Across China: Italian fashion designer finds stitch between two cultures in NE China

Italian fashion designer Gerrica Giachè (R) gives technical instruction at a workshop of Dayang Group, a clothing powerhouse in Yangshufang Town, Dalian City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, July 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)

SHENYANG, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A year ago, Gerrica Giachè, an Italian fashion designer, left Naples, a Mediterranean style capital celebrated the world over, for Dalian, northeast China's port city. Her motivation was clear: to help Italian suits travel farther and fit better through smarter, truly customized production techniques.

In September 2024, the 52-year-old suit craft designer, along with two fellow Italians, joined Dayang Group, a clothing powerhouse in Yangshufang Town, Dalian City. Just an hour away from downtown Dalian by bullet train, the town instantly won her over with its local customs, the warmth of its residents, and its irresistible quiet charm.

"The people here are very friendly, and the working and living environments are very comfortable," she said.

Though the town barely registers on a map, its Dayang Group ranks among China's largest suit exporters, shipping 2.3 million made-to-measure garments last year alone.

"Soft, light fabrics and razor-sharp cuts have made Italian style the global benchmark," Hu Dongmei, Dayang's general manager, explained. "So we launched 'Italian Little Thread,' a micro-line of entirely hand-stitched bespoke suits, and invited three Italian designers to be our dream squad."

Each month the trio flies in for a week of side-by-side coaching. Giachè circles the floor, guiding some 40 local artisans in new techniques and finer finishes.

"Our team comes from Italy to work in this Chinese town for a week every month. Although the production line is not large in scale, with the joint efforts of everyone, it churns out beautiful, exquisite and unique suits," said Giachè.

The Italian designer team also offers daily masterclasses for the workers. "One simple stitch can carry a whole philosophy of the designers," a worker of the production line said. "Perfection is our only ruler."

Dayang began hiring Italian cutters two decades ago. Their know-how reshaped the company's craft, lines and brand culture. Today, that shared heritage underpins the new micro-line, according to Hu.

After shifts, Giachè says "see you tomorrow" in flawless Mandarin to her Chinese colleagues. "Chinese people, just like our Italians, are very warm-hearted and kind," she said.

Giachè has developed a special fondness for Chinese culture after living in this charming coastal town. "I often share the local customs and traditions here with my Italian friends."

Recently, Giachè dipped into traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). "I took my pulse and did moxibustion. It was very magical, and I felt extremely comfortable all over," she said, adding that she has also learned that TCM emphasizes therapeutic effects. It can not only treat symptoms but also regulate the whole body.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Italy. "Our partnership with the Italian designers is seamless, and we can feel the two cultures echoing each other," Hu said.

China has "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai," a widely known legendary Chinese tragic romance that is also known as the Chinese version of "Romeo and Juliet," a timeless Shakespearean drama whose story is set in Italy, Hu added. "Perhaps that's the shared code between the two cultures."

In Giachè's eyes, China and Italy are two ancient civilizations whose millennia-old cultures intertwine every time a needle draws thread. Fashion is merely one thread in a much richer cultural fabric.

"China is one of the most important countries in the world today and a leading player on the world cultural stage. My working experience in China has revealed to me a country that is at once profoundly ancient and vibrantly modern," she said. ■

Italian fashion designer Gerrica Giachè (R) talks with Hu Dongmei (C), general manager of Dayang Group, at a workshop of Dayang, a clothing powerhouse in Yangshufang Town, Dalian City, northeast China's Liaoning Province, July 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Qing)