Jade rewards a closer look. Its reassuring weight, smooth surface and understated lustre provide the starting point for Jade Crossing Blossoms. Presented in Milan during the recent Milan Fashion Week, the collection brings jade together with lace and tulle, offering a distinctive perspective on Chinese aesthetics in contemporary fashion. “Jade is not a motif embroidered onto the garment; it is its framework and soul” says Li Yuntao, the designer behind Jade Crossing Blossoms, in an exclusive-interview with Celebre Magazine World.
Throughout the collection, dark jade serves as a structural element, connecting panels of lace and sheer fabric. The contrast between the stone’s weight and the lightness of tulle makes the balance between materials central to the design. Li describes his approach as “A new Eastern Romanticism of the Silk Road”, drawing on Chinese jade culture and the history of cultural exchange along the ancient trade routes. Warmth and restraint emerge through cut, proportion and detail.
According to Li, the entire collection uses sustainable, recycled fabrics, including floral lace and layered tulle. He sees no reason for environmental responsibility to diminish the richness of finely crafted fashion. Translucent layers set against dark jade give that ambition a material expression, lending the garments a sense of strength within their delicacy.
His understanding of clothing has been shaped by more than twenty years of work as a stylist. Working with actors and other public figures, including on film festival appearances, has taught him how lighting changes colour, how a silhouette frames the body, and how differently the same garment can read on people with different personalities. The presence of actress Crystal Huang (Huang Yi) in Milan gave this relationship between designer and wearer a personal dimension. Li describes her support as an expression of trust built through years of working together on red-carpet appearances. For him, such collaborations offer more than visibility: they deepen his understanding of how a garment’s cut, texture and mood respond to an individual personality.
“What I have gained most is not the number of people I know, but a real understanding that clothes are worn by people.”
That experience continues to inform his decisions as a designer. Selecting clothes for someone requires an understanding of their character and how they wish to present themselves. Designing a garment means translating those observations into shape, material and detail. Beyond a garment’s impact on the runway, he considers how it will work for the individual wearing it. Teaching has broadened that perspective. He encourages young designers to understand the cultural origins of an aesthetic as they learn the practical work of making clothes. For him, a deep engagement with tradition can coexist with an open outlook: a stronger cultural grounding gives designers more scope to develop independent judgement. The Milan presentation brought these ideas into a tangible setting. At Officine del Volo, dark jade, lace and tulle stood in striking material contrast to the venue’s steel framework and concrete surfaces.
For Li, however, Milan also represents an ongoing relationship. In the interview, he places this presentation within the collaboration between Beijing Fashion Week and its Italian foundation partner, describing an exchange that has brought young Italian designers to Beijing and Chinese work to Milan. He values this movement in both directions: presenting abroad becomes part of a continuing conversation, with opportunities to learn as well as to be seen. His return to Milan, in this context, carries the significance of a relationship being developed over time.
Looking ahead, Li sees a further step beyond international visibility and recognition. His ambition is for Chinese designers’ ideas to become reference points for others in fashion. He describes a shift from curiosity about how Chinese design looks towards an interest in how Chinese designers think. Sustaining that interest, in his view, requires a distinctive design language and continued exchange.
The character of Jade Crossing Blossoms lies in those decisions. Jade’s weight and subtle lustre, a stylist’s sensitivity to the body and personality, and a perspective shaped by years of styling and teaching all contribute to the collection. Where dark stone meets sheer fabric, the work reveals both its Chinese sensibility and the experience of the person who designed it.
Guests at the Milan Presentation
Article edited by Pan QI
Official Ambassador to China – Celebre Magazine World