andrew

In contemporary fashion, Asian traditionalism is sorely underrepresented in favor of more avant-garde or modernist designs. For instance, notable designers of Asian descent such as Issey Miyake are focused on capturing Western trends. This makes me feel that East Asian culture and traditional garments are a field of fashion that has been underrepresented on the high fashion stage, which is the main inspiration for my exhibition. In this exhibition, I used my passion for fashion to explore and reconnect with aspects of my cultural identity. Bridging the east and west by bringing back traditional Chinese art forms such as operatic costumes and sculptures and combining them with contemporary stylistic elements.

In “Future of the Past”, I combined traditional sculpture of Terracotta warriors with the modern materials and silhouettes of the Cyberpunk genre. Through this, I demonstrated the modernization of traditional trends and how people have adapted them to advancements in technology.

"Farewell My Concubine" also has strong connections with my Chinese culture. The name is reminiscent of old Chinese opera titles, and the movie of the same name. The lack of color is in contrast to traditional operatic garments, demonstrating the gradual loss of individualism in Eastern culture as it became overcome by the West. Another aspect of my exhibition is directed at exposing the negative side of technology, showing how traditions are lost and being taken over by technology, and how it has taken over our lives.

In "Apparition", I decided to create a shroud-like dress encaged by mesh to represent someone "bound" or "trapped" to technology, represented by the metallic texture of the mesh. The hardness of the mesh is contrasted with the soft exterior of the dress and is covered by a shroud. For this piece, I was inspired by the looks of Maison Margiela, which utilizes simplistic minimalist cutting techniques. By combining a simplistic exterior with a jagged, complex exterior, I wanted to demonstrate how technology has ensnared us like a cage and has stolen away our personal identities, represented through the dark, featureless apparition.

The motif of entrapment is echoed in "Noxhydria", which draws inspiration from the 1979 film "Alien". Facehuggers are creatures who cling on to your hosts and are parasitic in nature, and the form factor of "Noxhydria" is heavily reminiscent of a Facehugger, except with an iPad screen. This is representative of how the parasitic nature of technology.

FUTURE OF THE PAST

Fine-line Marker, Color Pencils
Through the integration of Terracotta warriors & “Cyberpunk”, this collection exhibits the connection between my culture & the modern aesthetic, demonstrating how my traditional culture has gotten lost through modern culture. This series consists of 3 portraits - “3” sounds like “生” (birth), representing the 3 main stages of life: birth, marriage & death. The first stage blue symbolizes birth, the third stage - red symbolizes death, & the second stage purple, the color between blue & red.

Farewell My Concubine
Uniform, Lace, Velvet
This piece explores the loss of tradition and identity, inspired by Chinese opera costumes and the movie “Farewell My Concubine", which depicts the gradual loss of the cultural heritage of Chinese opera. I used school uniforms to create this garment to show conformity - how uniforms take away students' sense of identity. I've decided not to paint or decorate the costume with color to contrast it with traditional opera costumes, which are lavish with exaggerated patterns and vibrant colors.

Apparition
Mesh, Wire, Velvet
This piece was inspired by Maison Margiela, one of the most influential fashion houses in modern fashion. This is seen under the veil that covers the face but also a part of the dress. The dress is made of plush velvet material, representing the genteel approach of traditional culture. In contrast, the exterior of the dress is made of aluminum mesh, sharp at the edges, representative of technology and how it became a cage that entrapped our identities and the culture that we are composed of.

Promortyus/ Noxhydria
Masks, Wire, Aluminum Foil, iPad Parts
Our generation is both isolated and connected by technology, but the immersion of a simulated world causes us to lose our connection with reality and ourselves. This piece explores how the gradual assimilation and advancement of technology blinded and isolated us as individuals. The piece wraps around the entire face of the wearer, obscuring their vision and suffocating them. Technology has become such a vital part of our existence that it is practically impossible to detach yourself from it.

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