Body Armor/ Traditional Martial art Equipment influenced Garment Design

I always interested and wanted to talk about this topic as there were many garment designs came up which were influenced by body armor or traditional martial arts equipment. The inspirations behind these designs were formed from a unique angle of functional garments, perhaps,even the spiritual meanings of these functional pieces. When "fashion" is overlapping with "function", some of the outcomes were rather surprising, and interesting.

Alexander McQueen 2007 collection
These masks was used in Japanese martial art for over 400 years, and perhaps to me,this is a rather direct interpretation taken from a form a traditional Japanese martial arts equipment






















Body Armor Inspired
In these designs, the basic concept of body armor, leather work were crossovered into modern fashion elements. The silhouettes of both eastern and western body protections where illustrated onto female figures, and formed a mixture of hard materials/shapes/line and a softer/feminine edge.






Garment Details

Elements of armor and such were widely used in current fashion designs. Here are some interesting things that might give us better idea of how they interperted.











Crossovers between cultures

These designs feature a classic silhouettes of European body armor and a use of traditional silk fabric and print.

Chinese fashion- Old Shanghai-Qipao

I was born in China, and lived most my life elsewhere, but every time I looked back to my culture, Shanghai was always the place to have inspired and surprised.

Historical background:

Originally a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew to importance in the 19th century due to its favorable port location and as one of the cities opened to foreign trade by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. The city flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became a multinational hub of finance and business by the 1930s. However, Shanghai's prosperity was interrupted after the 1949 Communist takeover and the subsequent cessation of foreign investment.

^{Fashion of Old Shanghai:}

Shanghainese cultural artifacts include the cheongsam (Shanghainese: zansae), a modernization of the traditional Chinese/Manchurian qipao (Chinese: 旗袍; fitting. This contrasts sharply with the traditional qipao which was designed to conceal the figure and be worn regardless of age. The cheongsam went along well with the western overcoat and the scarf, and portrayed a unique East Asian modernity, epitomizing the Shanghainese population in general. As Western fashions changed, the basic cheongsam design changed, too, introducing high-necked sleeveless dresses, bell-like sleeves and, the black lace frothing at the hem of a ball gown. By the 1940s, cheongsams came in transparent black, beaded bodices, matching capes and even velvet. And later, checked fabrics became also quite common. The 1949 Communist Revolution ended the cheongsam and other fashions in Shanghai. However, the Shanghainese styles have seen a recent revival as stylish party dresses. The fashion industry has been rapidly revitalizing in the past decade, there is on average one fashion show per day in Shanghai today. Like Shanghai's architecture, local fashion designers strive to create a fusion of western and traditional designs, often with innovative if uncontroversial results.








As time past by, these styles are still remain inspirational to current eastern fashion designs, it also adopted by some western and European designers. The interesting part is, the Fashion of shanghai was influenced by so many different cultures as it was the " NEW YORK" of Asia. However, the adoptions of fashion were melted and absorbed in Shanghai and has returned with a Chinese tinted feel. Inspirations where crossed over, and reformed something new.

Wedding Dress inspried by Qipao







Other Inspirations






The Shanghai Look