Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination

Born in 1967, Guo Pei is widely known as China’s first couture artist, the creator of many iconic runway shows and designs, including the “Yellow Queen” dress Rihanna wore to the 2015 Met Gala red-carpet event. Guo Pei has been wowing the fashion world in Asia since designing a Swarovski crystal-studded dress for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games closing ceremony, and the “1002 Nights” collection debut at the China Fashion Week in 2009. Guo Pei became the first Asian-born designer to join the ranks of the Haute Couture chamber, and her work being has been displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Curated with the help of Guo Pei herself, M+ has put together the first large-scale exhibition of the fashion designer’s work in East Asia. It will be divided in five main themes, namely “The Joy of Life,” “New Tales from the East,” “Transcending Space,” “Etheral Mythologies,” and “On Dreams and Reality.” The display of 40-plus garments, shown together for the first time, shines a light on Guo Pei’s inspirations: nature and floral motifs, Eastern folktales, imperial China, architecture, and mythology. Rihanna’s yellow dress is part of the show.

Guo Pei will be present at the opening on 21 September to discuss and present the exhibition, with special screenings of Pietra Brettkelly’s documentary of Guo Pei’s journey, Yellow Is Forbidden, on show at the M+ Cinema. Find out more here.