An East Asian community fashion show and fan painting workshop showcase successfully took place at the Fan Museum in Maritime Greenwich, London, on 29th August 2026.
Entitled “Hand to Hand: Passing Living Fan Traditions Between Generations”, the project was led by ZSLondon (织愫), a contemporary fashion brand rooted in Chinese philosophy.
Located within the Maritime Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Fan Museum offered a fitting historical and cultural setting for the presentation of traditional garments, hand-painted fans and intergenerational approaches to living heritage.
The project was funded by Nottingham Trent University, supported by UNESCO, with UK Chinese Women Connect (UKCWC), Bonjour Girls, the University of Liverpool Alumni Engagement Team and other community groups among the partners.
In July, the project held a series of calligraphy and fan painting workshops at the Fan Museum, laying the groundwork for the fashion show and showcase. All garments on the day were handmade, using xiangyunsha (gambiered Guangdong gauze), hongyunsha (red cloud silk), tussah silk, antique zhengjuan kimono silk and obi fabric. Beyond presenting traditional forms, the designs also reflected younger generations’ understanding of the culture and their experiments with mixing styles, such as pairing áo dài with modified Song-style trousers.
The volunteer models ranged in age from 19 to 60 and were all members of East Asian communities living overseas. Some travelled from Cambridge and Birmingham for fittings and rehearsals.
This was not a conventional fashion show but an intergenerational conversation within the community. The music was chosen to reflect continuity and change rather than standard catwalk rhythms.
Mothers and daughters, grandmothers and granddaughters walked side by side, carrying fans created during the July workshops and wearing traditional or tradition-inspired pieces that had been re-worn, altered and understood across generations — living heritage, out in the open where it belongs.
ZSLondon (织愫) is known for merging heritage craftsmanship with modern design. Alongside its design practice, it has developed projects exploring traditional textiles, craftsmanship and community memory. Guided by the principles of “harmony over excess, ritual over speed, and relationships over transactions”, the brand uses clothing, space and community gatherings to encourage a slower and more considered relationship with culture and everyday life.
Its shop in Farringdon, London, also functions as a community hub offering craft classes to encourage younger generations to learn and continue traditional skills. In 2023, ZSLondon’s work was exhibited at the British Museum, where the brand presented a deconstructed reinterpretation of the classic qipao, preserving its elegance while adding clean modern lines and a more relaxed feel.
From the fan-painting workshops in July to the fashion presentation and exhibition in August, “Hand to Hand” transformed traditional craftsmanship from a static display into a shared community practice.
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