Inspired by : Yiqing Yin
I have chosen this artist because she has inspired me to experiment further with fabric manipulation. I wanted to explore freedom and limitations of the sea and the ocean, looking closely at the way water creates waves and ripples on its surface. I had the idea of portraying this in a fashion piece. One aspect that interests me within her work is the concept of fabric being loose and making the shapes just through positioning them in a pleated, crimped and ruffled way. I would like to examine particular areas of her fashion garments such as the way the fabric is left pleated on the garment and the layers added to make it seem dimensional and textured.
Yiqing Yin, which means “after a storm comes calm”, is a talented new fashion designer on the scene of high fashion. Yin immigrated from China at the age of 4, having been tossed between countries and having her clothes provided to her, since her father had supported the Tiananmen student protest movement. She returned to clothes when she attended the Ecole Nationale des Arts Decoratifs and also at la Chambre syndicale de la Haute couture and the London College of Fashion. Being curious about fabric and the way one can change its surface and design, all her collections have some form of fabric manipulation and darker underlying theme to them.
Her collection, The Dreamer” was on exhibit at the Hotel de Crillon during March 2011 Women’s Fashion Week, curated by Vogue France. Yin has been selected by French Vogue as one of the 8 young designers to follow up on. She has also signed the costume design for global campaigns of prestigious brands including Swarovski and Cartier. This collection fascinates me as it has a strong contrast between black and white, this gave me ideas to experiment this within my own work.
The garment is sculpted around the figure (model), layered and pleated more strongly in different places creating shape. Some pieces may look very clustered with the arms down however when moving around (arms up, turning) the viewer becomes aware of the space and fabric that is overlapped and hidden when peacefully sitting down and lying flat. Some pieces appear steamed to withhold various movements and pose/styles. The ends of the ruffles are not left frayed, instead they are neatly folded over to create a soft clean finish.
I especially like that Yiquing Yin showcases her collections in a very creative fashion. Not only are her garments imaginative but she presents them in a most artistic way. Presentation is everything and Yiquing Yin demonstrates her skills and talents in a very memorable way. The compositions of her designs incorporated into these creative photos are literal works of art. I love the wind moving flowing fabric around the models in an ethereal way, in her Dream Collection designs. I wanted to replicate this in my own photoshoot by throwing mesh fabric in the air and using a fast shutter speed to capture the movement. I’m drawn into the smoky atmosphere, use of black and white & models in thought provoking poses in the Ouvrir Venus Collection. These images create a definitively spiritual mood that excite the imagination.
In my work I wanted to add a form of structure. From the first shoot I pinned om samples of fabric to the manipulate myself into place on the model. Since then I looked closely at how ruffles in fashion and presented and made to wear, for my latest mock piece I stitched together a layered pleated sleeve that moves with the arm as it is held once near the elbow and once by the wrist. For my final outcome I would like to experiment using black dyes and making my piece more sinister. Still focusing on the underlying objective of freedom and limitations in the deep ocean.
