Artist Wen Fang, who grew up in a demanding financial situation but still graduated from one of the best art schools-Ecole nationale superieure Louis-Lumiere-shared her experiences.
She was known for a window design for the Dior flagship store in Shanghai a decade ago, in which she cooperated with female embroiderers in rural areas of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and provided them with a chance to display their art and design talent, while at the same time helping to improve their living standards.
Wen has also been to Ningxia to design and create artwork with local women in the same situation she once was, helping them turn their traditional art into financial and spiritual wealth. In 2011 and 2012, she invited these women to Beijing. As well as giving them a free tour, Wen took them to art exhibitions and Beijing Fashion Week. There, these women from remote villages introduced their traditional embroidery skills to Beijing citizens.
"A spark may start dimly but over time it can ignite," says Liu Xiaolu, founder of lingerie brand NEIWAI, who says women should have both physical and mental liberty. Her products focus on providing comfort so that women can balance the body and spirit, she says.
Pu Yiliu, 26, founder of jewelry brand ANOTA, says it's important for women to have identity.
"In the past, people had many rules and restrictions for women as if they were to be labeled. But as society advances, there is no definition for female identity. That is the idea of ANOTA," she explains.
Supermodel Liu Wen also says: "We know people who are doing things like tiny little sparks. We come to bring each other warmth and brighten more people's lives."
