‘I really think the industry has to be changed – from the core, which is the material’ Scarlett Yang says, discussing the motivations behind her final collection. The 24 year old investigates the materiality of fashion both physically and digitally in her aptly named Decomposition of Materiality and Identities. Within the collection Yang explores a ‘circular living system’ in which garments grow, decompose and shape shift throughout time and changing environments. Inspired by her experience at an Amsterdam textiles lab, the physical aspect of the womenswear designer's collection is iterated in a biodegradable textile she engineered herself, using algae extracts and the proteins from silk cocoons. Upon the dissolution of these textiles, the garments have the ability to configure as other silhouettes – hemlines shrink and jackets collapse into skirts. Continuing to document the degradation of textiles, Yang translates this in a virtual ‘digital fabrication’ of her designs, simulating an infinite representation of a garment transforming throughout its lifespan, that transcends any idea of traditional fashion design.
Jessica Worth, BA (Hons) Fashion Journalism
@jesswxrth
