Atlas silk costumes shine at 2026 Paris Book Fair

Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Zhao Xiya) news: In the past two days, the performance team from Xinjiang Industry Technical College, back from France, has been making headlines. The costumes with Atlas silk patterns they brought, a form of intangible cultural heritage from Xinjiang, were the only Chinese entry in the costume category at the 2026 Paris Book Fair, presenting to the world a cultural calling card with Eastern elegance.

Costumes with Atlas patterns designed by teachers and students of Xinjiang Industry Technical College appear at the 2026 Paris Book Fair in Paris, France, on April 17 local time. (Photo courtesy of Xinjiang Industry Technical College)

The 2026 Paris Book Fair opened on April 17 local time at the Grand Palais in Paris. Xinjiang Industry Technical College made a notable appearance, showcasing its teaching achievements in Atlas intangible cultural heritage costumes.

At the college's booth in the China exhibition area of the Grand Palais, crowds gathered. Teachers Huang Fabai, Ye Baowen, and Chen Jingyi from the School of Textile and Garment combined physical displays, live demonstrations, and immersive experiences to present to over 1,000 participating institutions from around the world the artistic charm of how Xinjiang Atlas silk dyeing and weaving techniques blend deeply with costume design. The vibrant patterns, exquisite craftsmanship, and the unique expression that blends tradition and fashion earned high praise from international audiences and media for the Atlas costumes designed by the college's teachers and students.

Visitors pose for a group photo with teachers from Xinjiang Industry Technical College at the 2026 Paris Book Fair in Paris, France, on April 17 local time. (Photo courtesy of Xinjiang Industry Technical College)

"Friends from other countries were very curious about this intangible cultural heritage from China's Xinjiang, constantly asking if this is Chinese silk and where they could buy it." As the costume designer and a recipient of the first "Xinjiang Artisans" award, Huang Fabai, who has long worked on the front line of fashion teaching, brought works in three styles: horse-face skirt, or mamianqun in Chinese, cheongsam, and suits. "This is our first time presenting our works in Paris. We are very proud to introduce Chinese intangible heritage to the world."

Atlas silk, known as the "living fossil of the Silk Road," is a brilliant product of the integration of sericulture and silk reeling techniques from the Central Plains with the dyeing and weaving skills of the Western Regions. It carries deep memories of the exchanges and integration among China's ethnic groups. To protect, pass on, and develop this intangible cultural heritage, the college established the Xinjiang Atlas Research and Promotion Center in 2015. By leveraging its strengths in light industry and textiles, the college has revitalized this thousand-year-old heritage in the new era.

The college formed a research team of teachers who visited traditional Atlas producing areas such as Hotan and Kashi, interviewed folk artists, and collected over 200 traditional patterns. These patterns were digitally organized and archived, creating a comprehensive pattern library that supports the living transmission of the heritage and teaching efforts. At the same time, the college has actively organized teachers and students to take part in more than 20 high-level fashion events at home and abroad, including the Eurasian Fashion Week and China International Fashion Week. The college has developed a distinctive brand, "Atlas Costumes Shine on the Kunlun Mountains and Emerge from the Tianshan Mountains," and launched many works that are rich in cultural heritage and fashion appeal.

"Taking the international stage is a testament to the college's years of work in teaching intangible cultural heritage," said Wang Yugang, Party secretary of Xinjiang Industry Technical College.

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