fibre-art, textile
natural stone pattern
fibre-art
asian-art
textile
fashion and textile design
hand-embroidered
pattern design
geometric
fabric design
pattern repetition
textile design
beaded
decorative-art
imprinted textile
layered pattern
Dimensions 29 3/4 x 11 in. (75.57 x 27.94 cm)
This Hmong skirt, with its intricate patterns, feels like a painting made with thread. Can you imagine the maker carefully imprinting the cloth with these rhythms and dark geometries? The overall palette is muted, almost faded like a well-loved drawing. I wonder about the process of creation, the artist patiently building up layer after layer of pattern. What stories or symbols are woven into these designs? The skirt feels ancient, yet utterly contemporary—like it could have been made yesterday by some cool artist in Brooklyn. I am touched by the little pops of color, the red and purple stripes at the hem. The overall effect is understated, but there’s a deep well of feeling here. So much knowledge is accumulated and then distributed in these marks. It reminds me of the quilts of Gee’s Bend, in that it seems to come from an alternate, woman-centered universe. I love how these acts of making create an ongoing conversation across cultures and time.
Comments
The Hmong people are originally from China, but during the last two hundred years many of them have migrated to other countries in Southeast Asia as well as Europe and North America. For many Hmong women, traditional clothing continues to be a source of creative expression as well as cultural affirmation. This clothing is particularly appreciated by all the community when worn for holiday celebrations. Although there are a variety of costume styles reflecting regional and ethnic sub-group preferences, embroidery is universally valued and used to embellish everything from the distinctive pleated skirts to baby carriers, jackets and funeral garments. Sometimes needlework is worked directly on specific garments, but frequently individual unites of cloth, as seen here, are embroidered and then incorporated into individual costumes. As clothing wears out, it is not unusual for the embroidered panels to be reused. Hmong women are known to use many embroidery stitches, but the fold and tuck appliqué style seen here is a distinctive tradition that is admired wherever it is seen.
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