peaceful protest
Art finds its way onto posters, walls, and advertisements, shaping messages through typography and design. But fashion is more than decoration—it is a voice, a statement, a reflection of social outcry. As people around the world raise their voices in protest, the future of fashion will echo their call, transforming garments into a powerful medium for activism and change.
Ephemeral Bloom / As My Name / Soundless Outcry / Magnolia
2024 Exhibition: International Federation of Home Economics (IFHE). Galway, Ireland.
The design features a top panel crafted from biodegradable leather and a bottom panel made of natural fiber, showcasing the durability and versatility of sustainable materials. BioMix highlights the potential of design innovation to reduce the fashion industry’s environmental impact by embracing novel fabrication techniques and responsible resource use. This project explores how design thinking—particularly in biodegradable textile development—can challenge traditional textile structures, minimize waste, and promote greater transparency and sustainability in fashion.
BioMix:Ephemeral Bloom
As My Name
2020 Exhibition: International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA), Virtual, US.
Co Designers: Su Kyoung An & Hope May
As My Name was created to commemorate the women’s suffrage movement and to inform all people about 100 people names who fight for the women’s rights to vote. All final pattern pieces were digitized by using NScan Automated Pattern Digitizing System and the Universal Laser ILS model was utilized to cut out all pattern pieces. The silhouette of this garment was inspired by the overalls, which were designed for working men to provide a much more comfortable design after World War I. All alphabetic letters (100 signers’ names) that were laser-cut from the outer layers of pleats were gradually attached from the bottom to the top in the side of the pants panels as if to express a peaceful echo of their inner voice for the women’s suffrage.
SOUNDLESS OUTCRY
2019 Exhibition: Award for Innovative Design Scholarship. International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA), Las Vegas, Nevada, US.
Co Designers: Su Kyoung An & Li Jiang
Soundless Outcry was inspired by a spirit of ‘the Declaration of Korean Independence’. This design primarily emphasized the Korean traditional dress and tried to embody their spirit. The greatest consideration in this design was to express the coexistence between the Korean’ spirit and the times’ circumstance into the dress.
Magnolia
2014 Exhibition: International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA), Charlotte, North Carolina, US.
Magnolia symbolizes global innocence stemming from a strong desire for green sustainability. Magnolia inspired by a spring bride, aimed to express the purity of the planet through the budding flowers of spring. All materials used for this design came from recycled and eco-friendly materials, such as jute and felt.
