Held during the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the luncheon aims to celebrate the unprecedented cooperation between diplomacy and fashion for the greater good of women and children worldwide.

 

Sandriver and its founder Juliet Guo, or Guo Xiuling, were awarded the 2024 "Fashion Industry Change Maker" by the F4D for their solid efforts in reviving ancient craftsmanship of Inner Mongolian handmade felting, Gangtse pulu and Qinghai yak wool while empowering women and local herders in remote areas of Xizang autonomous region. This is also the first time that a Chinese entrepreneur has won this award.

 

"As a woman, I am gratified to be able to care for the women in the Himalayan snow regions and help them achieve economic independence. I am very willing to teach them based on my craftsmanship experience over the past three decades, and I feel proud of the innovative inheritance of the craft of pulu," said Guo.

 

Pulu is a traditional handicraft with a long history in Xizang, and also an intangible cultural heritage with a history of more than 2,000 years. Costumes made of it are the most common and ethnic wear on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. However, it has been fading due to lack of style varieties and skill inheritance and low added-value.

 

In 2022, Guo and her brand launched a "10-Year Pulu Revival Plan". She visited family workshops in the high-altitude areas of the plateau, established the Shanghai Pulu Research and Development Center, and partnered with other teams to build local industrial chains. Her efforts have helped train nearly 100 local craftswomen, empowering them to improve incomes and realize their social values at their doorstep. Also, their innovative pulu creations were showcased at Paris Fashion Week and sold worldwide, bringing them onto the global stage.

 

A few days earlier, on Sept 22, Guo was also honored as "People Who Moved Shanghai in 2024" for her constant efforts.