Miao Embroidered Pleated Skirt

The Miao people is a large ethnic minority group in Southwest China with a rich textile history. In some villages, traditional women’s clothing consisted of pleated skirts worn with short, high-collared jackets. The skirt would be either short, medium, or long depending on which group the woman was from. Legend says that a mother and daughter were behind the design of the skirt, after being inspired by the pleat-like features of a local fungus.

The skirts can have hundreds to thousands of pleats, and are decorated with embroidered or appliqué geometric and organic shapes. This skirt is made up of two ground fabrics sewn together in stripes. One is a deep indigo striped fabric, and the other is a rust-orange with a faint grid pattern. The ends are embroidered with polychromatic silk in the shape of abstracted flowers.