From Elle Magazine,Taipei, R.O.C. July 1995 No. 46
S.M. World-Wide Celestial Fashion Shows
A Poetic Celestial Feast
In New York, London, Paris And Milan
These words reflect the wholehearted admiration of a designer in Milan toward the great artistic master -- Suma Ching Hai: "I have seen fashion shows by all the famous designers, but I have never observed any who could create poetry with fashion like Suma Ching Hai."
Suma Ching Hai, a great artistic Master, who is the embodiment of Truth, virtue, and beauty, complying to the earnest requests of numerous people, staged four international fashion shows that swept through New York, London, Paris and Milan in mid-April and May like a hurricane. Her fashion and jewelry designs, displaying unique style and color coordination, have brought an unprecedented shock to the world of fashion.
Suma Ching Hai noticed that the modern trends in clothing were drifting away from the elegant and classical, and often overlooked the brilliant colors bestowed upon us by nature. Therefore, Her fashions, from cotton casual wear to glamorous silk and velvet evening gowns, are all dignified and graceful in appearance, and elegant and comfortable to wear. She designs clothes in a way similar to an architect designing a building; meticulous consideration is always given to the safety and comfort of the wearer with respect to overall design, and appearance and quality of material. Suma Celestial Fashions require that every garment be absolutely delicate and soft to the touch. Any parts of the clothing that come into contact with the body, such as linings, are made with the utmost care. All fabrics used have been personally selected by Suma Ching Hai in the United States, Hong Kong, Thailand, Formosa, India, Italy, France, and various other countries, with strict requirements regarding quality and color. The finished clothes can be cherished as works of art, as well as offering comfort and beauty to their owners.
According to Suma Ching Hai, the Heavenly Kingdom is a magnificent and glorious place. This beautiful paradise is truly reflected by Her Celestial designs -- luxurious silk skirts, rich gold and silver colored evening gowns, dresses decorated with moon and star appliques, and of course matching jewelry. Suma Ching Hai says that Her Celestial designs are more than a fashion trend, they also let people experience the richness of spirituality. The message that She wishes to convey is: "Fashion and spirituality can go hand in hand instead of conflicting with each other."
Each Celestial design considers the needs of modern women at work, at home, during leisure time and while entertaining, as well as at special occasions. The working dresses with high splits are attractive and lively, suitable for fast- paced life styles. The evening gowns with multiple layers of overlapping fabric, made of luxurious silk, chiffon, velvet, and other fabrics, create a three dimensional effect, highlighting the charm and nobleness of women.
Suma Ching Hai sometimes contracts colors in a daring and brilliant fashion, and at other times uses gentle tones that match and compliment each other. Nonetheless, both styles are pleasant to the eye. With a great sense of humor, very often, surprising and ingenious ideas emerge from Her designs, for instance, the small holes near the hem of the trousers for ventilation, patch pockets just for decoration, pieces of cloth randomly overlapping one another, and so on. Her methods are not conventional, but the results are extremely original.
Some of the clothes even reflect a profound touch of Zen. The inspiration for Her Lotus dress came from a lotus pond behind Suma Ching Hai's residence during Her short stay in Thailand. The sleeves and the dress skirt look like lotus buds, representing our original pureness within. Her Midriff dress with strings of pearls covering the abdomen represents "emptying," which means 'delivering all sentient beings.' Adapted from traditional Thai costumes, Her 'Happy Princess' dress reminds us of the ancient golden era when every woman was a happy princess.
One of the most revolutionary innovations of the S.M. Celestial designs is the daring effect of exposing bright inner linings, which provide a strong contrast to the outer fabrics, and are even more attractive. Thus, the whole garment looks more unique and refined. Suma Ching Hai's idea is that the brilliant colors of the linings symbolize the purity within, which is more lasting than the superficial look outside.
An 'S.M.' logo in gold and red is embroidered on each Celestial design. Red symbolizes our physical body, while gold denotes our noble spiritual nature. A large eye-catching S.M. logo about the height of two persons was displayed on stage as background to the fashion shows.
Among Suma Ching Hai's world-wide fashion shows, only the one in Milan was a small, traditional fashion show, the other three being grand occasions attended by thousands, including many local VIP's, such as Mr. and Mrs Holtermann, the German Embassador in New York, and elite members of the fashion industry and media. Apart from savoring a feast of beauty with their eyes, the audience also experienced spiritual elevation brought to them by the exotic splendor. A designer in Milan praised she as 'composing a poem with Her fashion show.' Transcending time and space, She has combined the aesthetics of ancient and modern times, and presented an invaluable treasure to the women of today.
In recent years, besides Her fashion designs, people are greatly attracted to Her simple and natural paintings, and Her exquisitely designed lamps and fans. Recently, She has even designed a collection of 'Celestial Jewelry,' consisting of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches for women, and rings, cuff links, and tie pins for men, made of the finest gold, diamonds and other precious gems, and by imperial artisans. Apart form their incredible workmanship and incomparable magnificence, each piece of jewelry also bears a profound meaning. Suma Ching Hai wishes to highlight people's underlying beauty and wisdom with these beautiful works of art.
Suma Ching Hai Renders Help To
The Building Disaster Victims In Seoul
[Central News Agency reporting from Seoul, July 6,1995]
The Suma Ching Hai International Association, with headquarters in Formosa, has donated US$40,000 to the victims of the Sampoong Department Store disaster in Seoul. The members of the Association's branch center in Seoul even look after the injured victims day and night in the hospitals. This is an exemplary deed talked about by many regarding this tragedy.
Central Daily News, Korea July 7, 1995 (Originally in Korean)
Spiritual Practitioners From Formosa Volunteer To Help Sending spiritual comfort to those who have lost family members. Pray for the early recovery of the injured victims.
The Formosan followers of an International Association established by Suma Ching Hai, an enlightened Master from the Himalayas, recently volunteered to help the Sampoong Department Store disaster victims. The Suma Ching Hai International Association crossed international borders to aid the injured and relatives of the deceased. Suma Ching Hai means and is the name of a Master who has achieved the hightest level of enlightenment. Her headquarters in Formosa was founded in 1983. The Quan Yin messenger who came to Korea on this trip emphasized that they not only offered the victims material relief, but more importantly, spiritual aid was given. Fellow practitioners from all over the world all pray for the victims early recovery.
After hearing the news about the Sampoong Department Store disaster, a Quan Yin messenger from "Suma Ching Hai International Association" in Formosa volunteered to help the victims. On July 6th he arrived at Kang Nam Si Rip Hospital to visit the injured, bringing with him relief money and flowers. (By Reporter Kim Sang Sun)