Fashion in Taiwan

Fashion in Taiwan has grown significantly over the past decades, shaped by Western influences, Taiwan’s increasing affluence, vibrant social media culture, and its own domestic pop culture—often referred to as the Taiwanese wave.^[1] This evolution has helped Taiwanese designers and brands draw international attention.^[2] Taipei acts as the epicenter of the nation’s fashion industry, with Taipei Fashion Week—under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture—showcasing collaborations between fashion, indigenous arts, anime, and sports icons, and demonstrating a strong cross-disciplinary focus on creativity, sustainability, and cultural heritage.^[3] Meanwhile, bustling streetwear and fast-fashion hubs like Wufenpu and night markets across major cities remain integral to Taiwan’s local style scene, providing accessible platforms for emerging trends and community expression.^[4][5]

The evolution of Taiwanese fashion closely mirrors the nation’s complex colonial and political history.

During the early 17th century under Ming loyalist rule (1662–1683), Han Chinese migrants to Taiwan retained Ming-style attire—such as long robes with wide sleeves (e.g. Feiyufu)—and resisted the Qing’s imposed Manchu hairstyle until surrender in 1683.^[6] Qing rule saw the emergence of more elaborate clothing among elite Han settlers, signifying rising prosperity. Yet regional climate and distance from China led to lighter fabrics and a relaxed adherence to court dress codes.

Japan’s colonization of Taiwan introduced sweeping clothing reforms. Policies banning the Manchu queue and foot-binding were fully implemented by ~1914.^[7] Western-style clothing spread rapidly among men and women, especially the educated elite, while Japanese kimonos were less widely adopted by Taiwanese women—often reserved for formal occasions . From the 1920s onward, a fusion of Chinese-style cheongsam, Western dresses, and Japanese tailoring emerged, reflecting Taiwan’s hybrid cultural identity.^[8]

After 1945, the Kuomintang government promoted Chinese dress—such as the qipao—to assert national identity. Following the 1949 arrival of the Kuomintang, Taipei and other cities saw an influx of Shanghainese and Chinese fashion practices that shaped the wardrobes of professionals and elite circles, blending Western suits, cheongsams, and modern cuts. Simultaneously, Taiwan’s textile industry grew into a powerhouse, especially in the late 1950s, transforming home sewing into early fashion entrepreneurship. With rising prosperity and American cultural influence, by the 1960s and 1970s television, beauty pageants, and the Vietnam War sparked youth interest in Western styles like mini-skirts and long hairstyles.^[9]

Democratization and cultural resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s propelled Taiwanese designers to explore a unique local identity, repurposing fabrics like Taiwanese floral prints as national symbols.^[10][11] Throughout the late 20th century, Taiwan's rapid industrialization enabled domestic apparel production and rising mass-market consumption, setting the stage for the emergence of its own designer labels by the 2000s. Tainan became a hub of creative design in the 1990s, blending industrial heritage with modern aesthetics.^[12] In the early 21st century, Taiwanese designers have gained prominence at home and abroad by fusing local narrative, traditional artisanal crafts, and environmental consciousness with fashion. More recently, aboriginal craftsmanship—interwoven with wabi‑sabi minimalism—has gained prominence on platforms like Taipei Fashion Week, showcasing Taiwan’s indigenous voices in global fashion.^[13]

Taiwan is one of the world’s top textile exporters, with its 2021 output valued at approximately US $9 billion.^[14] Historically known for mass manufacturing, Taiwan now excels in functional, sustainable, and smart textiles, such as moisture-wicking, UV-protective, and bio-based fabrics like pineapple-leaf textile and coffee-ground yarns.^[15]

Emerging labels such as Goopimade, oqLiq, DYCTEAM, WEAVISM, and Namesake blend technical fabrics and sustainable methods with streetwear sensibilities.^[16][17]

The leads “Taipei IN Style” and collaborates with Taipei Fashion Week to bridge local textile innovation with design markets globally.^[18] Government initiatives like the Taiwan Fashion Startup (NT$200 million fund) & Ministry of Economic Affairs-funded subsidies foster emerging brand development and overseas expansion.^[19] This public-private synergy emphasizes sustainability, circular fashion, and high-tech textile applications—evidenced by the use of pineapple fibers, fish scales, and 3D patterning.^[20]

Local designers contend with Taiwan’s relatively small domestic market, infrastructural scaling issues, and competition from global brands. Scaling innovative textile processes for mass production remains difficult, though small and medium enterprises support and material co-development programs aim to mitigate these challenges.

Taiwan’s fashion heritage is richly shaped by its three principal cultural groups: the Hoklo, the Hakka people, and the Indigenous tribes—each with distinctive traditional garments and aesthetics.

Hoklo attire traces its roots to southern Fujian migrants from the Ming and Qing eras. The traditional clothing for Hoklo men and women comprised shan‑ku (襯衫 and 褲), a tunic-and-trousers ensemble. Tunics featured a deeply curved hem and narrow piping on collars and sleeve edges. Everyday wear commonly used brighter colours such as light blue, while deeper blues, purples, or turquoise were reserved for special occasions.^[21]

Hakka dress, on the other hand, reflects practicality and continuity. Hakka men and women also wore shan‑ku, but with a sober colour palette—typically navy or black—for daily work. Women are particularly known for the iconic “blue blouse”, a durable cotton garment dyed with natural indigo that withstands Taiwan’s humid subtropical climate . A signature accessory is the liangmao (涼帽)—a wide-brimmed bamboo or straw hat for fieldwork, emblematic of Hakka cultural identity. Hakka textile and embroidery traditions are rich and symbolic, commonly featuring intricate patterns and auspicious motifs.^[22]

Indigenous Taiwanese attire showcases great diversity across tribes like the Atayal, Amis, Rukai, and Puyuma, each with distinct materials, colours, and motifs. For instance, the Rukai employ a complex "squared cloth" loom system, using linen or cotton and natural dyes in red, blue, brown, or green. Their garments feature elaborate embroidery methods—such as inlay, pearl, and patch embroidery—with symbolic patterns like suns, vipers, and human figures denoting tribal rank and identity. The Kavalan people wear unisex black-and-white clothing woven from banana fibre hemp, often donned during rituals.^[23] Meanwhile, the Puyuma’s costume includes a white or blue cropped bodice, embroidered skirts, and ornate headscarves and silver accessories, varying with age and marital status.^[24][25] Indigenous attire often communicates social hierarchy and spiritual symbolism, such as glass-bead crowned headdresses denoting status among Paiwan and Rukai tribes.^[26]

• T-Beauty
• Taiwanese art

• Lin, Shih-Ying; Su, Alexander Chih-wei (April 2025). "Bridging Fashion and Sustainability: Exploring the Cultural Impact of Vintage Clothing in Taiwan". Fashion Theory. Fashion Theory: 1–19. doi:10.1080/1362704X.2025.2485495.