Technique of Producing Knot Button for Chinese Clothes

Knot button is a kind of button made by coiling a long “loop rope” by hand into various shapes, and is mainly used on traditional Chinese clothes to fix the front of a garment or as a decoration. As an important part of traditional clothes, it has played a pivotal role in the development of Chinese clothes. In 2009, the technique of producing knot button for Chinese clothes was listed by Shanghai Municipal Government in the list of the second batch of City-level Intangible Cultural Heritage in Shanghai. Knot button is woven by “loop rope”, i.e. foldedly sewn strips of fabrics. Knot button can be made of many materials, such as cotton, linen, silk, chemical fiber and other fabrics, and rope and woolen yarn. This pure handmade product is composed of knot, opening and decoration. In terms of usage, knot button can be divided into two types: practical button and clothes button. In terms of shape, it can be divided into three types: right-angle button, pipa button and decorative button. In terms of user, it can be divided into three types: button for men, button for women and button for children. Knot button is small and exquisite as well as amazing, since merely a ribbon is enough to form various shapes. As a kind of clothes accessory, knot button displays beauty, contains simple and natural feelings, reflects people’s pursuit of a better life, and even means good fortune and conveying of feelings and ideas. For example, both hudie (butterfly) button and hulu (calabash) button have the pronunciation “hu” which is similar with “fu” (good fortune), symbolizing happiness and good luck.