Wang Meng wore the only unpatched school uniform, but was ridiculed by her classmates as "too rancid."
Her father was an alcoholic, so she got up at five in the morning and used her sewing machine to alter clothes for neighbors to earn living expenses.
When the head teacher announced that "Wang Meng was ordered to drop out of school due to default in tuition fees," she clutched the registration brochure for the "National Fashion Design Competition" in her pocket.
Ten years later, the "Breaking Cocoon" series she designed was the finale of Paris Fashion Week.
Under the spotlight, reporters asked her how she bridged the class gap.
Wang Meng opened the first page of the sketchbook. On it was the notice of withdrawal from school and a yellowed registration brochure:
"Every thread sewn in is a whip to fate."
