This director is vindictive.

Chapter 525 Chen Mo: I've finished speaking. Who agrees and who disagrees?
No one expected that Chen Mo's trailer would actually make these documentaries a hit.

In fact, most ordinary people are familiar with fashion shows, but at the same time, they are also quite unfamiliar with them.

Many fashion shows today do present a barrier to understanding for the average person.

Just like the recent Shanghai Fashion Week, many viewers came full of expectations, but could only leave with confusion.

Those unconventional designs and exaggerated shapes often leave non-professionals baffled.

This actually reflects a reality in the fashion industry: there is a clear disconnect between the artistic expression they pursue and popular aesthetics.

Of course, fashion shows are not meant for the general public. The clothing designs on fashion shows are often highly creative and artistic, and most of these designs go beyond the scope of everyday wear.

The fashion industry often regards "art belongs to a minority" as a guiding principle, but this elitist attitude is precisely what is causing the general public to drift further and further away from the art of clothing.

In reality, whether it's celebrities, directors, or even those "celebrities" and "tycoons" who are invited to watch shows, if you really ask them whether they understand the show or not...

To be honest, I bet eight or nine out of ten people would be dumbfounded, because understanding it would be a miracle.

Therefore, Chen Mo repeatedly emphasized this to Hua Yun and the person in charge of this "Millennium Chinese Costume Show".

“Our ancestors’ aesthetic sense should not be distorted, so I don’t want to see any strange and outlandish costumes that don’t conform to popular aesthetics at this ‘Millennium Chinese Costume Show’,” Chen Mo said seriously in the meeting room.

In fact, the reason for this impromptu meeting was that Chen Mo looked at the brochure sent by Hua Yun, and to be honest, he felt terrible.

Because the "Chinese Costume Millennium Show" was going to exhibit a lot of "Chinese costumes" that actually included quite a few pieces that left Chen Mo completely bewildered.

“Mr. Chen, I don’t quite understand what you mean. Is there something wrong with these designs? We can’t just directly replicate the clothing from various dynasties, can we? If that’s the case, it seems like we can just find cultural relic restoration experts, and there’s no room for designers to play their part!” one of the designers from the joint brand questioned.

The other invited designers also had similar doubts.

After all, that's what they've always done.

"What do you mean by 'no room for designers to express themselves'? It seems that none of you have figured out the target audience and goals of this 'Hanfu Millennium Show'."

This "Millennial Show of Chinese Costumes" is not just a simple fashion show, but a cultural revival.

Chen Mo raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the designers and project managers present: "Why do you think ordinary people can't understand those shows by international big brands?"

Li Rongrong, the chief designer of Huayun, pushed up her glasses and carefully answered, "Because their designs often pursue conceptualization, and some even deliberately deviate from practicality, making them more like art installations than everyday clothing."

Having worked with Chen Mo for so many years, she understood him quite well, so she immediately grasped his thoughts.

Chen Mo nodded and gave her an appreciative look, saying, "That's right, their shows are for people in the industry, for buyers and fashion media, not for ordinary people. But our 'Millennium Chinese Fashion Show' is different."

As he spoke, Chen Mo stood up, walked to the display shelf, picked up a restored Tang Dynasty Qi-Xiong Ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and ran his fingers over the delicate patterns: "The aesthetics of our ancestors were never high art, but rather an aesthetics integrated into life. From the solemnity of the Qin and Han dynasties to the elegance of the Wei and Jin dynasties, and then to the magnificence of the Tang dynasty, every stitch and every thread has its reason."

Chen Mo's finger stopped on a design drawing, and his lips twitched—it was an "avant-garde suit" made of black fishing net spliced ​​with leather, and the model was wearing a bronze tripod-shaped headdress. The design description read: "Deconstructing the majesty of the Qin Dynasty's black color, and reconstructing the sense of order of the 'Lüshi Chunqiu' with modern materials."

"If this thing can represent the Qin Dynasty's tradition of valuing black, even the Terracotta Warriors would be so angry that they'd come to life and dance to 'Gokuraku Jodo'!"

Chen Mo slammed the blueprints on the table. If he hadn't glanced at them beforehand, he probably would have embarrassed himself in front of the whole world.

So he was genuinely annoyed; indeed, one should never let one's guard down.

He said somewhat irritably, "The Qin people used iron ore slag to dye their clothes black for concealment and mass production, not for you to make them look like an S&M-themed nightclub outfit!"

He pulled up a screenshot from Shaanxi TV's "The Mystery of Qin Black" on his phone and zoomed in on the dye formula diagram: "Look at the real Qin Black—oak fruit plus iron slag, doesn't the resulting black color resemble the night sky of the Loess Plateau?"

Then I scrolled to the terracotta warrior reconstruction: "The twelve pleats at the hem of the armor are all practical structures designed for horseback riding and archery, unlike this one—"

Chen Mo then swiped to another design. The screen projected an image of a "ripped tactical belt," the buckle of which was a miniature guillotine model: "If Bao Zheng saw this, he'd have to revise the script for 'The Case of Chen Shimei' overnight! You call this 'fusion of ancient and modern'?"

Some people at the scene were coughing from trying not to laugh.

“There are even more outrageous ones.”

Chen Mo pulled out another design: a sheer fabric covered in small seal script of the *Book of Lord Shang*, with the back cut out into the shape of "moving a log to establish trust." The designer argued that this was "using the body to interpret Legalist thought," to which Chen Mo laughed in exasperation: "If Shang Yang really traveled back in time, he would first exile all of you 'strange-dressed people' to the frontier!"

He turned on the projector and played a 3D reconstruction video of a Qin Dynasty Quju Shenyi (a type of ancient Chinese robe): "The wisdom of our ancestors is to make every inch of cloth useful—the cross-over collar and right-fastening design protect against wind and cold, while the continuous lapels and hooked edges facilitate movement."

Suddenly, the camera focuses on a close-up of the cuff: "Look at this hidden pocket design! It can hold bamboo slips and conceal a dagger at the same time. It's a million times more practical than your anti-human 'artistic pockets'!"

Chen Mo coldly swept his gaze over the people present. Fashion designers, well, those invited must all have some talent. For example, the people present could all be said to be designers with considerable fame in the industry.

But there's nothing we can do; in this era, most domestic fashion designers follow the Western model.

And they regard it as gospel, after all, they are also beneficiaries and belong to the fashion industry.

If it were anyone else, they would probably have stormed off in anger after being criticized like that.

But this person happens to be Chen Mo.

Yes, Chen Mo is not a person in the fashion industry, but in reality, no one would dare to say that Chen Mo doesn't understand fashion.

In Chen Mo's earliest work, "Meteor Shower," the costume design was nothing like it is now. Back then, Chen Mo only needed to say a few words to have a whole bunch of people serve him. He was the one in charge of the clothing, styling, and so on.

Many of the design concepts in the later drama "My Love from the Star" also originated from Chen Mo.

Even more remarkably, it was during that time that Chen Mo launched Huayun, which also created a true Chinese style trend.

Therefore, even the most famous designers wouldn't dare say that Chen Mo doesn't understand fashion design or art.

After all, film directors also belong to the realm of art.

Chen Mo had every reason to be angry, even though he usually didn't care much about these things.

If he hadn't glanced at it, he really wouldn't have known that such a thing would happen.

"I know some of you might disagree, thinking that fashion shows, with their accessible and aesthetically pleasing designs, aren't artistic or sophisticated enough. But to me, that's all nonsense!"

"How high-end are your so-called conceptual designs? Even if they are high-end, can they be worn by emperors and generals? Even if they are talented, can they be more talented than those famous scholars and literati of ancient times?" Chen Mo glanced at the crowd and said sarcastically in a cold voice.

He made even these arrogant designers afraid to look him in the eye.

Well, the main point is that Chen Mo has the qualifications.

"Put aside your arrogance. To put it bluntly, this grand show is attracting attention from the whole country and even the world. All the top luxury brands in your minds want a piece of the pie. If you can't do as I say, then no one is irreplaceable."

And don't try to have your cake and eat it too. Why are you all so eager to attend this show? Because you know how much attention it has garnered, an unprecedented level in the history of fashion!

But you just can't let go of your superior mentality. You can keep these things you designed for yourselves to enjoy at your own pace.

To put it bluntly, you are important to this show, but at the same time, you are not important at all. What the public wants to see is what I want to show them.

Their focus has never been on your so-called design concepts, but rather on…

Chen Mo presented a data report: "The ratings of 'The Mystery of Qin' prove that this is what the audience really wants to see—"

The scene shifts to researchers dressed in restored Qin Dynasty attire galloping on horseback, with the screen flooded with comments like "Please provide a link to the same battle robes!"

"Innovation that uses cultural symbols as a fig leaf is not as good as honestly replicating the real things from our ancestors! That is the highest level of art!"

Chen Mo tapped the pile of bizarre design drafts: "If I see you using Qin Hei as an excuse to do see-through outfits again, you're fired. Don't say I didn't warn you! Whoever ruins my show, I can take their job!"

Seeing the somewhat subdued atmosphere, Li Rongrong, chief designer of Huayun, spoke up: "So, our focus this time is not on 'concept,' but on 'inheritance,' allowing the audience to truly understand the cultural logic behind these garments?"

Chen Mo's slight smile finally eased the oppressive atmosphere in the conference room.

"We want the audience to understand why Tang Dynasty skirts were 'high-waisted', why Song Dynasty beizi (a type of jacket) had 'straight collars', and why Ming Dynasty mamian skirts were 'pleated'—these designs are not art that came out of thin air, but rather products that adapted to the society, climate, and aesthetics of the time."

"Actually, this is also a very rare opportunity for you. What kind of opportunity? In the past, haute couture and the like were dominated by overseas luxury brands, or rather, we in China had no say at all."

"But the opportunity lies in traditional Chinese Hanfu attire, because we ourselves have the most say in things that are part of China's thousands of years of cultural heritage!" Chen Mo said.

Li Rongrong and the other designers' eyes lit up.

They really hadn't thought about this before.

Chen Mo suppressed his smile and said seriously, "In short, the core of this show is to bring the haute couture to life and let the audience truly feel that the wardrobes of our ancestors are the real 'haute couture'."

(End of this chapter)