H&M and Shanghai-based cultural platform Xinpin Zhizaoju have jointly launched “Jinchandao — China ICH Fabric Inspiration Treasury,” a special exhibition featuring Wuxi Jiahua embroidery, at the House of H&M B1 showroom on Shanghai’s Huaihai Road. The exhibition opened in early July and runs through the end of July, with free admission to the public.
The show displays over 20 antique embroidery pieces and related artifacts from Wuxi Jiahua, a national-level intangible cultural heritage originating in the mountains of Wuxi County, Chongqing. Wuxi Jiahua carries ancient Wu culture memory and is distinguished by its unique cross-stitch technique aesthetic. The exhibition systematically traces the historical lineage of this embroidery tradition, presenting old embroidered panels, traditional bridesmaid garments, and embroidered banners that recreate folk scenes from centuries past.
The exhibition represents a deliberate effort to bring a rural ICH craft into one of China’s most prestigious fashion retail spaces. The display design pairs red walls with raw wood display racks, merging traditional weaving and embroidery presentation with contemporary exhibition design concepts. This approach allows the ancient needlework to resonate within an urban fashion environment rather than appearing as a museum relic.
Xinpin Zhizaoju, the co-organizer, is a founding member of the Cultural Heritage Digitalization Alliance under the Shanghai Fashion Capital Promotion Center. The organization has systematically deconstructed the stitch textures and pattern structures of Wuxi Jiahua, presenting the evolution from antique embroidered panels to contemporary design applications.
Concurrent with the exhibition, the organizers have launched the third Wuxi Jiahua Creative Design Competition, inviting global designers to reimagine traditional patterns for modern fashion, home decor, and new-material cultural products. The competition aims to explore how this centuries-old embroidery tradition can find new life in contemporary commercial contexts.
Representatives from the Wuxi County Culture and Tourism Development Committee described the collaboration as a critical step for Wuxi Jiahua to move beyond its mountain origins toward international visibility. H&M’s Greater China team expressed hope that the House of H&M platform would introduce this Chinese ICH craft to a broader public audience.
The exhibition challenges the conventional boundary between art exhibition and commercial retail space. By placing national-level ICH embroidery inside a global fashion brand’s flagship venue on one of Shanghai’s most historic shopping streets, the organizers are testing whether traditional crafts can find sustainable new audiences through commercial fashion channels.