Spotlight on Parsons BFA ’23 | Wenxin Ke, Mimi Na & Ethan Yang

The fourth in a series highlighting recent fashion graduates.

Name of Collection: Back to Earth

What is the inspiration or concept behind it?
My inspiration came from attending a funeral for the first time. It was a mix of emotions, naturally encompassing sadness and other negative feelings. However, amidst those emotions, there was also a prevailing sense of hope and positive anticipation for what lies beyond. We hold onto the hope that our departed loved ones find themselves in a beautiful place after death, reunited with the people they cherished or missed dearly. Regardless of the chosen method of dissolution, whether through cremation or burial six feet under, we ultimately return to nature. Our physical bodies become one with the earth, providing nourishment for the ground and giving rise to the fragrance of flowers and the elemental components present in the breeze that continues to surround the living. Furthermore, we carry the best wishes of our loved ones, guiding us throughout our own journey.

How is circularity part of your ethos? OR How has your idea of “making” changed in this era of climate change?
In the fashion industry, there is often a lot of talk about “zero waste” and sustainability. However, I can’t help but feel that achieving true sustainability for the environment may be a challenge. The processes involved in dyeing and creating fabrics contribute significantly to CO2 emissions and water pollution. One effective way to mitigate this pollution is to revisit traditional methods of clothing production. While we can’t completely stop the production of new clothes, we can focus on making garments more adjustable, of better quality, and with timeless aesthetics. This approach encourages individuals to keep their clothes for longer periods and make fewer purchases. For instance, tailoring offers a solution by allowing clothes to be altered as needed. If a client’s size changes, they can send their clothes to a tailor, just as people did in the past, to have them adjusted for a better fit.

In my own collection, I have made efforts to minimize waste by creating weaving tops that generate zero waste. By designing the fabric based on the pattern frame, there is no need for cutting or excess fabric. Fashion has a powerful ability to influence people’s emotions and reactions. By promoting the concept of “sustainability-with-fashion” through public displays of garments, I believe we can encourage individuals to explore this idea further and take meaningful action towards a more sustainable future.

Where do you hope to be in 3 years?
I aspire to work for a progressive fashion brand that shares my passion for sustainability, where I can contribute as a designer alongside a talented team.

Three things keeping you sane right now
Nature-related activities / Reading/ Exercise

If you could design for anyone in the world who would it be and why?
IIf I had the opportunity to design for anyone in the world, I would choose to design for individuals who are marginalized or underserved in society. This includes communities facing social, economic, or environmental challenges, as well as those who have historically been excluded from the fashion industry. By designing for marginalized groups, I would aim to address their specific needs and empower them through fashion. I believe that clothing has the potential to be a tool for self-expression, confidence, and cultural representation. It can help individuals reclaim their identities, challenge stereotypes, and foster a sense of belonging.

Where can we find you online? ke_wen_xin on instagram

Name of your collection: as is

the inspiration / concept behind this collection is my life – growing up with childhood trauma, i struggled for years to have any expectation in living. in the past six years, alongside the new tools i have gathered for myself, i have constructed a life that i believe in – a life that focuses on love: love towards the world, love towards the animals, love towards the community, love to you, and love to myself. i have built myself a world that i see hope. it is a world of peaceful nonconformity, a world unoppressive, a world of sharing and caring… i am still looking for words to accurately describe it to others who do not share this world with me yet. for now, i would like to borrow words from author Paulo Coelho – i resonate with the “generation that longed for peace and dared to challenge the established social order – authoritarian politics, conservative modes of behavior, excessive consumerism, and an unbalanced concentration of wealth and power…” 

‘as is’ in my world defines as

1. discard the superficial masks you put on yourself, others, the world everyday. as you are, as i am, as it is. you are loved just the way you are.
2. “as is” often refers to defect items. however, here it refers to the “imperfections” that is only present in handmade clothing that may give sentimental values. i insist to make garments by hands because the factory-made ones make me feel cold; they are emotionless looking the same, like robots… i hope my creations can send you my love and warmth everytime you wrap them around your body. imperfections can also occur naturally as the garment is being worn over and over. in my world, the worn-ness is worshipped. the garment becomes solely yours when it ages with you. 

How is circularity part of your ethos? OR How has your idea of “making” changed in this era of climate change?
circularity is a main focus in my life, not just in my design: i live a plant-based life and try my best to reduce waste and recycle, as well as advocating for environmental sustainability to those around me. 

naturally, considering the environmental impact has become an important part of my design process. everything is made one-of-a-kind by my hands. i believe in slow fashion. everything made by me will have access for repairing for its entire lifetime in the case the wearer does not like the natural worn-ness of the garments… the material choices, even to the smallest details of threads have been decided with conscious: i opt for waste, deadstock, or upcyclable fabric when possible; otherwise all materials are naturally biodegradable with time if wearer decides the throw out.

p.s. i have a menswear tailoring background, meaning when it comes to the quality of the construction of garments, i am quite serious… therefore, even though everything is hand-made, it is still guaranteed that the garments have a high-quality finish that allows the garments to live as long as possible with it being of natural materials. the special repairing service i provide either returns the garments to its almost-original condition, or gives it a new life with my creativity in visible mending. 

Where do you hope to be in 3 years?
i will be in my own boutique / studio expanding my label – an earth-friendly, handcrafted, one-of-a-kind slow fashion that is meant to be worn, mended, and repaired for life. my studio is going to be close to nature, perhaps near the water, perhaps near the woods. you will not see me in the concrete jungle but i’ll make sure to pop around here and there. my studio will also be a comfortable space for people – whether you’d like to chat, you’d like to craft, or you are like-minded and simply want to be around. you will be welcomed.

Three things keeping you sane right now
my cat, a meadow of yellow and purple wildflowers… my friends 

If you could design for anyone in the world who would it be and why?
Abbie Hoffman! although there is more and more to learn about this man. knowing of him has given me new light to the way i can live as I was growing up to a young adult. i learnt the power of being radical and standing up to those beliefs. my curiosity to the 60s flower power movement began from him and has not stopped yet. i think what i am trying to do as a fashion designer still seems ‘unacceptable’ in the current fashion industry and have the feeling that “it doesn’t work in the market!” many times i wanted to give up. but having Abbie Hoffman’s spirit in my heart… if not me, who? if not now, when? 

Where can we find you?
instagram: @kindaflowerychild
website: kindaflowerychild.com

Name of Collection: Descent

What is the inspiration or concept behind it?
Descent is created as an extension of constant introspection. A study of personal psychology dissecting abstract feelings and unconscious thoughts to achieve mental clarity and fortitude. The act of introspection is rife with pain and struggle as we tear apart old conceptions of who we are to continuously rebuild ourselves as changing human beings striving to achieve growth.

How is circularity part of your ethos?
Circularity is a part of my ethos in the way I see the lifecycle of materials. In modern times, it is easy to treat objects as disposable, but the true lifespan of a material is often longer lasting than our lives as individual human beings. Viewing objects from a material point of view allows for us to see them with a truer sense of longevity. When that object’s expected lifespan is up (meaning the object itself no longer can fulfill its original intended function), if we view it from a material sense we can then engage with it in ways in which the material can be salvaged for a variety of new uses through creative problem-solving.

Where do you hope to be in 3 years?
In three years, I hope to have built some professional experience of working in the creative field as an artist and designer initially after graduating college. Along with this, I hope to have pushed and engaged with my own brand in ruins, cultivating an audience which I can share my creations and involve as a community.

Three things keeping you sane right now
Support from friends and family – having just graduated, hearing friends and family tell me they are proud of what I have achieved and what I have created reinforces a sense of humility that keeps me grounded. And without their support I don’t think I would have made it to this point.

Appreciating mundane experiences in everyday life. After having an intense finale to university, things coming to a close has allowed me to slow down and enjoy something I might overlook at other times. I appreciate simple activities like walking around without a destination and stopping to view and interact with sights that interest me, like taking photos of beautiful architecture or feeling the delicate petals of flowers blooming by the road.

Uncertainty of the future. While the uncertainty of what the future holds for me isn’t as pleasant as the previous two things, the anxiety, pressure, and excitement surrounding it are integral to the human experience. Feeling those emotions reminds me I am present in living my life and pushes me to do my best to figure out the ideal I would like to live.

If you could design for anyone in the world who would it be and why?
I would design for the artist Yves Tumor. Besides enjoying their music and the ways they blend different musical genres together, I’ve always found the way in which they break barriers of gender expression in their stage outfits to be very admirable. I would love to design an outfit for a performance of theirs as being able to see clothes I make on someone live during a performance is a dream come true.

Where can we find you?
Personal IG: @wyllow.000
Brand IG: @inruinsremade
Personal Tiktok: @wyllow.000