Traditional Taiwanese Hakka fabrics find international favour - After nearly 20 years in the wilderness, Hakka-style floral fabrics have made a cultural and commercial return to prominence in Taiwan. These textiles have deep roots in the traditions of the Hakka people, Taiwans second largest ethnic group. The cloths were ubiquitous on the island until the 1990s, when changing fashions and the textile industrys wholescale migration to the Chinese mainland saw them largely vanish from everyday life. Today, their return to popularity is unmissable. The leading Singaporean bank on the Song Jen Road in Taipeis Xinyi District, for instance, now boasts full-length window drapes complete with exuberant floral prints in the Hakka style. Such widespread acceptance reflects the success of a number of local initiatives aimed at restoring the use of traditional arts and crafts as a feature of Taiwanese life. The bid to restore the popularity of the cloth began in 2002 when the Hakka Affairs Council launched an initiative aimed at rekindling local interest. The highpoint of the campaign came in 2010 when the Vancouver Art Gallery was entirely draped in the material during the citys tenure as the host of the Winter Olympics. Such has been the success the initiative that these floral cloths are now in wide use across a range of products, including home decorative items (cushions, table cloth, curtains), bedding products (pillow covers, bed linens, quilt covers) and practical items (square scarves, shoulder bags, totes, purses). They have also found favour when it comes to clothing (ready-to-wear, bandanas, hip scarves, scarves, handkerchiefs), decorative props (fabric strips, lanterns, stage backdrops) and furniture (sofas, tables and chairs, interior wall decorations). In line with its longstanding strategy of collaborating with local industries to achieve economic benefits, Taiwan is actively promoting the development of its cultural and creative industries. This has increasingly seen the Hakka cloth being marketed globally. Now firmly re-established as uniquely Taiwanese symbol, the fabric has taken centre stage at the Taiwan International Cultural and Creative Industry Expo, as well making heavily promoted appearances at a number of other trade shows, including the HKTDC Hong Kong Gifts & Premium Fair and the HKTDC Hong Kong International Home Textiles and Furnishings Fair.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 12:30:52 +0000
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