With the increasing popularity of the new Chinese style both at home and abroad, more and more people are getting to know China’s traditional clothing and culture through horse – face skirts. Recently, a Chinese fashion brand has actually made the horse – face skirt the star of the runway at Paris Fashion Week, allowing the world to experience a vivid display of Chinese aesthetics.

That brand is LINQI, which shares the same name as Lin Qi (林栖), the first inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of horse – face skirt making techniques in China. The just – released Spring/Summer 2025 collection marks LINQI’s debut at Paris Fashion Week. The designer titled the collection “Après la pluie (After the Rain)” and adopted classic color palettes from green landscape paintings, decorative details of tassels from traditional Chinese clothing, the gradient effect presented by the hand tie – dyeing technique, and sheer overlay tops that resemble the misty rain. Using the design language of Oriental aesthetics, the designer interpreted the imagery of rain from multiple angles.

As the first inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage of horse – face skirt making techniques in China, the inheritor of the brand Shenghuo Zaizuo, and an ambassador for promoting Chinese textile techniques, Lin Qi brought a spring rain from the East to Paris. Just like the first look at the beginning of the show, glistening “water droplets” were embellished under the broad brim of the hat and the skirt hem, unveiling the grand curtain of an Oriental dream amidst the dense mist and moisture.

A Full Set of Looks

The tasseled skirt hems danced amidst the rain curtain. Materials like sheer fabrics were presented in a highly sculptural way, resembling the pavilions faintly visible in the rain.

The traditional embroidery elements, which carry the most profound Oriental charm, bloomed on the skirt hems and swayed in the rain.

When it comes to LINQI’s debut at Paris Fashion Week, the designer Lin Qi expressed her development vision: “I am committed to integrating the most beautiful traditional Chinese clothing, traditional Chinese craftsmanship, and innovation. Through a series of design works, I want to show my respect for history and culture. At present and in the future, clothing is not just clothing; it represents the spirit of an individual and an era.”

Summary

She deliberately extended the imagery of rain throughout the entire exhibition. She said that “the continuous changes in the rainy environment” are just like the various challenges and continuous growth that women have experienced amidst the changes of the times. The innovative transformation and integration of various traditional clothing techniques tell the story of the self – awakening and reshaping of contemporary Chinese women, and also endow the Oriental charm with new vitality. Perhaps the innovatively designed Hanfu styles on the runway are not suitable for everyone, but this form of innovation has injected new vitality into Hanfu. It is hoped that in the future, Hanfu can go further on various international stages.