Fashion Week

(ECNS) -- Li Brocade, created by the Li ethnic group on Hainan Island, made its debut at Vivienne Tam’s spring 2025 show on Thursday during Paris Fashion Week.

The collection, inspired by tropical rain forest vegetation and rich fauna of Wuzhishan (Five Finger Mountain) in Hainan, took China’s Li Brocade to the international stage.

Paris Jackson, daughter of the legendary Michael Jackson, opened the runway show and brought global recognition to the centuries-old art of Li Brocade.

Tan Zhijun, a spectator of the show, said the fashion show is special for its combination of Chinese and western elements, with traditional Chinese patterns retained and new colors added .

 “Young people need to innovate and boldly show Li Brocade, the intangible cultural heritage, to the world,” said Chinese model Lu Kaigang who also walked the runway of the show.

Li brocade, renowned as the living fossil of Chinese textile industry, boasts a history of around 3,000 years. The entire process of the Li brocade tradition, from spinning, dyeing and weaving, to embroidery, was included in the World Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009.