Female designer’s donation honors tradition and celebrates innovation

In August 2024, MITHRIDATE’s creative director, Chinese designer Demon Zhang (Zhang Ting), made a generous donation of three exquisite garments inspired by traditional ethnic attire to the Chinese National Museum of Ethnology in Beijing.

The pieces draw from the iconic clothing style of the Zhuang people from Wenshan, Yunnan, featuring narrow-cuff sleeves and an axe head-shaped hem. By blending these classic silhouettes with modern materials, techniques and colors, the designs also incorporate traditional Chinese farming tool weaving methods and the craftsmanship of Chaozhou embroidery.

A remarkable example of how ethnic costume can be creatively transformed to honor the past while embracing the future.