Zhang Yifan, a 25-year-old designer in Beijing, has seen a business boom since the city won the right to host the 2022 Olympics and began a campaign to attract 300 million Chinese to attend. participate in snow and ice sports.
“The effect is showing on the skating rinks,” says Zhang.
But while ice fashion has long been the highlight of Olympic figure skating, there was little choice for Chinese skaters until recently.
Skating apparel must combine elegance with function so that they can withstand the force of twisting and turning on the ice. (Source: Pexels)
Zhang noticed a gap in the market when her teenage sister, Zhang Yixuan, started figure skating but struggled to find clothes to match her music.
At the time a student of stage costume design, the older Zhang quickly switched to figure skating, learning the craft by experimenting on his sister.
“With figure skating, the movie just moves from the stage to the ice rink,” she told Reuters during a recent visit to her set.
Right skating outfit combine luxury with function so they can withstand strong twists and turns on ice. And the crystals sewn on the skirts cannot be so heavy that they weigh down the athletes.
Although Yixuan is not on the national team, her outfits for regional competitions are equally glamorous.
On a recent rehearsal day, she showed off a jet black jumpsuit, studded with crystals on one shoulder and yellow and black sequins on the torso and sleeves.
The costumes, all handmade, take about a month to make and cost up to 15,000 yuan ($2,352) each.
Zhang was inspired by Japanese designer Satomi Ito, whose designs for famous Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu were “gorgeous, a perfect match for his music.” .
But she also looks to other art forms and Chinese culture for inspiration.
As for her older sister Yixuan, who started wearing old costumes handed down by her teammates, they made her feel like “the most beautiful princess in the world”.
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