‘Xinjiang cotton is my love’: designers and models put patriotism on show at China Fashion Week
- Fashion designer Zhou Li says her garments on the catwalk are made exclusively with Xinjiang cotton and her designs support the people of the region
- Young Chinese show national unity and pride while rejecting Western claims of forced labour to produce Chinese cotton
Designer Zhou Li took to the stage amid applause following her runway show at China Fashion Week with a prop that has political overtones: a bouquet of cotton plants.
“As far as I’m concerned, I think Xinjiang cotton is my sweetheart, my love, which is to say I’m very grateful it has brought me such happiness,” said Zhou, 56, after her show in Beijing on Tuesday.
Zhou, chief designer and founder of Chinese fashion brand Sun-Bird, is a patriotic supporter of a boycott targeting several major Western apparel brands in China that have expressed concern over alleged rights abuses in Xinjiang province.
“For our Chinese designs, I’m certainly right to support the Xinjiang people,” she said.
03:14
Chinese heritage-inspired collections on display at China Fashion Week
The backlash has put the brands in an awkward position given the importance of the market in China, where news and social media are tightly controlled by the government and patriotic campaigns targeting foreign brands are common.
