One of the first Taiwanese designers to have her pieces paraded down runways in Europe and the US, Sophie Hong (
"When I began presenting my creations overseas, I was the only Taiwanese in sight. These days I am continually running into young compatriots enjoying great success at fashion weeks around the world," Hong said.
Once again she is at the vanguard of fashion in Taiwan, only now Hong is leading the way for a future trend in sustainable development of the garment industry. Last weekend she joined a panel of urban planners, architects and interior designers in Kaohsiung for an international conference on culture and creation.
From her point of view as a fashion designer, Hong said it's time for Taiwan to take steps to ensure the textile industry conforms with principles of sustainable growth. Her proposals include the use of non-toxic substances in the manufacturing of fabrics, fair working conditions of employees, and a labeling scheme that identifies these provisions to the consumer.
"It is true these demands are made for the most part by consumers in wWestern countries and in Japan, and are less frequently voiced in the developing world; but the trend they represent is irreversible, and it must be expected to penalize irresponsible business people in the clothing industry as in every other sector .... Is Taiwan to wait passively until these labeling protocols are clearly established and administrated by other countries, or should it become involved immediately by joining the NGOs developing these new norms?" Hong asked.
Fifty percent of the world's textile exports and 70 percent of exported clothing are produced in developing nations, a result of cheaper materials and labor. In a world where big business profits take precedence over civil liberties, Hong is not targeting the individual shopper or street vendor, but rather the mass-distribution networks, including department stores and clothing chains.
It is those that make up the bulk of the textile industry, she added, that must make necessary changes in their manufacturing techniques so as to have the least impact on the environment.
Unlike many advocates of eco-friendly consumerism, Hong actually offers viable, pragmatic solutions, which include the retrieval and development of natural fabrics and coloring agents in place of toxic ones.
"In the French Armanac region, one of the historical plant-derived dyes of Europe, pastel, has been rediscovered. Other ancient dyes are likewise being revived because they are non-toxic. We should be studying these advances and taking inspiration from them as we revisit the ecology-friendly products and techniques of our own past," she said.
Hong gave the example of a natural fabric-dying procedure that has been recently revived in Taiwan through the use of indigo grass, which produces a natural blue color.
"We must learn to retrieve and preserve such natural methods that we once acquired," she added.
In her own designs, Hong has always utilized natural fibers and fabrics including bamboo, linen and silk and employed organic coloring agents, such as indigo. Equally natural are her varied ways of treating the fabric, notably her lacquered silk. Also known as mud silk, it is a process that originated in the Ming dynasty. Starting with white fabric, she sprays yam juice on it then places it in the sun to dry before dampening it again with mud retrieved from the bottom of the river.
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