Lotus in Jade Well (CSM Reset Show '23)

Hi loves x My name is Kelly Vo, a fashion design student @ CSM. Would love to submit and introduce my most recent project, ‘Lotus in Jade Well’ for the ‘Ready, Set’ Reset Show 2023 this 7th of December. Inspired by Vietnamese fashion designer @tuongdanh and her collection ‘New Tradition’ last summer, ‘Lotus in Jade Well’ reflects my definition of a woman. Nón Quai Thao, the hat that I stemmed this project from, supposedly represents the Vietnamese woman’s beauty, made me deeply question the standards that this ‘beauty’ stoops: society or the woman herself. This is a verse about the restrictions the Eastern world still imposes on women and the mannerisms we should internalize. The look has 4 elements in total: The Quai Thao (hat), Hat drape, Ao yem (top) and Cigarettes skirt (bottom). Lacking the crucial Vietnamese materials to make the hat, which were large palm leaves and bamboo stems, I maneuver the hat with wood sticks and built the structure as how I imagine it would be. The hat features a large piece of fabric falling down from the top and connect to a pairs of glove, illustrating its connection to the woman and her body. Another element of the look that I’m particularly proud of is the quilted train down the skirt, using biodegradable wadding, easy to separate and recycle. As a designer, my inspiration is mostly my identity: who or what I interact with, and how I respond to my environment. I wouldn’t say my life until this point is all beautiful and glamorous, enough to fuel something as bespoke as fashion but I would say it sure is personal. And something personal will always inspire something different. Beside my conceptual inspirations, I deeply respect the work of Julian Cerro (@julianarchangel), my absolute fav at the moment. Project contributor *tags refer to their instragram handle Photographer @j4ke3vans HMUA @raffie.exe Model @diyar4e She/her ( @kellyvoofficial)