Kathrin von Rechenberg

Kathrin von Rechenberg

Germany

 

Kathrin von Rechenberg is a German-born, Paris-trained and Beijing-based couture designer. She graduated from Paris's College of Couture (Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne).

Kathrin came to China in search of a very special fabric known as "gambiered Guangdong gauze" (香云纱) or "liang chou" (莨绸), which became her signature fabric when she founded her own label Rechenberg in 2000 remaining today a cornerstone of her collections. The traditional and complete natural dyeing process of gambiered Guangdong gauze, in which tannin dye reacts with iron mud fascinates her a lot and inspired her to work with other natural dyes. She created her own fabrics by experimenting with different traditional and natural dyeing methods and obtained various structures and an intriguing range of settled colours. For her 20 years of dedication to tea silk, in 2020 Kathrin was  awarded the title of “Friendship Ambassador for Textile Intangible Cultural Heritage” by the China National Textile and Apparel Council and recently “Ambassador of Chinese Xiangyunsha Intangible Cultural Heritage” by Foshan Shunde Lunjiao Xiang Yun Sha Association.

Shuliang·cocoon

Raw silk

Variable size

2021

 

Shuliang (Dioscorea Cirrhosa) is a type of tuber which has been used for thousands of years to tan leather and to treat fishing nets and sails for longer preservation.  It was commonly used to dye fabrics in the south of China, during Qing Dynasty. This technique was refined to create what we know today as gambiered Guangdong gauze (XiangYunSha). The surface of the shuliang dyed fabric is treated with river silt. My work, the “giant silk shuliangs” is made from silk which I dyed in the juice of shuliang roots used in different levels of curing. I am fascinated by the features of this very special tannin dye which can also be found with other red tannin dyes like astringent persimmon and a type of mangrove Ceriops Tagal.

The dyeing solution not only dyes beautiful shades of reds but also creates stiffness and shine on the silk material. The dye can be repeatedly used and becomes darker with time. Same for the dyed fabric: the shade of the colour and its lustre increases with time. 

For gambiered Guangdong gauze the repeatedly dyed and dried fabric is covered with mud to create the typical shiny black surface. This is the final step I partially employ to complete the whole process of this traditional technique.

The gambiered Guangdong gauze dyeing process represents for me a holistic approach of life. It completely depends on nature and time and cannot be accelerated by the will of the human being. People nowadays lack respect for nature. We want to rule nature and forget that we are depending on her.

The Shuliang·cocoon is elevated in the form of cocoons floating above us as a reminder to respect nature.

 

Shuliang·cocoon

Raw silk

Variable size

2021

 

Shuliang (Dioscorea Cirrhosa) is a type of tuber which has been used for thousands of years to tan leather and to treat fishing nets and sails for longer preservation.  It was commonly used to dye fabrics in the south of China, during Qing Dynasty. This technique was refined to create what we know today as gambiered Guangdong gauze (XiangYunSha). The surface of the shuliang dyed fabric is treated with river silt. My work, the “giant silk shuliangs” is made from silk which I dyed in the juice of shuliang roots used in different levels of curing. I am fascinated by the features of this very special tannin dye which can also be found with other red tannin dyes like astringent persimmon and a type of mangrove Ceriops Tagal.

The dyeing solution not only dyes beautiful shades of reds but also creates stiffness and shine on the silk material. The dye can be repeatedly used and becomes darker with time. Same for the dyed fabric: the shade of the colour and its lustre increases with time. 

For gambiered Guangdong gauze the repeatedly dyed and dried fabric is covered with mud to create the typical shiny black surface. This is the final step I partially employ to complete the whole process of this traditional technique.

The gambiered Guangdong gauze dyeing process represents for me a holistic approach of life. It completely depends on nature and time and cannot be accelerated by the will of the human being. People nowadays lack respect for nature. We want to rule nature and forget that we are depending on her.

The Shuliang·cocoon is elevated in the form of cocoons floating above us as a reminder to respect nature.

Shuliang·cocoon

Raw silk

Variable size

2021

 

Shuliang (Dioscorea Cirrhosa) is a type of tuber which has been used for thousands of years to tan leather and to treat fishing nets and sails for longer preservation.  It was commonly used to dye fabrics in the south of China, during Qing Dynasty. This technique was refined to create what we know today as gambiered Guangdong gauze (XiangYunSha). The surface of the shuliang dyed fabric is treated with river silt. My work, the “giant silk shuliangs” is made from silk which I dyed in the juice of shuliang roots used in different levels of curing. I am fascinated by the features of this very special tannin dye which can also be found with other red tannin dyes like astringent persimmon and a type of mangrove Ceriops Tagal.

The dyeing solution not only dyes beautiful shades of reds but also creates stiffness and shine on the silk material. The dye can be repeatedly used and becomes darker with time. Same for the dyed fabric: the shade of the colour and its lustre increases with time. 

For gambiered Guangdong gauze the repeatedly dyed and dried fabric is covered with mud to create the typical shiny black surface. This is the final step I partially employ to complete the whole process of this traditional technique.

The gambiered Guangdong gauze dyeing process represents for me a holistic approach of life. It completely depends on nature and time and cannot be accelerated by the will of the human being. People nowadays lack respect for nature. We want to rule nature and forget that we are depending on her.

The Shuliang·cocoon is elevated in the form of cocoons floating above us as a reminder to respect nature.

 

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