Zero Waste Challenge: Yeohlee Teng A/W 2015-16

A perfect fashion collection is the result of a perfect mathematical equation. You may consider this statement as incorrect if you think that a garment is the product of human creativity, fantasy and imagination. Yet if you shift the attention to the actual structure and construction of a garment, if you look at patterns, measurements and proportions, you easily realise there is quite a lot of mathematics behind what we wear on an every day basis.

High quality, functionality and wearability may be the key words behind Yeohlee Teng's collections, but there is always a sort of emphasis on the mathematical and scientific approach to things behind them.

In the 16 pieces forming her Autumn/Winter 2015/16 collection characterised by a palette comprising black, concrete grey, and white with some red notes thrown in, and by soft but well-defined silhouettes, there is nothing too abstruse or incomprehensible, yet there is quite a bit of mathematics.

The designer has indeed taken her "zero waste" principle to new levels: she employed seven panels of a jacquard for four pieces – skirt, jacket, pants and blouse. The unused pieces and piles of fabrics that resulted were not discarded, but they were integrated in a sweater or were used for the paneling of a pencil skirt.

Yeohlee added a magical element (could we maybe talk about her being a "Mathemagician"?) in those garments in which, rather than using discarded fabrics, she came up with different tricks – such as a black and deep plum reversible double-faced angora coat and a functional raincoat with a zip hidden away under an additional layer that transformed it into a double-breasted coat.

The art element was introduced via graphic motifs à la Sol LeWitt on silk draped jackets and trousers. As a mathematician, Yeohlee may not have broken the Enigma code, but she can definitely decode the needs of her customers and understand that fashion is not about overcomplicated looks, long presentations and complex collections, but about functional solutions revolving around a wise garment construction.