Liangzi is a designer whose focus is on ecology and being a friend to the earth. In 2002, she received special recogniton from UNESCO for rediscovering gambier canton silk, which is an elegant fabric dating back to the Ming dynasty over half a century ago. Liangzi helps preserve this fabric through her clothing line Tangy.
Tangy is where Liangzi communicates her ecological message through fashion. Her fashion philosophy is based on the concept of a ‘syncretism between heaven and man’, and all of her fabric, accessories, handwork and embroidery are sourced by using natural materials. Liangzi’s aesthetic is to take ancient Chinese styles, and give them a more modern and contemporary flavour. Unsurprisingly gambier canton silk is used throughout her lines, and is used to make modern and elegant evening wear. Today, a silk that was facing extinction is now regularly warn across China as well as other parts of the world.
Originally from China, Liangzi was educated in both France and America, Liangzi graduating in 1990 from the Northwestern College of Textiles, where she studied Fashion Design. During her college years, she entered a provincial fashion competition and won six years in a row. Liangzi began Tangy in 1994, and a year later owned her own eponymous company which sells in over 160 large and medium sized cites across China and has opened more than 400 franchised stores.
Liangzi won Best Designer of Women’s Apparel at the China International Fashion Week 4 years in a row from 2004 to 2008, and in 2007 she also won the “Golden Award”, which is China Fashion Week’s highest award. Liangzi has described Tangy as, in terms of a brand cycle, “only beginning to walk” and “will be more wonderful during its growth.”
Website: www.tangysilk.com
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