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| John Gollings: Eye For Architecture |
| The Trial |
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| Tibet: Murder In The Snow |
| Menzies and Churchill at War |
| Monash: The Forgotten Anzac |
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| Welcome 2 My Deaf World |
| Trial By Fire |
| Muddy Waters |
| Dolphin Mania |
| Children of The Crocodile |
| Painting Country |
| The Astonishing Ashtons |
| Mao's New Suit |
| Harold - A Portrait Of Harold Blair |
| The Isabellas |
| The Tenth Dancer |
SBS / CH4 UK - 1997
A documentary which charts the course of two Beijing fashion designers as they launch themselves on the Shanghai market. Mao's New Suit follows Beijing fashion designers SUN JIAN and GUO PEI amidst the staging of their first designer collection in Shanghai's annual Fashion Week.
"Not only is the film full of optimism and character but it also offers intimate glimpses of a changing China..."
EVENING STANDARD, UK, 8 July 1997
For decades people in China modelled themselves on Chairman Mao who wore a simple worker's outfit in blue or grey. It was known as the 'Mao Suit'. To wear anything different meant that you stood out - and in China any sign of independent thought has always been dangerous.
But China's door has opened and the next generation has emerged seeking an individual identity separate from the State.
'Young people are definitely not like their parents. They prefer to make money, do business and advance their career. They will not sacrifice their life and personal ideals for politics. Those days are gone. People aren't like that anymore'.
GUO PEI
'In Sun Jian and Guo Pei, Ingleton has found two thirty year old women who may redefine what many think of life behind the bamboo curtain....
MICHAEL BODEY, BEAT MAGAZINE, AUSTRALIA, 15 October 1997
'The upbeat, energetic Mao's New Suit, a thoroughly enjoyable look at two fashion designers trying to "individualise" women's clothing in modern China.'
SUN HERALD, SYDNEY AUSTRALIA, 5 October 1997
'Ingleton's doco is skilfully made. Having made the correct decision that this is definately a story that tells itself, there is no brain numbing voice over narration. Instead the camera prowls around the periphery of a fascinating environment that will be foreign to many viewers.'
LEIGH PAATSCH, HERALD SUN, MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA, 11 October 1997
'Having watched last week's Hong Kong handover to China, I found it hard not to come away with the feeling that some unnamed threat hung over Hong Kong's capitalist future; that the disheartening regime in Peking might yet grab the first excuse to renege on its promise of "one country two systems". But from Mao's New Suit (Channel 4), it is clear that China has been operating a flourishing system of "one country, two systems" at home for some time....'
JOE JOSEPH, THE TIMES, LONDON UK, 8 July 1997
'In Mao's New Suit we see the new China that's emerged in the last capitalist roader generation through the yees of two young Chinese fashion designers Guo Pei and Sun Jian, idealistic but ambitious Beijing dwellers who visit the Shanghai fashion fair in search of fame and fortune. Sally Ingleton's excellent film achieves the technical feat of narrating the story in the (subtitled) words of Guo Pei and Sun Jian, and probably tells us more about the state of China today than half a dozen worthy news bulletins.'
OBSERVER, LONDON UK, 8 July 1997
'You may have thought that with the Hong Kong handover we'd been overexposed to all things Chinese, but Mao's New Suit found a truly different approach to the world's most enigmatic nation. The programme follows two young (and humblingly pretty) fashion designers who sought to bring imagination, originality and colour out of the closet......As we followed them through the verdant countryside to booming Shanghai against a soundtrack of Chinese folk songs, modern pop and military marches, we glimpsed a far more three-dimensional China than the one seen in the handover coverage.'
CRISTINA ODONE, TELEGRAPH, UK 8 July 1997
I first travelled to China in mid 1995. I wanted to make a contemporary story which would reflect China's changing face. A story which would invite audiences into the lives of the thirty somethings born during the cultural revolution. A generation which has experienced enormous upheaval.
This generation has witnessed the excess and idolatry of the 'Mao years' and in turn has grown up during Deng Xiao Ping's period of economic reform. Many have turned their back on politics. Instead they want to make money, do business and advance their career. A consciousness of the masses has shifted to a consciousness of the individual. Nowhere is this independence more evident than in how people dress.
My research revealed a society embracing 'individualism'. Department stores promoted 'how to' makeup demonstrations; street side magazine stands displayed glossy editions titled 'Love' and 'Fashion' alongside booklets of Mao Zedong's memoirs; matchmaking programs on local TV promoted 'image design' in order to find your perfect mate; and dowdy business men proudly left designer labels on the outside of their suitcoats.
'Fashion' was the catchcry. It was everywhere. 'No 1 Fashion store', 'Famous Fashion Shop' and so forth.
With China's booming economy, more and more women are pursuing careers in business and white collar work. They need to dress smartly and can earn in one month what their parent's earnt in a lifetime. As one fashion magazine editor said, 'now is a very good time to earn alot of women's money'. However understanding dress sense is still new in China. Many women get confused about when to wear what! So it is common to see women wearing evening dresses in the supermarket or track suits and jogging shoes at a wedding. And so a whole new growth industry is emerging of personal image consultants and fashion designers.
After interviewing many such designers - I settled upon Sun Jian and Guo Pei to be the principal characters in the film. They were best of friends and were planning to hold a joint fashion show together. Their flamboyant personalities and sense of humour seemed like a perfect springboard to allow international audiences to connect with the next generation of Chinese entrepreneurs.
Obtaining a Chinese Film Permit took several months of negotiating. Filming took place during September/October 1996. The film was completed in April 1997.
