​​"Our understanding of Xilan Kapu and Tujia culture is quite limited.Our perception of its patterns remains vague.To truly appreciate these elements, one must first explore their origins and meanings—only then can they be meaningfully applied."

In the autumn of 2024, the Guaiyaomei Xilan Kapu flagship store welcomed visitors. From project positioning, data organization, exhibition logic, content setting, exhibition area design, to graphics and signage, YI+MU spent over several months meticulously diving into the intricacies of Xilan Kapu’s cultural threads, refining every detail.

Beyond Cultural Value

Accompanied by an exploration of the Tujia Brocade intangible cultural heritage, new commercial spaces, and modern living, and in alignment with the site characteristics and spatial attributes, the two-story space centers around products to showcase how Tujia Brocade integrates with and interprets contemporary urban life, while also activating the market vitality of this intangible cultural heritage.

YI+MU has created an immersive, garden-like experience that guides visitors from observation to purchase. Here, they discover the potential connections between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary life, inspiring a desire to embrace these elements. This transforms their visit into both purchasing power and cultural influence. Furthermore, the weavers and enterprises behind Xilan Kapu can sustainably preserve this craft, endowing the Tujia Brocade Museum with deeper significance that goes beyond cultural value alone.

A Modern Interpretation

The flagship store’s sleek, open, and contemporary design fosters an atmosphere of ease and delight.

Two sets of reverse-staggered staircases facilitate seamless vertical circulation, while display shelves spanning from the first to the third floor, surrounding the staircases on three sides, while the fourth side opens into a spacious sales area.

White display shelves, framed in black, resemble the illuminated storefronts of a bustling commercial street. Viewed from various angles, the open facades and first-floor display area create a dynamic interplay of spaces, capturing the lively essence of an urban district.

Inside the flagship store, the combination of white shelves and black frames forms a rich and varied exhibition landscape. The deliberate simplicity of materials and colors throughout the space enhances the vibrant tones of the brocade.

Above the display shelves, colorful cotton threads crisscross, illustrating the remarkable journey from a single thread to the intricate, dynamic patterns of Xilan Kapu. No matter where you stand in the space, the design tells the story of this captivating transformation.

Interface Interconnection: Life, Art, and Products

The Xilan Kapu exhibition area connects to the Enterprise Pavilion via a corridor bridge, encompassing a reception area, fabric library, botanical dyeing display, wedding section, and brocade showcase—offering a panoramic view of Xilan Kapu’s intricate journey from craft to finished product. The design promotes fluidity, accommodating a variety of product formats within an open and transparent spatial layout. With no rigid partitions, the various exhibition zones visually connect, allowing visitors to freely explore and immerse themselves in the vibrant world of Xilan Kapu patterns.

Due to the 2.8-meter ceiling height limitation, the designers incorporated extensive mirrored surfaces on the roof to alleviate the sense of confinement. These reflections create a surreal interplay with tree-like blue linear installations that extend upward, contrasting the physical space with artistic expressions in a magical realist dialogue.

The wedding area showcases the application of Xilan Kapu in the traditional Tujia marriage customs. Several red threads stretch to form a facade symbolizing the "nest," connecting with wooden walls. Against the bedroom backdrop, the designer uses slender steel frames to display traditional wedding attire—white PVC pipes, cut and arranged in a staggered pattern, resembling the gentle breeze sweeping through a bountiful wheat field. Nothing brings more joy than the land and its harvest. People tirelessly sing their praises and weave them into their beloved Xilan Kapu.

The wheat field and Xilan Kapu create an intertwined metaphor. Both are sources of life for the Tujia weavers: passionate, romantic, and endlessly enduring.

Transitioning from red to blue, the exhibit immerses visitors in a three-dimensional brocade landscape. Suspended metal mesh panels display long-format brocade samples, with dark mirrored platforms below reflecting their intricate patterns. The striking contrast between the vibrant colors of Xilan Kapu and modern materials heightens the emotional and artistic resonance of the display.

By intertwining art, product display, and everyday life, the space seamlessly incorporates products into the narrative of brocade artistry and cultural preservation.

Thus, the flagship store presents a comprehensive solution that integrates modern commerce, intangible cultural heritage, and contemporary lifestyle. In Zhangjiajie, a unique tourist city with distinctive regional characteristics, this is an unprecedented pioneering endeavor.

In the long run, if sustained investment in operation and maintenance is provided, such a complex formula may truly achieve a dynamic balance between the cultural and commercial values of Tujia Brocade, ensuring that this craft continues to thrive and remain vibrant for years to come. This is exactly the goal and aspiration YI+MU aims to achieve through their design.