Wenhai Su on cross-cultural heritage and sustainable development

After working as a stylist for China’s first lady, Wenhai decided to move to the Netherlands to head back to school. “I needed more time and space to think and grow,” Wenhai acknowledges. He recently graduated from ArtEZ’s program ‘Practice Held in Common’, a research-based course that focuses on experimentation and creativity, driven by each student’s personal interest. This curiosity could be anything – it doesn’t limit itself solely to fashion.

Ever since he moved to Europe, Wenhai felt a certain separation between himself, his native country, and his current environment. He couldn’t see himself at home in China nor in Europe, leaving him feeling lost between the two. After expressing this sensation of displaced heimat to his friends, Wenhai noticed many of them felt the same. These conversations ended up forming the core research of his graduation project, “I made a short documentary that recorded some of my friends’ views on self-identity, how they see themselves as outsiders living in Europe. It was very intense and emotional, and I wanted my collection to carry on this feeling.” On the other hand, though, Wenhai tends to work in a very rational and organised way. Fascinated by tailoring – of which he learnt the basis during his internship at Maison Margiela – he started deconstructing second-hand garments to learn about structures and techniques.

“I would describe my presence in Europe as synonymous with a feeling of lost spiritual connection with my homeland.”

“I would describe my presence in Europe as synonymous with a feeling of lost spiritual connection with my homeland.” Combining in-depth research with personal experiences, this collection reflects on a fragmented impression of Chinese culture, exploring the multiplicity of identity in a self-constructed environment. Guiding himself through the design process with a ‘triangle structure’, as Wenhai describes it, he built his story around three main elements: Culture, Material, and Tailoring. “That’s the rational side of me,” he states.

Between fragmented impressions and fragmented garments, Wenhai much prefers to work with his hands, to deconstruct and drape rather than to sketch out his ideas on paper. “For me, the two-dimensional work is more about pattern-making.” Whereas he does think computerised pattern software could help save development costs and perhaps achieve a more sustainable process through limiting waste, it is crucial to keep the roughness and passion of crafting by hand.

“At first, I felt frustrated, but I quickly got used to it. With some help from my friends, I set up a small atelier in my living room and immersed myself fully into the process of creating the collection.”

The Netherlands was quick to close down its schools when cases of COVID-19 started to show, and ArtEZ’s students weren’t spared from this reality. “At first, I felt frustrated, but I quickly got used to it. With some help from my friends, I set up a small atelier in my living room and immersed myself fully into the process of creating the collection.” Luckily Wenhai’s rational side had made sure he’d ordered all of his fabrics and materials before the lockdown started, so there was no need to panic. Shifting his focus from the global to the local, he met a talented craftswoman specialised in knitwear, who happened to live in his neighbourhood. Together, they developed a specific technique: working with woven fabric instead of yarn, they cut the upper part of a shirt into several hundred strips. Working directly on the garment without any need to sew or assemble, the final result looks like a chunky-knit pullover morphing into a shirt. This ‘Knit Shirt’ functioned as the second chapter in the story that is his graduate collection – the first piece was his ‘Mao jacket Cape’: a combination of traditional Chinese dress and a sharp Western cape, to be worn in multiple ways. It’s the first design where Wenhai brought his heritage and his experiences throughout life together; needless to say it carries a significant meaning.

“Digitalisation has become more important than ever, but I think the essential thing is to find your own way of doing, your own voice, and to communicate it correctly. Authenticity is what touches people.”

Documenting his collection ‘Crystal Blinkers’ on video all through the process turned out to be an unexpected advantage. Starting from interviewing his friends, Wenhai took on his filmmaking experiment to document the entire story and to show all layers of it. “But somehow it became a way to present my project and reach more people as a physical presentation or runway show wasn’t an option during the lockdown.” Whereas film and photography as medium, and social media as a platform, are important tools to use in order to reach a broad audience, Wenhai is convinced digital experiences won’t fully take over physical presentations when it comes to showing fashion. It comes across in a more personal, authentic way. “Digitalisation has become more important than ever, but I think the essential thing is to find your own way of doing, your own voice, and to communicate it correctly. Authenticity is what touches people.”

Envisioning a positive future for the fashion industry, Wenhai both supports and wants to push further the fact that everyone is able to express themselves in multiple ways and have their voice be heard, including many designers with different cultural backgrounds. “I do think we should talk more about sustainability,” he concludes in a gentle tone of voice. “Not only about materials, but also about people working in this industry…we all know how intense it can be. We should care about each other, respect everyone’s work, bring humanity and kindness back to the industry – a more sustainable working system could make a big difference.”