Brocade's legacy of high fashion nearly faded away in old China

Photo provided to China Daily.

Zhu Yunxiu, her hands waving like a conductor's, weaves a symphony of color. She took up the trade in middle school and is delighted to have young apprentices.

"I enjoy it," she said. "It makes me happy. I'm proud to keep this tradition alive."

The basic skill can be learned within three years but requires as many decades to master. There are few traditional weavers left.

It takes half a year to finish a shirt this way. The company today uses traditional weaving for only a handful of custom orders.

A weaver works at Wujiang Dingsheng Silk Co. The company designed the attire for world leaders at last year's APEC meeting, in Beijing. [Photo by Wang Zhuangfei/China Daily]

The company's legacy of luxury at top dollar has not simply survived, however. It is set to thrive with the Silk Road's revival. The Ministry of Culture has listed it as a component of the Belt and Road Initiative.

While exports of its raw materials are down 30 percent, the company's domestic sales of branded goods are up 70 percent. The company attributes this to the infusion of cultural elements and sleeker design.

It has invited top designers from Paris, London and Italy to create new products for its branded lines.

Song brocade has always been a luxury product. The Chinese character for brocade, jin, incorporates the meaning of gold, since silk was as precious as gold in imperial times.

Ancient Suzhou brocade commanded 15 times the cost of ordinary silk. The company today seeks the same reputation, if not the same price.