A few years ago, young Hong Kong designer Polly Ho encountered Canton silk, a heritage fabric unique to Guandgong, by chance. It was love at first sight for her. This almost-lost fabric also inspired her creativity and motivated her to set up the local fashion label “Loom Loop”, which features a collection of contemporary fashion using Canton silk.
Reputed as “soft gold”, Canton silk originated from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The satin product is naturally dyed with the extract of Dioscorea cirrhosa Lour, a plant unique to Guangdong. It was highly popular amongst the rich in the past.
The fundamentals of fashion: ordinary elegance Ho saw the production process with her own eyes during the trip. She sighed that although Canton silk was included on the national list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2008, craftsmen who still truly know about the traditional craft are rarely available. “The last thing I want to see is a craft with such a long history could only be looked at in a museum setting for our next generations.” The idea inspired her to establish Loom Loop. Through her strengths in fashion design, she strives to bring Chinese crafts to the attention of the new generation, thus help preserve traditional cultures.
There is something deeply meaningful in the name “Loom Loop”. Ho explained that, “loom” is related to weaving while “loop” is related to knitting; they symbolize the basics of fashion. The Chinese name “碌祿” is a transliteration of the two words, and the two Chinese characters implies items that are ordinary and elegant respectively. The characters were chosen to convey that even ordinary objects could exhibit their own beauty and elegance.
Inspired by folklore
The first Canton silk fashion designed by Ho is a Chinese style cheongsam that features the Western element of zipper, which was employed to bring out the charm of East-meets-West. She later focused on designing print patterns that are uniquely Chinese and made use of environmentally-friendly ink to print the patterns on Canton silk. She pointed out that rereading Chinese folk tales proved to be very inspirational for her creativity. The familiar tales of The Butterfly Lovers, The Legend of the White Snake, Altair and Vega, etc, for example, became interesting elements in her designs. The “Awakening of Insects” from the 24 solar terms was recently used as a theme. “I aspire to design fashion that shows our own cultural characteristics instead of merely following what is trending now.”
Amongst the Canton silk fashion items designed by Loom Loop, the charm of East-meets-West is especially noted in the 2017 fall / winter collection entitled “The Separated Lovers”, which is themed around the story of Altair and Vega. The child-at-heart Ho played around with the “cow” idea (Altair is a cow herder) and made the initiative to approach the classic household brand Vitasoy for collaboration. The classic cowboy image of Vitasoy’s chocolate milk drink was merged into fashion to overthrow the stiff image of Canton silk clothes. “Crossover ideas should not be constrained to fashion brands. Chemistry and resonance can also be found in cross-industry collaboration too.” Ho accessorized her clothes with bags designed with milk cartons. Indie singer Lung Siu-kwan was invited to sing the familiar jingle of the product at a fashion showcase. Using innovative and intriguing presentation, novelty is injected into the traditional fabric and story.
Wearable tradition
The impressive Loom Loop Canton silk fashion, most naturally, cannot be complete without cheongsams and handbags with Chinese knot buttons. The design direction stemmed from a story from years back that has engraved in the mind of Ho. “Knot buttons used to be a basic craft passed down the generations in the Chinese society. Yet, not many people know how to tie a knot button now. I am very lucky that I consulted my grandmother about it and learnt the craft.” She is worried that this craft would slowly become extinct. As such, knot buttons are made into various fashionable clothes, in hopes that modern designs could inspire interests and awareness of traditional Chinese crafts and culture.
Loom Loop has opened for three years since its inception in 2014. Ho smiled as she retold an anecdote that took place when she opened a pop-up store in a Chinese emporium. Her exchange with an old lady was particularly memorable. The old lady was especially thrilled when she saw the clothes sold by Loom Loop. Ho gently reminded her that there were shops upstairs selling clothes made of Canton silk, and she may want to look at other options. Unexpectedly, the old lady responded cheekily, “But I want something trendy and chic!”. Ho said, “That little episode has always stayed with me. I hope that in the future, my fashion can continue to connect people to their memories and their appreciation of Chinese culture.”
