Held in front of the palace's Yin'an Hall, the show attracted over 100 guests, including designers, cultural figures and fashion influencers, to witness the debut of its 2026 early spring collection.
The launch featured 37 conceptual outfits and 35 ready-to-wear pieces and accessories, all inspired by the museum's rich cultural heritage.
The collection weaves together classical Chinese elements, including lattice windows and bamboo groves, with intricate craftsmanship such as traditional gold embroidery and floral knotting, to speak a modern design language.
Following the debut showcase, collaborating designer Qi Qi emphasized that the ready-to-wear collection was designed to weave the cultural richness of the venue into practical, versatile pieces.
"The museum is known as a 'place of ten thousand blessings', so we wanted the garments to carry that sense of good fortune," Qi explains.
This vision has been materialized in subtle yet symbol-laden designs. The coin-shaped patterns are interlaced with bat motifs to symbolize prosperity and longevity. In Mandarin, the word for bat (fu) is a homophone for "blessing".
"We wanted to embed these cultural blessings into the garments so wearers could carry them as a quiet, everyday talisman," he adds.
