Guo Pei facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Guo Pei
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Pei in 2017
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| Born | 12 March 1967 Haidian District, Beijing, China
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| Nationality | People's Republic of China |
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| Awards | ACM Best Design Exhibition 2019, International Fashion and Accessories Fair Gold Awards, Beijing Olympics costume design award, China International Fashion Week Best Dress Design Award |
Guo Pei (Chinese: 郭培; pinyin: Guō Péi, born in 1967) is a very famous Chinese fashion designer. She is known for creating amazing dresses for Chinese celebrities. In America, she became famous for the long yellow gown worn by singer Rihanna at the 2015 Met Gala. Guo Pei was the first designer from Asia to be invited to join the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. This is a special group for top fashion designers. In 2016, Time magazine named her one of the World's 100 Most Influential People.
Contents
Early Life and Fashion Dreams
Guo Pei was born in Beijing, China, in 1967. Her father was a military leader and her mother was a kindergarten teacher. She started sewing when she was only two years old. She loved helping her mother make clothes for the winter. Even as a child, she loved making dresses, which was unusual at a time when most people wore simple, uniform clothing.
She studied fashion design at the Beijing Second Light Industry School. She graduated in 1986, which was a good time for fashion in China. The country was changing, and people wanted new styles. Guo Pei found a job at Tianma, one of China's first private clothing companies. She saw a huge demand for fashion. One of her popular designs was a bright winter coat. In 1997, she left to start her own fashion brand.
A Career in Couture
Guo Pei wanted to create something special as fashion grew in China. In the early 2000s, her reputation became very strong. She was asked to design costumes for the 2008 Summer Olympics. She also designed for the annual Spring Festival Galas on China Central Television (CCTV).
Designing for the Olympics
Guo Pei designed the dress for singer Song Zuying. Song wore it during her performance with Plácido Domingo at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. This special dress took two weeks to make. It was covered with 200,000 sparkling Swarovski crystals.
Famous Collections and Collaborations
Her collection called "One Thousand and Two Nights" was shown in November 2009. This happened during China Fashion Week. A famous American model, Carmen Dell'Orefice, walked in the show. She wore a detailed white gown with fur and a very long train. Four people had to help carry the train.
Guo Pei also worked as a costume designer for the 2014 film The Monkey King. The costumes in the film were nominated for an award.
The Iconic Rihanna Dress
In 2008, Guo Pei designed a bright yellow dress with a huge, round train. It had yellow fur edges and silver flower patterns. This dress took her team about 50,000 hours to make over 20 months. It weighed about 25 kg (55 lb).
Singer Rihanna found this dress online while looking for an outfit for the 2015 New York Met Gala. The theme was about China. Guo Pei agreed to let Rihanna wear it but worried if she could handle the weight. Rihanna appeared on the red carpet in the gown. Three people followed her to hold the large train. People online quickly made funny pictures comparing the dress to omelettes and pizzas. A photo of Rihanna in the dress was on the front page of Vogue magazine's Met Gala edition. This made Guo Pei very well-known in Western countries.
International Recognition
Guo Pei's designs were also shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The exhibition was called "China: Through the Looking Glass". In 2016, Guo Pei made history. She became a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. This is a very exclusive group of top fashion designers in Paris.
Her first collection shown at Paris Fashion Week was for Spring Summer 2016. It was inspired by spring flowers and the phoenix bird. The designs used traditional Chinese styles. These included gold tassels, detailed embroidery on silk, and long trains.
Her Spring 2017 haute couture collection was called "Legend." It was shown at La Conciergerie in Paris. This collection was inspired by the beautiful paintings in the St. Gallen Cathedral in Switzerland.
More recently, Guo Pei's Spring/Summer show showed the idea of life. She used trees and roots in her runway setup and in her clothing designs. A common color was dark blue embroidery, which suggested dawn or dusk. Guo Pei explained that her work represents the life force of roots and flowers. She said, "Roots are the source of life and vitality... Without roots, there's not life." A special part of many of her collections is the use of gold. Guo Pei believes gold is "the color of our souls."
In 2022, Guo Pei's work was shown at the San Francisco Legion of Honor museum. It displayed many of her amazing "couture fantasy" designs from the past twenty years. This exhibition was the most popular at the museum in 20 years.
Guo Pei also designed the costumes for the character of Chang'e in the 2020 Netflix movie Over The Moon.
Personal Life
Guo Pei is married to Cao Bao Jie, also known as Jack Tsao. He is a textile dealer. She says he helped her learn about European fabrics and embroidery. He also helped her see herself as a top fashion designer, not just a tailor. Guo's husband manages the business side of her fashion label.
Rose Studio: Her Creative Home
Rose Studio is the name of Guo Pei's special showroom in Beijing. It is a three-story building in an industrial area. From the outside, it looks like a normal factory. But inside, gold-speckled mirrors cover the walls and ceilings. Guo Pei's beautiful designs are displayed like art in a museum.
On the top floor, many skilled tailors, pattern cutters, shoemakers, and needlewomen work. They take great care to make sure every detail is perfect. Guo Pei employs 500 people in different locations. Most of them learn their skills on the job, as Guo Pei is a great teacher. Her clients are usually very wealthy. Many of her older clients are now choosing more Chinese-inspired styles.
See also
In Spanish: Guo Pei para niños
