Self-taught tailor sews over 100 dresses for his daughter, and it's the sweetest thing ever
He does it all out of love.
By Mae Yen Yap Sept. 21, 2020
Parents do all kinds of things for their kids.
But how many of us can say that our dads made dresses meant for us, and us alone?
Xu Ruiqin has tailored roughly 100 dresses for his daughter "Xixi".
Xu with the family cat. IMAGE: Weibo
Xu, who resides in Jiangxi, has been designing dresses, preparing materials, and sewing every part to produce a garment, since his daughter was 4 years old.
The things he has made?
Japanese lolita dresses, traditional Chinese hanfu, and even a bridal gown.
IMAGE: Weibo
According to Xu, he had taught himself how to sew using a sewing machine he received from his mother.
His reason? It was all for his daughter.
"I wanted my daughter to remember the places we had been to and the things we did together, and give her some wonderful childhood memories," he said to South China Morning Post.
The time taken to make each dress ranges from one day to several weeks.
Even though Xu is now proudly displaying his skills online, he hadn't always had the confidence to share his art.
"I lived in an environment where people were not that open-minded and were not willing to try new things. Nobody else had done this before, so I didn't want anybody to know that I made dresses. I was afraid they would judge me," Xu explained.
But with some encouragement from his brother, Xu and his art have slowly grown on social media. He has even earned the nickname "Tailor Father" among his fans (he's also known as "Square Father" due to his jawline).
IMAGE: Sina News
"I hope that the videos can capture our precious memories. When she's an adult, she can look back at the things we did together," he said.
If you'd like to follow Xu and Xixi's adventures, check out their page on Chinese social media site Douyin.
Here's hoping the two remain close to each other as designer and model, and as a father and daughter for many, many years to come!
Cover image sourced from Weibo.
Topics: China, Family, Culture, dress up