Bridging Past and Present: Applying Dunhuang Tang Dynasty Mural Paintings into Contemporary Digital Fashion Design

Abstract

This study focuses on the costume culture depicted in Tang Dynasty Dunhuang murals, exploring its digital translation and integration into contemporary fashion design. It aims to address the research question of how ancient mural art can merge with digital fashion design. A combination of iconographic analysis, practice-based research, and 3D digital reconstruction was employed to systematically examine and reinterpret the form, color, and structure of Dunhuang mural costumes. The findings reveal that these costumes feature flowing lines, balanced silhouettes, and vivid color palettes, reflecting the Tang Dynasty’s aesthetic ideals of grandeur, vitality, and harmony with nature. Through digital reconstruction and creative experimentation, the study successfully transforms traditional Dunhuang costume elements into digital fashion works that embody both cultural depth and modern aesthetics. The innovation of this study lies in introducing a digital fashion design perspective to systematically analyze the aesthetic structure of Dunhuang mural costumes, establishing a translation pathway from traditional imagery to digital fashion, and demonstrating that the fusion of traditional aesthetics and digital technologies not only broadens the expressive language of contemporary fashion design but also contributes to the preservation, inheritance, and global dissemination of cultural heritage.