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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Guo Pei (born in 1967) is a famous Chinese fashion designer. She is well-known for creating amazing dresses for Chinese celebrities. In America, she became famous for the long, yellow gown she designed for 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 very important group in Paris that decides which designers can create "haute couture" (high fashion). In 2016, Time magazine named her one of the World's 100 Most Influential People. She also started her own Chinese wedding dress brand. In 2025, she held a special exhibition in Paris called "Golden Thread – Costume Art from North Africa to the East."
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Fashion
Guo Pei was born in Beijing, China, in 1967. Her parents were part of China's government. Her father was a leader in the army, and her mother was a kindergarten teacher.
Guo Pei loved sewing from a very young age, even at two years old! She helped her mother make clothes for winter. She developed a strong passion for making dresses. During her childhood, most people wore simple, uniform-like clothes called Mao suits. But Guo Pei loved to create more flowing and unique dresses.
She studied fashion design at the Beijing Second Light Industry School and graduated in 1986. This was a great time for fashion in China because new changes were happening in the country. Guo Pei quickly found a job at Tianma, one of China's first private clothing companies. She noticed that people suddenly wanted more fashionable clothes. One of her most popular designs there was a bright winter coat with a hood. In 1997, she decided to leave the company and start her own fashion brand.
A Dazzling Career
Guo Pei wanted to do even more as fashion grew in China. In the early 2000s, her reputation really took off. She was asked to design costumes for big events like the 2008 Summer Olympics and the annual Spring Festival Galas on China Central Television (CCTV).
Designing for the Olympics
One of her famous designs was the dress for singer Song Zuying. Song Zuying wore it when she performed with Plácido Domingo at the 2008 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. This amazing dress took two weeks to make and was covered with 200,000 Swarovski crystals!
The "One Thousand and Two Nights" Collection
In November 2009, Guo Pei showed her "One Thousand and Two Nights" collection during China Fashion Week. The famous American model, Carmen Dell'Orefice, walked in the show. She wore a very fancy white gown with fur and embroidery. It had such a long train that four people had to help carry it! Carmen Dell'Orefice later compared Guo Pei to another famous designer, Charles James.
Costumes for Movies
Guo Pei also worked as a costume designer for the 2014 movie The Monkey King. The costumes in the film were so good that the movie was nominated for a Hong Kong Film Award the next year.
The Famous Rihanna Dress
In 2008, Guo Pei created a stunning canary yellow dress. It was floor-length with a huge round train, edged with yellow fur, and decorated with silver flower patterns. It took her design team about 50,000 hours over 20 months to make! The dress weighed about 25 kg (55 lb).
In 2015, singer Rihanna found this dress online while looking for something special for the China-themed New York Met Gala. Guo Pei agreed to let Rihanna wear it, but she wondered if the singer could handle its weight. Rihanna appeared on the red carpet in the gown, with three people helping to carry the huge train. People online quickly made funny pictures and jokes about the dress, comparing its bright yellow color and large size to omelettes and pizzas. A photo of Rihanna in the dress was even on the front page of Vogue magazine's Met Gala edition. This made Guo Pei much more known to people in Western countries.
Exhibitions and High Fashion Recognition
Guo Pei's designs were also shown at the annual exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This exhibition was called "China: Through the Looking Glass." In 2016, Guo Pei made history by becoming a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
Paris Fashion Week Debuts
Her first collection shown at Paris Fashion Week was her Spring Summer 2016 collection. It was inspired by spring flowers and the phoenix, a symbol of peace. The collection featured traditional Chinese styles like gold tassels, detailed embroidery on silk, and long trains.
Her Spring 2017 haute couture collection, called "Legend," was shown at La Conciergerie in Paris. It was inspired by the beautiful murals (wall paintings) in the St. Gallen Cathedral in Switzerland.
Nature and Gold in Designs
Guo Pei's 2018 haute couture Spring/Summer show featured themes of nature, like forests and roots. Many designs used a dark blue color, hinting at dawn or dusk, which the French call l'heure bleue (the blue hour). Guo Pei explained that her work represents the life force of roots and flowers. She believes that roots are the source of life.
A common element in many of Guo Pei's collections is the use of gold. She believes gold represents the highest level of knowledge and wealth. She also feels it is "the color of our souls."
Recent Exhibitions and Film Work
In 2022, Guo Pei's work was shown at the San Francisco Legion of Honor museum. This exhibition displayed many of her amazing "couture fantasy" designs from the past twenty years. It became the most popular exhibition at the museum in 20 years.
Guo Pei also designed the costumes for the character of Chang'e in the 2020 Netflix animated movie Over The Moon.
Personal Life
Guo Pei is married to Cao Bao Jie, also known as Jack Tsao. He is a textile dealer, meaning he deals with fabrics. Guo Pei says he helped her learn about European fabrics and embroideries. He also helped her see herself as a true haute couturière (high fashion designer) instead of just a tailor. Guo's husband manages the business side of her fashion label.
Rose Studio: A Place of Creation
Rose Studio is the name of Guo Pei's special showroom in the Chaoyang district of Beijing. It's a three-story building that looks like a normal factory from the outside. But inside, it's magical! Gold-speckled mirrors cover the walls and ceilings, and Guo Pei's designs are displayed like art in a museum.
On the top floor, many skilled tailors, pattern cutters, shoemakers, and needlewomen work on orders. They take great care to make sure every detail is perfect. Guo Pei employs 500 people in different locations. Most of them learn their craft while working for her, as Guo Pei is known to be a good teacher. Her clients are usually very wealthy, but many of her older clients are choosing to embrace more Chinese styles in their clothing.
See also
In Spanish: Guo Pei para niños
