According to old Beijing, Catherine's studio should be called "tailor's shop", which is located in an alley near Qianmen in Beijing's Dongcheng district.
This is an old street, since the Qing Dynasty, it has been a commercial street for the common people, and there are many shops on both sides of the road, full of fireworks in the world. The alleys at the entrance of the street are like the teeth of a comb, exuding the unique market style of old Beijing.
When Catherine first arrived in Beijing 24 years ago, she fell in love with the hutongs and human touch in the Second Ring Road. But the reason why she stayed here was because of a Chinese specialty that fascinated her even more - Xiangyun yarn.
It's amazing, I want to know about it so much".
Walking into Catherine's studio and looking at the costumes made of Xiangyun yarn will be reminiscent of the maple leaves of Xiangshan.
This is a special silk fabric - white silk grey cloth is dipped in dioscorea juice dye, and after the grey fabric is colored, a mineral-rich river mud is applied, and after repeated processing and sun exposure, the fabric finally takes on two different colors: one side is a glossy black or ochre red, and the other side is a matte tan or brownish yellow.
Traditional fragrant cloud yarn fabric. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee).
As a rare silk dyed with pure plant dyes in the world, Xiangyun yarn is known as "soft", but it is not well known to the public before its production process becomes an intangible cultural heritage.
Dioscis is a pure natural dyeing agent for Xiangyun yarn.
Catherine still remembers the shock she was when she first saw the fabric.
Is it made of silk?I think it's like leather, it's not leather, it's like paper, it's not paper, it's light, it's a little hard, and the color is so beautiful, but how can there be two different colors on the front and back sides......Catherine recalled to the Global People reporter.
Her Chinese skills are not good enough to fully express her thoughts, but she is excited just by mentioning Xiangyun Sha, and there seems to be an endless amount of things to say.
As she told it in fits and starts, the story finally became complete.
Catherine first met Xiangyun in 1995, when she was studying at the École des Haute Couture in Paris, France.
By chance, she met a female designer from Taiwan, China, and was attracted by the Chinese clothes on her body.
She often wears clothes with fragrant cloud yarn, I have never seen this fabric, it is different from all the silks I have touched before, it is magical, I want to know it so much. Catherine said.
Her encounter with Xiangyunsha made her fall in love at first sight, and she began to pursue a journey, but this journey was not so smooth at first.
At that time, there was no fragrant cloud yarn in the whole of Europe. The high-end fabrics I came into contact with in Paris were generally Italian and French, and there were also high-end fabrics from China, but not many. Catherine said.
In 1996, Catherine went to Taiwan and worked with the designer she had met for a while, but she still still had no idea the ins and outs of Xiangyun yarn.
In the years that followed, she worked for several haute couture houses in Paris, and she was always thinking about the magic of fabrics.
I always take a piece of Xiangyun yarn and show it to all the people I meet, from France, Germany, and ...... from Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong KongI asked them if they had this fabric, and not only did they not have it, they didn't even know what it was. ”
Traditional fragrant cloud yarn fabric. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee).
In 2000, Catherine visited Chinese mainland for the first time, still for Xiangyun yarn. At that time, she could not speak a word of Chinese, and asked around Beijing, hoping to find the most authentic and traditional Xiangyun yarn making process, but still found nothing.
"It is necessary to make pure natural fragrant cloud yarn".
Just when Catherine was about to lose her mind, she met Zhang Xiangyun, who later became her husband.
Zhang Xiangyun learned German as a young man by learning to brew beer with a German teacher, and later worked in wine and needed to learn French.
In 2000, Zhang Xiangyun came to Beijing Language and Culture University for further study, and under the introduction of his teacher, he began to learn French with Catherine, but the two of them became German when they spoke.
Catherine and Zhang Xiangyun traveled in Ganzi, Sichuan. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee).
After learning that Catherine had come to China in search of Xiangyun yarn, Zhang Xiangyun offered to help inquire, and finally got important information at a time-honored silk shop in Beijing, where the people told them that they had seen the fabric, but that its origin was not in Beijing, but in Guangdong.
The man said that the most traditional all-natural Xiangyun yarn has long been out of production, but they can use modern technology to achieve the same effect in their store. I said I didn't want this effect, I wanted pure natural Xiangyun yarn. Catherine said.
In order to trace the source, Zhang Xiangyun went to Guangdong to find it first.
In fact, I didn't understand it at the time, and I found out from the Internet that the origin was in Shunde, Guangdong. I was going on a business trip to Guangdong, so I contacted the factory there. At that time, their master was not yet a national intangible cultural heritage inheritor, and the production and operation of the factory was much more difficult than now. Zhang Xiangyun told reporters.
The high efficiency and high technology of the modern textile industry have made artificial fabrics the mainstream of the clothing market, and the production process of traditional Xiangyun yarn is very complex, including 14 kinds of processes and 36 processes, using pure natural materials, completely relying on manual production, which requires a lot of labor costs.
Drying is an important part of the production process of Xiangyun yarn.
In the first decade of the last century, under the impact of the commodity economy, the traditional Xiangyun yarn factory was difficult to operate, and many old craftsmen changed careers.
When Zhang Xiangyun found the factory in Shunde, he saw this situation. "The factory was shut down for a while, and when I went there it had just resumed, and the production was not very large, but it was completely produced according to the traditional process. ”
Zhang Xiangyun asked for some materials and brought them back to Beijing. Catherine was overjoyed at first sight, this was the authentic Xiangyun veil she was looking for. Soon after, the two went to Shunde together.
At that time, we met a Japanese man at the factory, and I heard that he was the biggest customer at that time, and he often came to order fabrics. Only then did I know that before the 80s of the last century, Xiangyun yarn has always been our country's export project, mainly for Japan and Southeast Asia. Zhang Xiangyun said.
Finding Xiangyunsha and her lover, Catherine decided to stay in China, and together with Zhang Xiangyun, she created her own haute couture studio in Beijing's hutongs.
Catherine's Courtyard.
"It condenses history, culture and wisdom".
Catherine's full name is Catherine von Rising Bow. She was born in Munich, Germany, to a family of artists, her grandfather and father were sculptors, and her mother was a handicraft teacher.
Influenced by her family, Catherine's dream from an early age was to be a fashion designer.
I was introduced to a variety of colors and shapes under the guidance of my father, and I have been interested in fabrics and textures since I was a child. At first, I made small gifts from various fabrics, and then I made and changed my own clothes, not only my own, but also my grandmother's and my mother's clothes. Catherine told reporters.
As an adult, Catherine did a career in fashion design, starting as an apprentice and later being hired by a French haute couture brand.
After a year and a half of work, she entered the École des Haute Couture in Paris, graduating first in the year. In the following years, she was successively employed by Dior, Chanel and other high-end fashion houses, and gradually formed her own design style.
Catherine (front row, center) with the models.
Catherine's parents in Germany initially disagreed on the choice of starting a business in Beijing, with her mother very supportive and her father feeling that China was too far away.
Catherine herself did not expect to live in Beijing for so long, the trajectory of her life was changed by Xiangyun Sha, and this obsession has not diminished in the slightest because of the passage of time.
I really like Xiangyun Yarn, wearing it gives me a feeling of being close to nature. I especially like black, the black of Xiangyun yarn has rich layers, sometimes a little brown, sometimes a little blue, and the gloss is different. Each piece of fabric is unique, so simple, elegant, suitable for all occasions, both modern and national ......Catherine gushed to reporters.
Catherine's outfits have a Chinese style.
When she first arrived in China, she didn't know about China's history, culture and aesthetic preferences, and wondered why no one wore such a good fabric. In the early days of the business, Catherine's customers were basically foreigners, and when she introduced this high-end silk to her customers, she found that many Europeans liked the unique fabrics from China, and the Chinese customers would put forward some different opinions.
Chinese like bright and bright colors, and many people think that the color of Xiangyun yarn is dark and dark, and they always ask me if I have bright colors or white. There are also people who think that the traditional Xiangyun yarn is not rich enough in color. I noticed that the non-traditional Xiangyun yarn sold on the market later was indeed colorful, but those were all colors and patterns printed by machine. Another Chinese friend told me that when she was a child, she saw the landlord wearing clothes made of this fabric in the movie, so she didn't like it. Catherine said.
Traditional Xiangyun yarn does have problems such as few color types, dark colors, and easy fading, but Catherine believes that this is the real intangible cultural heritage, which is not perfect, but condenses the historical and cultural accumulation and the wisdom of the ancients.
In order to respect this intangible cultural heritage, Catherine strictly follows the traditional process: all the Xiangyun yarn fabrics she uses are hand-dyed by hand, and then repeatedly mudded, dried, rinsed, and left for a few years before they can be used.
Due to Catherine's dedication to protecting the traditional skills of Xiangyun yarn for many years and actively promoting it to overseas markets, in 2020, the China National Textile and Apparel Council awarded her the title of "Friendship Ambassador for the Spread of China's Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage".
"There's a big market and a lot of opportunity here."
Although her Chinese skills still need to be improved, Catherine's accent already has a Beijing accent, and when she says the word "juice" in potato juice, it is pronounced "juice", the authentic Beijing erhua sound.
Many people said that she chose Beijing, but Catherine herself said that Beijing chose her because "there is a big market and opportunities here".
In addition, the lifestyle of Beijing is also what she likes.
I just like the life in Beijing's hutongs, which are not so commercial. I had to be grounded to do a good design, so I couldn't work in an office building. The old neighbors here are very familiar, they get along very well, and I like to talk to them. ”
In Catherine's eyes, the Beijingers in the hutongs do not live in their own rooms, but in the big family of their neighbors, "which is very different from Germany, where the elderly are not so lonely, they can chat and dance with friends outside, and they have a stronger human touch."
Catherine arranging the fabric.
Even her design style is influenced by Chinese culture.
Catherine believes that the Western design concept is "people follow clothes", so a large number of linings or other supports are used to make the clothing more three-dimensional and shapely, and the silhouette can be seen even if it is not worn; The Chinese aesthetic style is the harmony of heaven and man.
First, go with the flow, so it is "clothes with people", and it should be designed according to the characteristics of the fabric, unlike Western designers who want to make whatever shape they want.
Chinese clothes follow the body, have a sense of breathing, and can modify the body. Catherine likes the costumes of the Song Dynasty the most, in her opinion, the ancient Hanfu is simple, elegant, generous and natural, reflecting the realm of Chinese culture, "such clothes are life-like."
Catherine loves to experience every aspect of the craft.
Now, Catherine's customers are mostly Chinese. She still goes to Shunde twice a year to dig potatoes, dye them, paint mud, and wash them by hand. It was hard work, sometimes with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius and the sun harsh, but the workers had to dry the soaked cloth on the grass and repeat the process.
In her spare time, Catherine and Zhang Xiangyun travel around China with their children, and she is particularly fond of traditional art and architecture. In the process, Catherine has gained a deeper understanding of Chinese culture, "China's traditional culture is to respect nature and integrate with nature, which is also my current design philosophy."