Bibhu Mohapatra & The Concubine Who Inspired His Fall Collection

I had a runway show in Beijing in October, it was my first time there. I've been to China many times, but Beijing has a different energy. I was taken on a tour of the Forbidden City and we went around the enormous compound to the different palaces. When we reached the end, to the back of the palace, we saw where all the concubines lived. There were hundreds of them, and I had learned about this one in particular, Empress Dowager Cixi, who became an empress of the empire. Her story fascinated me - she came to the palace when she was 14 and became the favorite of the emperor. She used her body, mind, and energy to gain control over everyone. She was strong, confident, and knew where she came from and where she could go.

I spoke to a lot of elderly people in Beijing and they all say she was crazy. At the same time she was the beginning of modern China. Women started having voices because of her. She was also an avid collector of beautiful jewelry, silks, and jade and had incredible taste. So I'm taking the strength of her and portraying her in different incarnations. If she was living today, how would she be with all her power and control? It is a new height for me to give my women a new strength, a new voice. I've never done a controversial or negative figure as my muse, so I'm taking the strengths of her character.