Plain White

The source of Plain White is the Chinese ancestors' preservation and respect for the natural color of fibers. As early as the Neolithic Age, ancestors began planting hemp and raising silkworms for reeling. The original undyed fabric presented a natural tone with a slight beige or grayish white—the original face of Plain White, simple and pure.

During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, silk dyeing technology was quite developed, but 'Plainness' was always assigned special ritual and philosophical significance. The Analects records Confucius saying, 'The painting comes after the plain ground', meaning beautiful painting must be built upon a pure, clean white base. Plain White was seen as the foundation and starting point of all splendor.

In the Han Dynasty, the textile industry flourished, and plain raw silk fabrics like 'plain white silk' and 'fine white silk' were mass-produced. They served as the natural color for commoners' daily wear and were also important for aristocratic undergarments and mourning attire. Plain White symbolized grief and humility in ritual, while in daily life, it embodied simple practicality, thus establishing its dual cultural significance.

Wei-Jin dynasty scholars advocated naturalness and uninhibitedness, making plain white clothing a symbol of reclusive hermits and noble character. The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove and other literati appeared in wide white silk robes, unfettered by worldly etiquette. Plain White thus acquired a character of transcendence and authentic frankness, persisting through the aesthetic ideals of Tang and Song literati.

From the Ming and Qing dynasties to modern times, Plain White gradually became the color embodiment of the Eastern aesthetic concept of 'blank space'. Whether the white body of porcelain, the natural color of rice paper, or the natural white of cotton and linen, Plain White represents a non-contentious stance. In the contemporary design context, Plain White signifies a return to nature and a sustainable lifestyle.