The purpose of this study is to investigate historical and geographical environments in the development of the Naxi costumes of Chinese ethnic minorities and their characteristics—including religious cultures and totem worship—and to suggest the direction of fashion design toward the modernization of traditional costumes. The research methodology involved the collection of materials and investigatation into the history, culture, and characteristics of Naxi costumes; in particular, the “seven-star” sheepskin cape, one of the Naxi people’s important ethnic costumes as demonstrated by the women’s clothing that has been designed in reflection of this traditional costume. The results are as follows. First, Naxi costumes are found to have overall coherence and distinct locality when retained in the process of modernizing the traditional costume. The theme of this work is titled “By the Light of the Moon and the Stars,” which is expressed in contemporary fashion by the use of grey and dark red against a background of black, a color preferred by the Naxi people. Second, the Naxi people’s seven-star sheepskin cape is a symbol of women’s clothing with its characteristic patterns, shapes, and colors, and it is subject to creative modernization while retaining its unique ethnic characteristics. Third, the work expresses the contemporary stylishness of the costume while maintaining the customary decorative accessories from the Naxi people’s traditional culture.

The purpose of this study is twofold: First, to develop new sustainable design methods (aligned with ethnic elements and traditional culture) combined with three-dimensional digital clothing technology throughout the design process, which can be presented as guideline materials for various fashion designs to be developed in contemporary sensibilities. Second, it is the intention to produce creative fashion designs by incorporating the characteristics and methods of Miao’s Huangping batik dyeing technique and to present various possibilities in the fashion design field. The overall design characteristics sought by Miao minority are in line with the complex terrain and the ecological and climatic conditions. Miaoist batik dyeing (registered as part of Chinese national intangible cultural heritage) features unique production methods and patterns. The study results are as follows. First, this attempt has enabled understanding of the national costume culture as Chinese Miao’s traditional cultural heritage to be promoted, while the direction of contemporary design development using traditional elements has been presented. Second, the study demonstrated new and innovative expressions and styles relying on three-dimensional digital contouring technology and identified the possibility of developing various designs. Third, it was confirmed that the dyed batik pattern design created by the three-dimensional digital contouring technology could be recombined or expanded as digital printing to express the traditional ethnic designs in a practical manner utilizing digital printing techniques based on traditional characteristics.

This study aims to develop fashion designs that combine atlas fabric with the characteristics of Uygur costume to modernize the costume of the Xinjiang Uygur. Research contents and methods are as follows. First, based on previous studies, research analysis was conducted on the cultural background, clothing characteristics, and material of Uygur clothing. Second, based on such research contents, designs combining the characteristics of Uygur costume and atlas fabric were presented. Third, to analyze the utilization of atlas fabric and examine fabric characteristics, material was gathered from collections on domestic and foreign web sites. Through field explorations of local museums in the Xinjiang area, minority group culture was observed in more detail. Based on collection of traditional clothing and analysis of its characteristics, fashion designs that apply contemporary trends were developed. General silhouettes without any restrictions to the waist and decorations made using embroidery were often used. Atlas silk, developed in China using Ikat weaving methods, is an important traditional clothing fabric of the minority group Xinjiang. Based on such data collection analysis, the produced works highlighted traditional ethnic characteristics by extracting classical patterns of atlas fabric, modifying or partially expanding them, combining them with hand knitting, and adding contemporary sensations, thus providing confirmations of the possibility of popularizing classic patterns in more practical manners.

This study analyzes the characteristics of clothes worn by the Zhuang in order to produce new fashion designs, and to propose diverse new directions in fashion design. Research was conducted using a bibliographic survey on the cultural background, characteristics, and relevant techniques of the Zhuang costume and that of minority races in China. This study deploys four styles of design for women’s wear. With the inspiration of the traditional Zhuang costume, black and blue were the colors mainly used for the Zhuang people and the material was mostly denim. Denim blends in well for the contemporary facilitation of the Zhuang costume, which is known for knitting technique, fur and hemp fabric as patchwork, and embroidery works. It is appropriate to express the joyful and happy mind of Zhuang people with extraordinary colors, exaggerated silhouettes, and various decorations. Images of nature, such as the sun, mountains, rivers, water, fish etc., expressed the nature worship of the Zhuang in contemporary design, representing the simple life and peaceful mind. This research develops a new fashion design and displays the possibility for diverse design development through new insight in contemporary fashion design.