In the Northern Hemisphere, flowers are in bloom, and days are getting warmer. Birds are also singing. In China, my home country, couples in their wedding attire pose in picturesque locations around the country with a photographer.
The weddings in China were always opulent, with intricate, detailed embroidered gowns and a long series of rituals. But in recent years, as China has become a global leader and as incomes have increased, weddings have gotten even more extravagant. The luxury of Chinese weddings has been heightened by the growing awareness among Chinese people about global trends in culture and dress.
The wedding is now such a central part of Chinese culture that the district of Tiger Hill near Suzhou, which produces up to 80 percent of all wedding dresses in the world, has become a center for the industry. The industry’s growth has been fueled by the new generation of Chinese brides, who are brand-conscious and brand-dependent.
This trend is alarming in a world where sustainability has been a major goal of the fashion industry. Fast fashion is a global phenomenon. Its problems, from production waste to low-quality synthetic fabrics and cheaply made goods, are amplified. The wedding dress is a perfect example of fast fashion’s excesses – it is usually an expensive item that only gets worn once.
China offers some hope for an industry and a world that is increasingly concerned with sustainability.
Tiger Hill
Suzhou has been known in China for centuries as the city that produces silk and embroideries. Tiger Hill’s Bridal market area developed as modern Chinese wedding culture evolved. It was first a hub for wedding photography studios. Then, it became a place to rent studios and other equipment. Finally, it became a center of production and distribution of wedding dresses. Tiger Hill ( Hu Qiu ) is located just a few hundred meters from Suzhou’s most famous tourist attractions. It has evolved into a treasure chest of lace and taffeta.
Tiger Hill’s shops offer every type of wedding gown imaginable, from Han Dynasty fantasy dresses to red or white princess-style gowns to replicas worn by famous royals. Wholesalers, who sell the dresses online to wholesalers and private customers, also make up a significant portion of the clientele in Tiger Hill.
Like many districts in China, the district has seen rapid change since the turn of the new millennium. This is due to an increase in the number of consumers who have a larger disposable income and, therefore, a bigger wedding budget. Tiger Hill Wedding Market has become the best place to purchase your wedding dress online in China and around the globe. The brides-to-be can find dresses in all price ranges – from Y=100 up to Y=100,000. (approximately a PS9-PS9,000).
Shopping for dresses in Tiger Hill. (c) Sara Sterling, the Author, provided
A key difference between Suzhou’s wedding dress market and those of other markets is that Suzhou has a strong rental culture. This is similar to Western practices of renting suits and tuxedos for the groom and groomsmen.
It is a holdover from the pre-1970s era when extravagant consumption was not possible. It is not surprising that Chinese weddings require at least three dresses.
Multiple dresses
It is increasingly common for brides in the UK and Western countries to wear two bridal dresses on their wedding day. One for the formal ceremony and another for the evening reception. The latter dress is designed for comfort and ease of dancing.
In China, brides can wear as many as five dresses. In the past, two or three dresses were standard. But in recent decades, this number has increased. In China, the ideal bride is multi-dimensional. She wears dresses that reflect not only the different parts of the wedding schedule but also different aspects of herself. The bride aims to present herself in various ways throughout the day, from a tight-fitting qipao to a voluminous white or cream dress reminiscent of Marie Antoinette’s days.
One is for the morning when the groom picks up the bride after verbal games and challenges. One is for the arrival at the banquet and the walk-in, and another is for the ceremony. There will be another one for the toasts that the bride and groom will make as they walk around the tables of well-wishers, red packet givers, and other guests.
It may sound extravagant and wasteful. The wedding dress industry has been under pressure to increase production to meet the increasing demand from consumers for more dresses for various wedding events.
It doesn’t need to be that way, especially if China keeps the tradition of renting dresses. Dress rental, whether it’s a dress or package rental, can cost up to tens of thousands of yuan. This is due to the fact that Chinese brides are still renting dresses for both economic reasons and the multiple changes of clothing during the ceremony.
Read more: The dangers of being a bridesmaid in China mean some brides now hire professionals.
Despite this, the practice of owning one’s wedding dresses – rather than renting – has grown in the last few decades. The new generation of Chinese brides and grooms increasingly look to demonstrate their cultural capital and social status via their wedding get-ups.
Now more than ever, the single-use wedding dress poses a challenge for the wedding industry in China as well as around the globe: it is a reminder for us to think about an alternative future for bridal dresses. One way to do this would be by re-inventing the rental culture. Rethinking wedding dress designs could be another option. One of my co-workers has created a dress that dissolves in water. We could also highlight dresses that are reusable for different occasions. Two design ideas may be the future for environmentally conscious brides.
- China
- Style
- Globalization
- Weddings
- Interdisciplinarity
- Global perspectives
- Dresses
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