Shuxuan Li’s womenswear speaks its own language

Shuxuan Li earned herself a Bachelor’s degree in Fashion Design Knitwear from the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. During her undergraduate course, she spent one year in London studying fashion at Central Saint Martins before applying at Parsons School of Design for a Master’s degree in knitwear focused on womenswear, from which she graduated in May of 2020.

“The calligraphies and paintings are a special connection between my family and me which I did not really know of before.”

Her final collection explores the mixed feelings experienced by Shu during her time living abroad and reflecting upon her own cultural identity. Spatially distanced from her family back in China, it was the way they communicated with one another that inspired her designs. Using WeChat, Shu and her father would exchange images of their paintings. “The calligraphies and paintings are a special connection between my family and me which I did not really know of before. I always thought that was something so natural. It’s just there,” she adds, “This artform is more than Chinese ink painting, it’s an own kind of language for us.”

The traditional artistic heritage of China, in particular the calligraphy of the characters of the Chinese language, has experienced a kind of displacement in recent years. Used in a superficial way as decoration on a graphic level, the true and deeply cultural meaning has been lost. With her collection, Shuxuan Li is expressing her feelings by using the written form of her mother tongue as the central force behind her designs. Through a process of construction and deconstruction, Shu explored the meaning of every letter and translated it into her own ‘fashion language’.

The knitwear pieces combine different qualities of yarn with a variety of knitting techniques to achieve garments that are full of contrasts. Balance and off-balance, dynamic and subtle, fitted and loose. Shu skillfully takes the principles applied in calligraphy painting and transforms them into knitting techniques, turning her needles into pencils. Depicted in the running style of writing typical of calligraphy, the characters present the shapes which will be draped around the bodies establishing the silhouette. Held in a soft colour palette of whites and blues, the garments simultaneously cling onto the body and fall off of it, resulting in both volume and empty spaces.

“The school supported us a lot and we moved out as much equipment as we could, mannequins and sewing machines, to our homes to build our own studios there.”

The skill and thoughtfulness behind Shu’s collection amazes even more considering its place of production. “This collection was made from my kitchen table,” she shares, remembering how she had to pack up at Parsons and go into lockdown in March. “The school supported us a lot and we moved out as much equipment as we could, mannequins and sewing machines, to our homes to build our own studios there.” Whilst cutting tables and models to fit were certainly missing, the biggest downside was the cancellation of the graduate fashion show. However, Parsons found a good solution.

A documentary, released in late October, captures the creative process behind the various graduate collections. This conceptual approach that values process over result is digital and launched online. “Some of my fabrications are double-layered. By using moving imagery like GIFs, I can flip the fabrics so people can understand them better,” Shu says, emphasizing how moving everything to digital is useful when it comes to showcasing the composition and qualities of your designs.

“At first, I thought ‘Why do I wanna do this collection?’ Having to build up everything from a piece of fabric into a whole collection. But now that I am finished, I am really thankful for this process,”

Her experience studying at Parsons felt short, yet she had the time to find herself, explore her interests and meet a variety of people coming from different backgrounds whose stories have enriched her. What she values the most, however, is the feeling of reward once the work is done. “At first, I thought ‘Why do I wanna do this collection?’ Having to build up everything from a piece of fabric into a whole collection. But now that I am finished, I am really thankful for this process,” Shu says.

Her advice to new students during these uncertain times? “No one is ever prepared for everything. No matter the situation, try to learn as much as possible from it,” she continues, “Be open-minded and enjoy life as much as possible. If you are not sure about studying fashion, try to get into the industry by doing internships. I think that is really helpful when it comes to decision making.”

“Now that I am working in a company, I’m asking myself ‘If I had a brand, how would I make it work? How can I make something special?”

Currently, Shuxuan is interning at Phillip Lim in New York, working long days at the atelier doing research, cutting patterns and sewing details for the upcoming collection. Once her visa expires, she will probably return to China to either join a big company or start her own brand. Until then, she is eager to get as much industry experience as possible, exploring different sectors such as marketing and, of course, perfecting her craft. “Now that I am working in a company, I’m asking myself ‘If I had a brand, how would I make it work? How can I make something special?’”

The young designer says that what she wants to achieve with her designs is rather simple – wearable and beautiful clothes that bring people happiness. “I just want to make fun clothes and feel good about what I’m doing. I want the customer to have an emotional connection to them,” she says.

As simple as her mission may sound, Shuxuan Li’s designs are complex in both their creation and message. She skillfully combines the heritage of Chinese art with modernity inspired by her own upbringing and special relationship to her father to create pieces that speak their very own language.