Hu Yuanyi
The theme of this design is the Sea—a place of beauty, fragility, and contradiction. Inspired by jellyfish and fishing nets, the piece reflects the tension between nature’s elegance and the risk of human impact. The student imagined a sea formed of the remnants of jellyfish, soft bodies dissolved into water, and aimed to evoke this image through the dress’ ruched texture and flowy form.
To express these images of the sea, the student deliberately distressed a light blue fabric using a heat gun, shrinking it to mimic the varied textures of the sea. The result mirrors the real ocean, marked by scars and transformation. Adding to this message, the student incorporated fishnet-like textiles, organza, and pearls to evoke marine elements, layering them into the fabric to suggest both entanglement and fluidity. The varying shade of blue organza adds to the depth of the piece and allows it to play with light and shadow.
