The term "curvilinear" immediately conjures up images of the vaults of Gothic buildings especially when mentioned in conjunction with architecture. Yet, in fashion, it can be employed for different purposes and to achieve more dramatic effects, as proved by London-based Xiao Li.
The Royal College of Art MA student and fashion designer softened the geometric angularities of curvilinear Gothic architectures in her graduate collection. The latter, showcased at the end of May during the school's fashion show, won in July the Diesel Award at the Trieste-based ITS 2013 competition.
The collection features a series of voluminous knitwear garments in pastel shades, a new direction for the young designer who last year impressed the jury of the "Feel the Yarn" competition with her neon coloured creations that combined recycled denim yarns with a soft silicone-based material.
The ample silhouettes and bell-shaped sleeves of the coats and tops in this new collection call to mind a modern version of Balenciaga's trademark pieces from the '60s, painted with the pale peach, yellow, lilac and green shades of the Miami Art Deco palette or of Michele De Lucchi's Girmi prototypes (View this photo).
Silicone decorations around the hems and accessories in silicone give both the knitted designs and the pieces made with 3D spacer fabric the solid yet soft consistency of foam sculptures while emphasising Li's main purpose, a tendency towards a greater smoothness.
Did you enjoy Trieste and did you expect to win the Diesel Award at the ITS competition?
Xiao Li: I really enjoyed it: ITS has been my dream since finishing my BA at London College of Fashion. I am so happy I made it. I prepared a lot for the Diesel Project, but I didn’t expect I would win.
How would you define the pieces in your collection?
Xiao Li: Modern Knit.
Did you derive the silhouettes in your collection from architecture or sculpture?
Xiao Li: Yes, I always want to bring some modern architecture feeling into my collection. I like 3D garments more than 2D. I would like to develop my knitwear pieces in a 3D way rather than 2D. This is what I mean with the "Modern Knit" definition.
The collection palette is eye-pleasing and makes you think about interior design, is this a discipline that enters into your work as well?
Xiao Li: Thanks for this feedback. In my previous work such as the designs for the "Feel the Yarn" competition and for my pre-collection, I used a lot of bright colours, but after two projects with such vivid shades, I decided to employ some pastels for my final collection. I felt pastel colours were really good to reflect my concept for this collection. These colours helped me giving me a minimal feel to the collection. Besides, I want more modern women to like my collection: as you said, these shades are part of an eye-pleasing palette and, as a designer, I would like more people to enjoy and wear my pieces.
What kind of materials did you employ for the collection?
Xiao Li: Cotton yarn, silicon and sporty fabric.
Did you by any chance take further in this collection the silican fabrics techniques you developed for last year's "Feel the Yarn" designs?
Xiao Li: Yes, I did. Feel the Yarn was a really good starting point for me.
Would you like to develop your silicone coated knits further and make sure they reach us in the shops?
Xiao Li: Yes, that has always been my plan. I will make sure it will be really wearable and reach consumers and I hope people will wear it on the streets like they do with PVC coats nowadays. Hopefully it will happen soon as the feedback regarding this collection has been really good so far with lots of women getting back to me saying they would like to order and wear my designs. While I hope I can find the right company to develop this technique even further together with me, I would also like to contact a few good shops to see if they would be interested in selling my pieces.
You won the Diesel Award at the ITS, so you will be doing a placement at the company, what do you expect from it?
Xiao Li: I met the Diesel team during ITS 2013 and I felt they are really creative and nice. I hope I can gain some experience and get to know better the real fashion industry.
All images of Xiao Li's collection in this post courtesy of the designer.
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