Concept / Inspiration
The Flaking Strata collection explores architectural decay through the sartorial lens of 1920s Dadaocheng, Taiwan. During this era, the Western suit emerged as a symbol of modernity and class. I subvert this pristine symbol through extreme artisan intervention. By integrating natural mud dyes into the fabric and applying rigorous physical distress, the garments mimic the weathering and flaking concrete facades of century-old architecture.
This collection embraces the philosophy of Kintsugi, perceiving structural damage not as a defect, but as an aesthetic opportunity for repair. The muddyed, frayed garments are meticulously reconstructed using Taiwanese traditional hand-woven rush nets, applied as asymmetric, three-dimensional grids. This yields a profound material dialogue: the heavy, distressed drape of Western tailoring collides with the raw rigidity of local rush weaving. The resulting garments are sculptural forms that immortalize the physical traces of time and elevate the irreplaceable value of traditional artisan craftsmanship.