Walking into the Beijing-based studio of Belgian designer Jehanne de Biolley, one will be immediately drawn to the robes adorned with beautiful handwritten English words. The elegant dresses seem to be entirely Western style, but a closer look will reveal the presence of four Chinese characters: Miao Zu Shi Shi, which translates as “epics of the Miao ethnic group.” The theme suggests the garments’ Chinese soul.
“When I was around 18, I discovered Asia and I decided to dedicate my life to the study of Asian culture, and then that of Chinese culture,” De Biolley told Beijing Review.
She was born into an aristocratic family in Belgium in the 1960s, with a lineage that traces back to medieval France.
De Biolley first got into
