Shunan An – Senior Thesis Project 2021

Major: BFA Fashion Design

Hometown: Xi’An, China

My aesthetic as a fashion designer lays within my process. I use a lot of digital software, such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, as a creative tool that allows me to relate unlimited graphic placement, color-ways, and engineered print layouts at zero cost.

By using skills in design with the technical tools and functions in my work, I bring the female form to the forefront while simultaneously promoting a low-cost sustainable future in fashion. I also use my Asian background to combine different cultures. I can communicate in English and Mandarin, which helps provide more opportunities to show my work to more people.

My main inspiration for my thesis collection comes from jellyfish, pearls, and numerous sea creatures found throughout the mysterious ocean world. The undersea world is beautiful, mysterious, full of temptation, and dangerous.

I’ve been working on Marine themes for a while, and during that time I’ve read a lot of news about the pollution of the Marine environment. One of the news articles that resonated with me the most detailed how Japan plans to pour water contaminated by nuclear radiation into the sea. I was very angry when I heard this news. The undersea world is not just a simple visual, sensory enjoyment for humans, it is one of nature’s gifts of survival. As humans, we have a tendency to take too much and not cherish our earth and surroundings.

In the production of this series of clothes, I spent a lot of time on the production of several parts. On the shoulder of a suit, I used two different pieces of fabric and made them fit together to get the pattern I wanted. For the skirt, I wanted the hemline to stretch out, so I used thin steel wire to create the curve I wanted. At the bottom hem, I made a drawstring design to achieve the desired effect. Finally, I used a large number of pearls and sewed them on each suit, which was the aspect of production that took the longest time to complete.

Videographer: Yaoyao
Model: Yanran Wang
Makeup: Aoli