The renowned international designer John Galliano once rather wryly defined fashion as "being of two types: one to grace the body and the other to adorn the soul." It goes without saying that the fashions of Sophie Hong belong to that type that adorns both body and soul.

Before even getting into the cutting of fabric, Hong,in just her gathering and shaping of the material, already inhabits a realm distinct from the worldly lines, colors and components of contemporary popular fashion. Inspiration begins with her selection of traditional Chinese Xiangyun silk as the embryonic slate for her creative works: silk sheets spread out across a grassy field, watered with the juice of crushed yam-root and sun-dried between the months of April and September. This raw fabric then gets carted down to the banks of a river for "mudding," a process of immersion in silt harvested from the middle of a riverbed. Not until the primary material has been prepared by carrying out these rigorous and precise steps, can the more refined work of "redesign" begin.

Upon the completion of the pre-design stage, the character of the various fabrics will have been revealed: serene and unpretentious blending of color swaths and suggestive mosaics, containing spring water, warm sunshine and indigo grass in nearly every square inch, which emit the earthy feel, heavenly brilliance, and rhythmic pulse of warm-to-cool tones, and build up into a kind of overwhelming sense of ease and intimacy as though "draping the wearer in the dynamic flow of the seasons contained within the aura of the cosmos." Imagine the graceful manner and extraordinary distinction of a body adorned in all-natural redesigned cloth that has passed through the hands of an internationally renowned designer after being "chewed by cicadas, soaked in fields, pressed by the sun, and dyed in a river."

Just as might be expected, once this material has been cut and sewn for wearing on some body, no matter the age or gender, those bodies that put it on-in particular those that have cultivated an inner spirit and early on stood out as artists of note-will find themselves reunited with the most remarkable contours of their soul. Draped with poise and clothed in distinction, they stand apart from the mundane morass of vulgar life, as if adorned with the light of the sun, the water of the river, and the grass of the fields. The wearers of Hong's creations stand-out as if they are the inhabitants of another realm, a miraculous place where fashion merges with the spirit of the adorned.

Art history tells us that the best contemporary artists only begin to gradually mature once they have discovered the praiseworthy element of their creative energies:for writers this is their own expressive vocabulary, for musicians their own narrative sound, and for visual artists their own creative form... This too is true for the best fashion designers: they must search out that element in their creative work that sets them apart from the crowd, that element of uniqueness in their bodily garments that belongs only to the product of their creative talent, and use this element to tell the story of their fashion designs. They are in possession of an element that is put into constant practice to bring out their own distinctive aesthetic in the clothing they design: this is true for Issey Miyake, Versace, and Calvin Klein, and it is also true for Sophie Hong. What is even more heartening is that the creative element that sets Hong apart from the crowd comes from the natural elements of a grassy field, flowing river, and warm sun, twisted into a helix of all-natural genetic material.

Hong has more than twenty years of accomplishment in fashion, and is also an adept practitioner of sketching and goldsmithing, along with a variety of other creative arts. Her interests stretch wide, encompassing a deep affinity for nature, heartfelt concern for the Humanities, and the constant drive to create. Her success has exceeded the mere conquering of Paris, New York and other marquis international cities. Now, we are filled with anticipation for the next manifestation of the sensibility behind this master designer. We hope that Hong will continue to boldly challenge herself. That,in the not too distant future, she will present us with ever greater novelty and ever more exquisite Hong silk fashion artistry. In short, we hope that all souls under the heavens may,in this way, behold the experience of ever greater beauty.

Translated by Scott Michael FAUL 傅思可

From Sophie Hong 洪麗芬, Sophie HONG Volume 1. Taipei: Librairie Le Pigeonnier, 1998. Photo courtesy of Sophie Hong. All the photos are by Sophie Hong, except for those with photographers'names acknowledged.

Eastern and Western thought are present in the minds of nearly all eastern artists. They approach their art from a perspective of how they might weave together the thinking of both east and west, and tailor it into a seamless form, an inescapable orientation for the artist of the East. The fashion designs of Sophie Hong embody this spirit in the manner of having sprung forth from a meeting of East with West. In France Hong received cutting edge training in fashion, but her heart remained true to the mood and dream of Chinese artistry.

As her foundation, she takes the most basic element of Eastern couture, raw silk, along with the East's most soothing colors, azure, ochre, vermillion, ivory and ebony, and applies to them the western spirit of sculpting to bring her concepts to fruition: a perfect melding of East and West.

Contemporary artists do not have the luxury of deciding between the traditional past or modern present. If a work displays only modernity without tradition, then a sense of time and culture in the art will have been lost; and, if only tradition without modernity then the sense of innovation and imagination will have been lost. In search of the dying art of Xiangyun silk（湘雲紗, Ming Dynasty: circa 14 to 17th Centuries）Hong journeyed to southern China. Back home in her workshop she invested considerable time along with experts researching Xiangyun techniques for weaving, dying, and applying color in her effort to give the fabric a new after-life. Being trained in modern art has kept Hong free from the binds of tradition and the strictures of classic couture. When I saw with my own eyes how she weaved silk into a pair of leather-like shoes, molding the lines and creases like a bronze statue, shuttling between past and present, and making them effortlessly supple yet firm, I could but only sigh in deep admiration.

The paradox of purity versus practicality is a dilemma effecting most avant-garde artists and especially those creating works of fashion. A piece that is too purely fashionable inhabits the rarified space of limited access, whereas one that is too practical might fall into the realm of the profane. "Practicality" is, in fact, a quality that fashion cannot do without. Inhabiting the dominion of pure fashion while maintaining a solid grounding in the sphere of practical use, this is the realm of the fashion designer and also the boundary that separates the designer of fashion from the journeyman artist and tailor.

I've known Sophie Hong for twenty some years, and since the day we met, she has always been an exceptional designer. Besides fashion, her unique insight and wide-range of aesthetic interests extends to painting, sculpture, architecture and garden design. She had already made herself into a highly successful fashion designer at the top of her field, when a scholarship award from the Sino-France Technical Exchange Project convinced her to risk it all, and cross a vast distance to study in France and work in the prestigious Christian Dior fashion house. There, her horizons were expanded, her mind opened and her creativity liberated as she solidified years of artistic pursuits and crossed over into the realm of pure fashion. Sophie's fashion pieces have even become part of the collection in the Paris museum of fashion, the Musée Galliera.

Now, when Sophie Hong accepts invitations to major shows in New York, Milan and Paris, she brings along friends and regular folk to wear her designs. This demonstrates how her clothes not only fit the everyday person, but how they bring out a new persona in the wearer. In my opinion Sophie's fashion pieces are suitable not just to be donned as daily wear, but equally so to be hung on a wall as works of art.

Sophie puts the East and West, tradition and modernity, the pure and the everyday into a sieve that brings out her own strong and extraordinary subjective aesthetic, utilizing copious curves to create a feeling of care-free movement. Her designs retain elements from the traditional female master embroiderers of China’s past in her signature needlework, eliciting feelings of the joy and punctiliousness that went into it; and, her moiré fabrics evoke a sense of striated dunes and expansive yellow earth.
Most all her fabrics come from the finest silks, suggesting the lightness of a cloud and the the multifoliate beauty of a flower. They aptly capture the spirited words of an age-old poet as being the desire of a cloud and the envy of a rose!

Most all her fabrics come from the finest silks, suggesting the lightness of a cloud and the the multifoliate beauty of a flower. They aptly capture the spirited words of an age-old poet as being the desire of a cloud and the envy of a rose!

Who would guess that these moiré fabrics come about through a process using earth-based natural dyes that are sun-dried over the course of a week. Hong's signature needlework comes from a sensibility developed through years of research into China's legacy fashions, and the line of her curve comes from endless adjustments done by trial-and-error. Hong clothing brings the wearer not mere appreciation but an even deeper sensibility.

Translated by Scott Michael FAUL 傅思可

*From Sophie Hong 洪麗芬, Sophie HONG Volume 1. Taipei: Librairie Le Pigeonnier, 1998. Photo courtesy of Sophie Hong. All the photos are by Sophie Hong, except for those with photographers' names acknowledged.

Through her achievements in the world of fashion, that is to say the world of visual and aesthetic representations as a philosopher, Sophie Hong definitely makes a mark in the impermanence of time: a cycle of creation, then dissemination and saturation, followed by extinction and renaissance. 'Thought' may happen to be rooted in fashion events, but in an unrivalled way, Sophie Hong gives them their full momentum. It would be wise if an incessant spirit of novelty were refrained, as well as the Aristotelian mark and model approving of ever-changing forms. For us,Western Thought endowed with Reason leads the way and prevails, while Asia and the East refer to 'the Other', as synonymous with comfort and well-being. These are Sophie Hong's pursuits. Priority is given to matter, which in itself gives meaning to forms or presentations. It stands as a challenge to the passing of time and shows the continuity of countenances in human faces and the garments they wear.

As a reference, the painting by Jean Denis Attiret, a Jesuit painter at the Chinese Empress's Court titled'La Concubine' also known as 'the Chinese Joconde', shows how East and West could conciliate through universal principles and objects as did Leonardo da Vinci.

So, time is not disposed as expected in costumes / garments by Sophie Hong, which are timeless and composed of quality materials, formal and faultless in their appearance. In terms of history and tradition, Sophie, uses the 'kuru' pigment, previously used during the Song dynasty to create special coloration. Here, with the use of the "kuru" pigment, Sophie Hong designs very unique reversible black or brown/red fabrics for her clothing. In a 2003 publication on clothing styles, Paola Zamperini remarked that Sophie Hong makes Taiwanese fashion fit into a long historic tradition, refusing the short-lived instances and standards of modernity. Garments of the Far East are indeed central, showing the human species as different from that of the animal kingdom. Confucius recognized the strict clothing code, to describe social differences and class status.

A point to be noted: writing itself, ideographic writing, translating the word 'origin' (the origin of everything!) is composed of two Chinese characters 'material' and 'scissors'! A relationship is therefore established with tradition, while the ephemeral modern Western world reveals itself deficient. It becomes an anthropological issue. When we search for a meaning, we search for creativity and workmanship, which are of prime importance. They become 'universal'. In the current context of modernity, garments have lost their complex original meaning. Confucian 'Li', respecting the social hierarchy dominated through clothing, found that it could also be applied to other contexts than those of garments, but Confucian heritage still remains valid. Sophie Hong, given her superior skills creates clothing of uncommon description: they are highly ranked and the French mark "signifié" or "outstanding" is applied. The enhancement of the body, its forms and models is not Sophie's quest. Neither is she interested in dealing with ephemeral effects,even if Western Thought frequently highlights body and sensuality.

Sophie Hong considers matter of primary importance and shape of secondary importance. Her basic productions often come from local crafts, supported by traditions, precious designs and materials. Yet, place, time, space, or any formal visual or aesthetic representation becomes unimportant to Sophie's spirit of immutability.

Clothing like costuming is an art form: fine clothing enhances an individual, in the same way that a sculptor enhances stone. Thus, fabric can be sewn into clothing yet is worn as 'matter'. It is used and crafted, and it becomes unique, unlike industrially produced garments. Representations which were first synonymous with ephemeral occurrences have thus become examples of man and his origins: he stands out beyond the animal kingdom, becomes universal, is made of 'matter' and is dressed in 'matter'. This is the source of a very real language; a language executed by Sophie Hong through her creations and which connect to our origins. Sophie Hong's creations "Speak out" . Her approach and her language remain simple. To quote Sophie Hong: "I like to use designs and materials from the past, traditional models and forms which can adapt to modern tastes and needs."

Translator: Jui Chu Tung / Ph.D,Philosophy University of Burgundy / Franche-Comté Besançon

Yes I know that her fabric designs are simply out of this world, her clothing concepts are deceptively simple, but enhance our bodies, the detailing of her garments is always spectacular, her jewelry is breathtaking, original even crazy, her costumes for events by others blow minds unexpectedly, her Taipei boutique is a dangerous place to visit, because we desire to own everything, and if that tells something about her creativity there is still her wonderful warm personality, the fun she induces with surprising fashion shows on a sidewalk in Paris, a pop-up store in Taipei, a concert at the bookstore Le Pigeonnier, dinners, lunches, introducing loved friends to other loved friends generous to a fault, always beautiful to look at in her great clothes, with her own sense of style, the envy of others, Sophie has the energy of many, a joy of creativity that is seriously infectious, makes magic out of ordinary everyday events,
This is what makes Sophie so unique, so special and qualifies her to be a MAGICIAN!

With admiration and great affection,
Love Adele