Cultural Confidence and the Reconfiguration of Global Fashion Hegemony: The "Qi-style Chinese Fashion" Paradigm for Empowering Traditional Silk and Garment Industries

Sun He

School of Business, Zibo Polytechnic University

Abstract：

The global fashion system has long been structured around a Western-centric hierarchy in which European and American luxury brands define aesthetic standards, control cultural discourse, and extract disproportionate value from global supply chains. This paper examines how the Chinese policy framework of "creative transformation and innovative development" (chuangzaoxing zhuanhua, chuangxinxing fazhan) of excellent traditional culture—referred to as the "Two Creatives" (liang chuang)—provides a theoretical and practical basis for challenging this hegemonic order through the revitalization of traditional silk and garment industries. The paper further examines the emergent phenomena of Hanfu revival, Guochao (National Tide) branding, and New Chinese Style as evidence of a broader civilizational reorientation, and proposes that regionally grounded cultural branding—exemplified by the Qi-Style Chinese Fashion concept—offers a viable pathway for transforming traditional manufacturing from dependent, low-value-added production to culturally empowered, high-quality development.

Key Words：

cultural confidence; fashion hegemony; "Qi-style Chinese Fashion"; two creatives; silk industry; Guochao; cultural branding; traditional Chinese dress