Projects

EXHALATION

Project Introduction
This interdisciplinary project called EXHALATION, an exhibition about TEXTILE WASTE and FUTURE UTOPIAS curated by Sarah Schurian. Under this concept there was a performance event where my collection “Out of the Fashion Cave” was presented by two dancers, Noomi and Tim. Following the performance, the design was incorporated into the exhibition.

Out of the Fashion Cave

The fashion industry plays a significant role in shaping and influencing consumer aspirations and dreams. While glamorous garments are a form of fashion, it is also evident that the basic daily garments that are worn by the majority of people are also a form of fashion. The reality behind the scenes of fashion is often goes unseen. Utopia and reality are not merely antithetical concepts, they are intricately interwoven and interdependent.

Video credit: Sarah Schurian, Nanyi Li

Fashion X Craft 2023-2024

Program introduction
Funding project “Fashion X Craft” curated by the Fashion Council Germany in partnership with the Swarovski Foundation and The King‘s Foundation.
The program ran for one year, from the announcement during Berlin Fashion Week in January 2023 until the end of Berlin Fashion Week 2024. In July 2023, the main activity was the 3-week designer residency organized by The King’s Foundation at Highgrove. The learning during these three weeks included basketry weaving, woodworking and plaster workshops. Lenzing AG then sponsored various Tencel fabrics for our project. Each participant was required to design a look for the project to be presented at Der Berliner Salon during Berlin Fashion Week in 2024.
More information about the program: https://www.fashion-council-germany.org/initiativen/fashion-x-craft

Evening Dress

What appears to be fragile and noble fur are actually second-hand black jeans’ raw edges. The black traditional Chinese knots are crafted from discarded headphone wires. An elegant black evening gown with a rush corset, paired with a handbag that combines rough, natural organic forms, natural materials and meticulously crafted artificial materials…

These inspirations come from the experience of Fashion x Craft this project in the UK last year and the thoughts of some personal travels. Glamorous dinner party in Dumfries House; people in noble and elegant black dresses and suits, as graceful as upper-class people in movie scenes; exquisite corsets from the Victorian era in the museum; dazzling evening gowns and jewelry in vintage shops…In contrast is the simple rural environment of Highgrove; the dirty and hard-wearing work clothes; the hard-working hands soaked in natural materials.

This contrast always makes me think about the value of fashion. It’s the paradox of the industry and the concept of fashion. Is the name and skill invested in traditional natural handicrafts with hard-working hands considered a luxury, or are those luxurious elements that are empty and elegant and used to embellish humanity considered a luxury?

Photo credit: Ben Mönks, Eleanor Kenny, Nanyi Li