Liang Zi, founder of TANGY Collection, the Chinese sustainable fashion brand, has for decades dedicated herself to promoting liangchou (a traditional ecological silk fabric unique to China) and Chinese silk culture abroad. During that time, she has ushered neo-Chinese-style fashion onto international catwalks. 

Liang's dream has long been to integrate the essence of traditional Chinese culture and modern fashion design. She believes Chinese should have their own say in fashion design, and they should demonstrate their ethnic features and cultural confidence through their designs. 

The plant-dyeing craft of liangchou has a long history. The pure natural silk fabric is dyed with the extract of dioscorea cirrhosa, a wild plant in South China's Lingnan region. Dioscorea cirrhosa is also a kind of Chinese herbal medicine that can be used to treat skin diseases. Therefore, liangchou can prevent skin allergies and relieve skin itching. 

"It is a lengthy and complicated process to manufacture 100-percent natural silk, and to dye liangchou. We have to collect dioscorea cirrhosa from the mountainous areas of South China's Guangdong Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. We soak silk fabrics in the extract of dioscorea cirrhosa, then dry the fabric and rub unpolluted silt, from a lotus pond, onto the fabric. We repeat the steps dozens of times within 10 days, or more," Liang says. 

Liangchou is similar to xiangyunsha, also known as gambiered Canton gauze. Xiangyunsha is also dyed with the extract of dioscorea cirrhosa. 

In 2008, the craft of dyeing and finishing xiangyunsha was added to the list of China's national intangible cultural heritage. The same year, Liang formulated the industrial standards for the production of liangchou. She also established a liangchou industrial base, and founded her brand, TANGY Collection, in Shunde District of Foshan, a city in Guangdong Province. 

She has since adhered to the brand philosophy of showing admiration for nature and respect to oneself, and she has been committed to designing and producing ecological and fashionable liangchou-made clothes, with unique Chinese characteristics. Liang has earned a reputation as an ecological-minded fashion designer. 

In 2019, Liang opened Maison Liangzi, a fashion- and cultural-experience space, in Paris. She says Maison Liangzi is a window that allows the French to learn about Chinese culture and Chinese sustainable-development philosophies. Liang made her debut at Paris Fashion Week, in October 2003, with her creations made of liangchou. 

"Liangchou-made attire has evolved into a sound carrier that exhibits Chinese culture and design, as well as China's sustainable and environmentally friendly fashion concepts," Liang says. Many people often marvel at the luxurious feeling and ingenious design of her creations when they visit Maison Liangzi. 

A fashion show was held at Rue de Verneuil, in Paris, in July 2023 to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the opening of Maison Liangzi. It attracted models, fans of fashion brands, and students from fashion universities. 

Pierre-François Le Louët, President of the Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin, met Liang, for the first time, in China more than 10 years ago. He once said, during an interview, Liang's excellent designs and liangchou creations had left a deep impression on him. He added he was excited to see Liang's commitment to utilizing eco-friendly materials, and to helping develop the sustainable fashion industry. Liang, he continued, has enriched the Paris fashion stage with her special perspective, and with her unique plant-dyeing craft. 

In July 2024, Liang launched her special collection to mark the Paris 2024 Olympics. The collection was inspired by the traditional Chinese totem, the Loong, and the art of papercutting, among other cultural and artistic forms, and the collection blended the essence of traditional and modern aesthetics, to create a wave of neo-Chinese style. 

Given the rising popularity of low-carbon and green-development philosophies in recent years, liangchou has become a major representative of sustainable fashion, and it has received considerable global attention. "The pure natural production and dyeing process of liangchou have greatly touched French fashion industry professionals. That is why they have researched our brand and learned from our experience of developing sustainable fashion industry," Liang says. 

Liang has given lectures at various fashion universities, and she has invited international students to visit Maison Liangzi, in Paris, and TANGY Collection's headquarters, in Shenzhen, a city in Guangdong Province. 

"It is never an easy task to persist in developing sustainable fashion. I believe it is not just a temporary trend, but the future development direction of the global fashion industry. It is expected that sustainable fashion will truly become the new trend of the global fashion industry, making fashion greener and more environmentally friendly," says Liang.

Photos from Interviewee

(Women of China English Monthly January 2025)

Editor: Wang Shasha