Ms. Zhang Meizhen, designer of LiBu Zizhi.

She is a family-lineage inheritor of Dali Bai tie-dye craftsmanship. From childhood, she was immersed in her family’s craft tradition and learned the tie-dye techniques of her own ethnic community. During university, she majored in dyeing and weaving within ethnic and folk crafts, absorbing advanced cultural influences from different regions in China and abroad.

She inherited from her ancestors an extensive body of knowledge about tie-dye techniques and the plants of Southwest China. Through continuous experimentation with tie-dye methods, she gradually developed concepts such as “imagery tie-dye” and “resist-dyeing mechanisms.”

After graduating in 2015, she focused on the development of plant-dyed products on silk fabrics. During this period, she received multiple national-level honors and awards. Her products have been sold to Japan, Korea, Europe, and the United States, making her a well-deserved Chinese artist of the “new era.”

Entering Zhang Meizhen’s studio, one can sense her unique understanding of the simplicity contained within pure handcraft. Through the gifts of nature, she remembers the strength that grows out of craftsmanship. By using plant-dyeing techniques to tell the stories behind each series, her designs reveal a tender feeling of nostalgia.

The inspiration for each season comes from different forms of artistic expression. These inspirations help us convey the feelings and emotions behind each series, revealing distinct regional cultural styles while also constructing a fully imagined world.

Through design, Dali Bai tie-dye is transformed into contemporary, everyday, and artistic applications. These works come from life and return to life—free, fluid, and full of breath. They subtly capture the most relaxed state of creation and preserve certain traces of that process. In this way, an artistic cycle is completed: extracting “beauty” and placing it back into life.