Collection 0, born from the pursuit of elegance.
In this collection, I seek to capture the essence of elegance through a deliberate exploration of contrast, simplicity, and gradience patterns. In essence, elegance is a harmonious balance between form and function that evokes a sense of timeless beauty and grace. I strive for this in my designs to create garments that not only look beautiful but also make the wearer feel elevated and refined. Each piece is meant to further appreciation of subtle transitions for I have designed them to focus around gradience, making it the heart of each garment’s design rather than a byproduct supporting a main graphic or silhouette as so many designers who inspired me have chosen to do. I find gradience underappreciated.
I want to stress the choice of simplicity and not minimalism. Simplicity, in my work, is about intentional design choices that enhance elegance without sacrificing depth. It's not about doing less, but about doing precisely what's necessary. Minimalism, on the other hand, often strips away too much, risking a loss of character and nuance. I am chasing simplicity, for that is another step towards elegance. Minimalism is not elegant, it is lazy. This understanding of simplicity shapes my design process. Thus, Collection 0 is also an opportunity for me to realize my own limits of where or what, at this time, I can realistically achieve. I can take this time to design what I find necessary, nothing more, and catch myself, take a step back, and to allow the design to finalize. Nevertheless, I still obsess over detail, detail in my designed which grow and adapt as I sketch.
I want this first collection to also emphasize love, for love is supremely elegant. I am, of course, referring to the refined, mature aspects of love—the quiet understanding, the gentle support, the graceful compromise. It is not the tumultuous passion, but the steady, enduring connection that I find elegant and seek to express in my paired designs. The love I aim to capture is not raw, it is not uncontrolled; rather, it is cultivated, it is mindful, it is affection which develops over time. It is the kind of love that enhances rather than overwhelms, much like how I approach my designs—with careful consideration and intentional choices.
This is why I have designed the eight central garments in pairs: four for men, and four for women. Four pairs of garments. Their gradients contrast gently, and the contrast even extends to the use of each gradient, and many patterns, shapes, and elements which make the men's and women's garments resonate and echo about each other. One can tell which is paired with which. I want my work to speak for itself, to be able for people to want to wear my garments for their design, and to have them appreciate it at a higher level. For example, I personally have an extreme fascination with horology. Just as how I appreciate a watch for its caliber, for its brand's history, for the watchmaker's passion, I wish these first eight garments to set a standard for what is to come, and what creative vision I will realize in the future, and for people to be able and willing to appreciate my brand for my designs, my passion, my talent.
Designing Collection 0
Pair 1 [No.1 / No.2]
The first pair is designed from the outside in. Focusing from the extent of the limbs and spiraling, crushing into the center point of each model. I wanted there to be this air of layered security for the male model, and a level of openness reflecting bravery for the female. Thus the collars are designed with such a contrast in size. I knew from the start the female garment would be very exposed, though in the right areas. It needs to be decent and elegant, and through shapes and physical region selection there landed the collarbone down to the cleavage, the underboob until the hip, the nape until the end of the spine. These regions, which were selected only after determining sleeve length and choosing to utilize the gradience on the sleeve, became focal points, contrasting skin color with outward, gradient, lighter shades. On the sleeves for the man and women, as well as the pants for the man, there required this subtlety that encases the spectrum of gradients within a muted range. Anything else would be apparent to sharp, swiveled change, which, though it has potential to be gradient and elegant, is not the right course for this collection. The centerpiece for the man I chose to block out. And the woman the same. But as the woman lacked pants, the bottom half of her dress became her pants. Thus, let there be a light, gentle shade of gradience to match the sleeves. Let there also be a slight contrasting gradient in between the man’s pants and coat, supported by the blade skirting around and jutting back in almost perpendicular direction in the back. This simple shape is enough to complete both parallel at the front and perpendicular behind, breaking the complete black of the main coat with the near black of the top of the pants, causing both contrast and gentle breakage-like gradience. For the female, I chose to have the front cutouts be imprinted upon her back, leading to a match and a lack of contrast, which in comparison to the man, is of high contrast in choice. To ensure that the air is different for the two looks, I chose to have the women’s sleeves be elongated, taking inspiration from traditional water sleeves from China, whereby the length hides the women’s hands, and from this lack of visibility, stems elegance. This elegance from hiding is able to create a more fluid silhouette, but also contrast with the feeling of bluntness from the exposed areas atop the garment. For look No.1 and No.2 to become cohesive, I felt that there should be a more obvious back and forth than just the direction of the garment. Thus, I added two panels for both parents of similar shape, though one gradient one flat colored. The man’s gradient panel, able to be showcased against his flat black coat, and the woman’s, a flat near black, the same as the man’s skirt, able to be perceived as gradient when surrounded by gradients itself. In such a manner, even the method of contrasting gradience contrasts.
Pair 2 [No.3 / No.4]
The second pair is the most experimental out of the four. The man’s jacket hosts a panel sleeve which also serves as a strip for a movable gradience. In the front, the jacket itself contains three shades, same as pair 1. The three includes a neutral gray, a near black, and a white gray. I have chosen to have the sleeves as near black for a multitude of reasons. As my design process for these garments begin with the sleeves, I wanted the darkest color on this model to contrast as the harshest scale with the female model’s sleeves, and since her top is sleeveless, this lacking element is able to further push the extremes of the contrast, being the furthest one can get in terms of contrasting the darkest color on the man’s garment’s sleeve region. Now that the man’s sleeves are deemed as near black, I chose for the other end of the gradient spectrum to be directly on the other side, graduating along the strip of the panel sleeve, and ending un in between the near black and the neutral gray, which, as clearly visible from the front, has been selected as the neutral color in controlling two end-to-end gradient changes. First, on the sleeve, where present is the near black to white gray, and on the edges of the jacket body itself, where there is the neutral gray to white gray. This means neutral gray serves two purposes. The clear purpose would be to separate the harshness of the colors, and allow there to be two white grays present but not touching (for they are not graduating in gradience) on the front of the jacket, but more importantly, this neutral gray is able to be on the receiving ends of both smaller ratioed gradients. The sleeve’s white gray is in contact with the neutral gray and the edge’s neutral gray in contact with itself, both taking up less than 30% of the overall gradient in each its own graduation. On the back, the same white gray now is fully visible and remains as a block, taking up the shape where the neural gray had chosen in the front. Now with this same imprinted over and the responsibility as well, from the back the white gray edge-led-into blade panel now becomes the center, contrasting harshly against the dark of the central upper back panel, bordering the darker part of the gradient, and, being in contrast with the same white gray from the sleeve panel as the front, though this time it is its own color, and not from the perspective of the neutral gray. This design choice allowed me to maintain the order of the sleeves and to keep the neutral and edge colors in check, making the sleeves and the center of the jacket (both front and back) to be cohesive enough with the pants, and able to be paired and switched with ease. Though, it is important to note that though the front is open (the model is wearing a black turtleneck underneath), the back of the jacket does indeed have a connected archway shaped panel, in the same gradient as the upper back.
The contrast with the female model’s top is also prevalent. The man has flat colored near black pants, upwardly contrasting with the edges of the jacket, and seeming almost of similar tone to the lower back panel, but it is hit against the women’s top, of pure black, and of zero gradience. This lack of gradience and the lack of sharing the same blak is also a pattern of contrast I am playing with the pairings. Reciprocally, the woman’s dress is covered with gradients and shapes, and, notably, not outlines as all other model’s have, but rather recinced into its edges and shapes, which not only contrasts with the man’s pants, but also with every pair and every garment in this collection. Her look’s front and back is visibly contrasting, directionally up versus down. And it is visible that the pure black is sleeping downwards from her top into the topmost sections of the gradient panels of her dress, which subtly stands out from the near black that is used to panel the rest of her dress. The pattern in the front points downwards sharply, almost forcing the tip down in the front of the skirt, and in the back, it points up, while splitting into two blades at the bottom, giving way for the upward direction of the skirt.
Pair 3 [No.5 / No.6]
The third pair is the simplest, though its conception took the longest. It is my attempt to pay homage to proportions I have liked from Haider Ackermann, and the result from my sleeve studies over some time. Both male and female models, the garments are visually clear, and the way they fit on the body, also obvious. But it is in this visual simplicity and this cohesive fit which cause in my mind a struggle of balance and a reminder to myself that though I am not a minimalist, I cannot become a maximalist. Rather, I need to find my regions of elegance, and thereby imprint it into this garment pair. In this pair I also took exceptional time in making the outfits parallel, to achieve a level of reflexivity that anyone would be able to match one to the other, and each model to each garment. The key for me began at the sleeves, and instead of shifting my focal point inwards, they went up, and rested upon the models’ shoulders, leading to the flattened, yet striking collar. I realized immediately it is where the pair would match and through this resonate. But I wanted everything else to be more similar than this collar, which is why I had to subvert the desire to match the tops of each model and cut the woman’s short. I say short comparatively, for the man’s is already highly cropped, it is not as short as the womans’. The men’s also feature tight closure in the front left and this line where the zipper lies defines for me the entire direction of the garments. An asymmetrical line downwards just felt right, and it even fitted with how the layers worked alongside both model’s tops. The man’s left side line simply went downwards from the top to his pants, and extended this as a division line for the lighter and darker grays. Moreover, because the man’s top has the subtle layering through closure, I wanted there to also carry over this subtleness, leading to my choice of leaving the top for the women a flat dark gray, and have the layering occur downwards from underneath. I also chose for the women’s top to have no zipper for closure, for I imagine it as a stiff material, which is able to maintain that rigid look for her, instead of potentially a visible center zipper, which would be fully inelegant in this case. The centered-ness of the top contrasts with the vertical asymmetry for the bottom, and it works so simply yet so beautifully. The woman’s skirt features a hidden zipper in the center, allowing it to be unzipped and cut short, should the wearer desire, for I believe that length to be more suitable, being alongside the elongated sleeves. It brings about the opportunity for a whole other proportion, and sets the stage for further elegance (though I will mention that to display this garment at a design level with a skirt as short as the unzipped would be inelegant. This display showcases the garment in its full glory and provides the mutual understanding should the wear desire a different silhouette.
Pair 4 [No.7 / No.8]
For pair four, I am not only experimenting with proportions, but the difference of proportions. I want there to be this visible cutting when transferring attention from one model to the other, and for there to still remain this level of exposé. I chose to have the men’s garment styles with nothing underneath the centerpiece, and in doing so, juxtaposed it with the knee height cut for the women’s dress / coat. It is a piece of garment meant to combine both the idea of a dress but still adhere within the guidelines and keep it able to be called a coat. I wanted the opening line to be free yet tighten her silhouette. For her exposed legs to be akin to the men’s exposed upper body from the front. At the point of match, my initial thought was again from the extreme of the sleeves, whereby I reversed the gradience, in this case from dark inwards to light, opposite for the garment sleeves of pair one. This reversed gradient sits well with the bottom of the pants and it peeks out from underneath the long coat, its black matching the ends of the sleeves. I also chose to take my experience from pair two and form the garment panels rigidly, but moreover with the help of the neutral gray. This neutral gray is able to separate both the panels on the front and on the pack, and help create a more distinct narrative between the front and the back. The women’s coat for this pair four, look No.8, references look No.1, the man from the first pair. It is constructed around a flat base, and the centerpiece yields to no gradience. The collar for both is colored with the neutral gray, and in both, they extend back over the shoulders into their own forms at the back of the garments. It is important to mention, however, that the man’s neutral extension is straight down, but it also means the addition of a collar shaped connection behind the neck. This subtle rounding behind the collar is yet another layer of contrast with the womens, which goes straight behind over the shoulders. Furthermore, the man’s extension goes straight against the silhouette of his coat, which rounds outwards at the bottom, and creates the subtle spiciness I was so focused on in look No.3, from pair two. These elements of contrast are able to both bring together looks No.7 and No.8 for the final pair, and create enough difference to showcase both wearer’s unique elegance through lines, not only shapes. I believe that this final pair has aspects from my preference from earlier pairs, and my choices and lessons from the early stages of design for this collection. As it will be the last on the runway, I also pray that people will be able to recognize that this is in essence a process piece, something that builds off of previous looks in Collection 0. The front of the man’s coat hosts no zippers, nor methods of closure, and it is a reference for look No.6, whereby with the lack of closure there requires a structure of stability and elegance. Maybe not move so freely. The front of the women’s coat is closed with a zipper similar to tightness to look No.5, and of similar use case to look No.1. It is an angular zipper which requires there to be a twist in the middle down. It connects the two panels in the front, and causes there to be an illusion of a skirt underneath, which, similar to look No.1, is a piece connected from the inside. However, unlike look No.1, where the kilt like blade comes parallel in the front and hines itself from the back, this tiny piece divides the front of the coat with the inner back of the coat, to cohesively layer and give the illusion of stacking on top of each other, almost like three lines down.
Making Collection 0
No.1
Main body, Detachable Skirt, Lapel: 80% Super 180s Italian wool, 20% Cashmere blend
Lining: 100% Silk Twill
Interlining: 30% Camel Hair, 30% Cashmere, 40% Mulberry Silk
Zipper: Hidden Riri 6MM Closed Bottom Zipper with KTA Pull
Sleeves: Custom-woven fabric, hand ombré dyed
No.2
Main body: 100% 12-momme crepe de Chine
Interlining: 100% Silk Organza
Sleeves, Main body: Dip dyed
Exaggerated Flared Sleeves, Hollowed body, Drape: Boned
No.3
Main body: 80% Virgin Wool, 20% Mulberry Silk
Lining 1: 100% Cotton
Lining 2: 100% Cupro
Paneled Sleeves, Main body: Custom-woven fabric, hand ombré dyed
Sleeves, main body: Boned
No.4
Top: Stretch Silk Satin 90% silk, 10% elastane
Dress: Gradient-Dyed Silk Organza, Boned;
Main Fabric: Gradient-dyed silk chiffon
Lining: 100% Silk Habotai
No.5
Main Body: 90% Super 150s Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere
Sleeve Paneling: 100% Cotton Wrapped Paneled Inserts
Lining: 100% Bemberg
Interlining: 100% Horsehair
Zipper: Hidden Riri 6MM Closed Bottom Zipper with KTA Pull
No.6
Main Body (Jacket): 90% Super 150s Merino Wool, 10% Cashmere
Sleeve Paneling: 100% Cotton Strip Paneled Inserts
Lining: 100% Bemberg
Interlining: 100% Horsehair
Sleeves, Collar, Edges: Boned
Main Body (Dress): 92% Silk, 8% Spandex
Lining: 100% Silk Habotai
Interlining: 100% Silk Organza
Zipper: Hidden Riri 6MM Closed Bottom Zipper with KTA Pull
No.7
Main body: 80% Super 180s Italian wool, 20% Cashmere blend
Lining: 100% Silk Twill
Interlining: 30% Camel Hair, 30% Cashmere, 40% Mulberry Silk
Sleeves: Custom-woven fabric, hand ombré dyed
Collar, Shoulder, Sleeves, Drape: Steel Boned
No.8
Main body, Collar: 80% Super 180s Italian wool, 20% Cashmere blend
Lining: 100% Silk Twill
Interlining: 30% Camel Hair, 30% Cashmere, 40% Mulberry Silk
Sleeves: Custom-woven fabric, hand ombré dyed
Zipper: Hidden Riri 6MM Closed Bottom Zipper with KTA Pull
Modeling Collection 0
I also have in mind a stage display. Maybe the models shouldn’t walk on the runway. They should remain still. Even if they don’t move, the clothes need to be seen at their best. There is this stillness in elegance I am so fascinated by.