Sewing machines, nicknamed in Cantonese and transliterated as ‘clothes vehicles’, were recognized as a household necessity in the 1960’s when the society was relatively simple and less affluent. Many housewives then chose to make clothes with ‘clothes vehicles’ for their husbands and dresses for their daughters. Their remarkable skills have added on the clothes a touch of homey happiness. As the textile and clothing industry in Macao was expanding in the 1980’s, sewing machines became tools of the trade and brought considerable business opportunities to the city. Its people were able to improve their living standards and the society was developed rapidly. Sewing machines have witnessed the changes of the society over the decades, and become part of the collective memory of the Macao people.
The exhibition presents the evolution of the sewing machines in the form of stories. Besides the hundred-year-old household sewing machines, precious classic industrial sewing machines and tools from the 1950’s and 1970’s are also on display. The interiors are decorated to imitate classic clothing factory and tailor shop, like a microcosm of the old textile and clothing industry in Macao. By reconstructing the past, younger generations will not only be able to acquaint with these ‘treasures’ of their ancestors but also to understand the history of sewing machines.
Meanwhile, to encourage fashion design novices and support local cultural and creative industry. The Macao Fashion Gallery is also exhibiting the Cheongsams made by local fashion design students who have instilled their personal styles into traditional works with the attempt to mix and match creativity and classicality.
With thanks to San Cheung Kuong Sewing Machine Co., Ltd., Mr. António Mok Peng Kun, Mr. Chan Iun Chiu,Associação de Empregados de Lojas de Tecidos e Modistas de Macau
and Heng Kei Dress Maker who have actively supported the exhibition by loaning their precious equipment: induistrial and household sewing machines, the Macao Fashion Gallery is able to present the Exhibition on Classic Sewing Machines.
