Taiwan is home to over 23 million people. While most identify as ethnically Han, 20% of Taiwan’s population self-identifies with Hakka cultural roots or has Hakka ancestry. The Hakka Fashion Awards brings this cultural heritage to the forefront. With an award ceremony hosted this past July, the second edition of the competition sought to transform literature into wearable art. The designers used works from the Hakka Young Writers’ Literature Award and the theme “Inheritance Through Clothing, Weaving the Future” (「衣起傳承・織見未來」) as inspiration.
The winning looks from the Awards were displayed at the Hakka Cultural Center in the capital during Taipei Fashion Week in mid-October. The 11 pieces translate culture to create “wearable Hakka literature” through their connection to the land and the inter-generational memories woven into fabric.
Gold, Silver, and Bronze at the Hakka Fashion Awards
Designer Kao Yuan-lung claimed the Gold Award for his look, “Cicada’s Guest Inn.” Inspired by Hsu Sheng-yun’s essay “Cicada,” Kao takes the form of the summer insect and weaves it through the look. Semi-transparent Jacquard knit fabric forms a structural softness, with thicker thread spiraling throughout the main body of the look. It’s a cicada’s lifecycle at work: soil, decay, emergence, and one final song.
The Silver Award went to designer Fusion Hung and “Light Under the Stove.” Hung explores the duality of security and labor in the kitchen. Tan dye both interrupts and creates a highlight among the indigo of the set. This detail inspires viewers to think of fire and burn marks in the kitchen. Modular fastening and strap design contributes to the practicality of the pants and jacket. Hakka embroidery and indigo dye, a staple in Hakka craftsmanship, thread the work together and tether it to the designer’s cultural heritage.
Chang Ya-che took home the final main prize — the Bronze Award. “Burning Characters Into Flowers” weaves together fire red Ugandan yarn, transparent layers, and lace stitched onto the outermost fabric. The gauze layers reflect flower petals, with each piece gently layering upon each other. The effect creates the piece’s floral-like structure.
But not everything is soft and gentle and peaceful. If you look closer, paper-like curls with text on them are interspersed among the flower petals. This could be a possible connection to Taiwan’s White Terror, a nearly 40-year period of authoritarian rule. Languages outside of Mandarin Chinese were prohibited, including Hakka. Still, “Burning Characters Into Flowers” is a quietly blooming flower, appearing to be made of fragile pieces while in actuality it — and Hakka culture — is far more resilient.
Land Woven With the Body
Designer Yeh Chia-ching folds together connections to nature with memories of her grandmother. Her award-winning piece “Grandma” claimed the Popularity Award at the Hakka Fashion Awards. Zero-waste combined with softness rooted the look. The gauzy dress was folded and extended when needed without wasting any of the materials. White, as well as pastel yellows and greens, brought out its softness beyond just texture.
“The Footwear of Farming and Weaving” by Rookie Award-winning designer Liu Ya-ting also explores cultural memory through clothing. The overcoat reflects the Hakka people’s bamboo weaving tradition, while the layer beneath is dyed indigo, another significant part of Hakka culture. Silver flowers are threaded onto the woven overcoat, underscoring that both delicate and unbreakable can coexist.
The land literally melds with the body through Wang Cheng-han’s “Terraced Field Texture.” Winner of one of this year’s Rookie Awards, Wang takes terraced fields as inspiration for his piece. During the Lunar New Year, people in Taiwan often go back to their families’ homes. For Wang, that means returning to his hometown in Hsinchu County. This Hakka village, called Xinpu, is also home to terraced fields, farmable land built like a staircase. The earliest Hakka migrants arrived in Taiwan from China’s Fujian and Guangdong provinces during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Perseverance characterized these first Hakka people in Taiwan, as they transformed unwelcoming land into terrace fields.
The silhouette of Wang’s piece reflects this step-by-step feel through textured appliqués like fabric stacked on top of each other. Various shades of gauzy, green fabric drape around the body, while a woven fishnet-like bag completes the look. As the piece was described, Wang makes clothing a “landscape worn on the body.”
Patching Together History
“Rest” juxtaposes a denim hoodie and a colorful, textured gown. Designer Li Chia-chuan received a Popularity Award for the look, which features triangular double-layered pockets. The dress’s texture comes from the pleated oil paper, contrasting with the soft denim jacket. There’s a bold yet calm feeling stitched into this look — one that turns heads immediately.
Chung Shang-ye and Hsiao Yun-chen, winners of a Rising Star Award, teamed up to create “One Persimmon, One Shape.” The bubble patchwork piece reflects the resilience of Hakka women, firstly through its silhouette. The curved shape, with stuffed circular sections by the hips, and the multi-colored fringe draws inspiration from the impact of hard labor on these women’s bodies. As the exhibition description noted, the look “reconstructs the deformed bones of their ancestors’ labor.” The designers also integrate persimmon dyeing into the creation process, which is a part of traditional Hakka craftsmanship. Together, Chong and Hsiao stitch memory into the contemporary and create a way to wear Hakka history.
“Blue Field” by Ou Xiu-wei, another Rising Star Award winner, also patches together history. Recycled denim forms the inner layer, while reconstructed denim builds the outer layer of the long coat. The overlaid denim gets patched together, creating a collage-like texture. Various sized black beads add visual — and textural — contrast near the hem, end of sleeves, and the edges of the coat lapels. A Hakka liangmao, a traditional bamboo hat worn by Hakka people who perform manual labor, tops off the piece. Floral lace cascades around the head, while the black beads appear again and threads together Hakka craftsmanship.
Hakka Craftsmanship
“Return to Cocoon” and “Metamorphosis” place particular emphasis on Hakka cultural craftsmanship. Designer Lin Yi-chen claimed a Rookie Award for the former piece, a knitted dress rooted in Hakka indigo dyeing traditions, including natural gardenia dyeing. Lin took a zero-waste approach to the look by folding, looping, and stitching the material. It was never cut or discarded. Ramie fabric blends with Tencel yarn, creating a dress that spotlights the rougher texture of natural fibers while simultaneously draping softly around the body.
“Metamorphosis” by Kuo Wei is a stacked indigo ensemble. The Special Jury Award winner features a Hakka blue-shirt silhouette, using modern fashion techniques to reshape and transform traditional elements. The designer behind the brand INF is best known for this idea of “transformation.” For this Hakka Fashion Awards look, Kuo turned a bag into a coat that also acts as a tribute to indigo dye. “Metamorphsis” continued to stay true to its name by deconstructing a Hakka straw hat and fusing it with a gentleman’s cap. Through this piece, the traditional and the modern become woven together to create something new.
The 2026 Hakka Fashion Awards exhibition is on view until November 25. Learn more about the Hakka Fashion Awards on their website.
Want more fashion stories from Taiwan? Check out EnVi’s breakdown of Taiwanese fashion label WEITZUYUAN’s SS27 collection at Taipei Fashion Week!
