Hello, I am a designer from China. I studied industrial design at Shanghai Jiaotong University as an undergraduate due to the simple idea of doing something different. But after graduating, I came here to try to understand what it means to be a designer as I questioned the excessive commercialization of design. I am a designer with no name. But hey! Who doesn’t start at this stage? I hope my “about” section will be enriched in the future!
Xinyi Chu
Research of Fashion & Anti-fashion –
My research starts with understanding the fashion system and how it is working.
In general, the design elite process selected body features and values for fashion brands. Consumers buy fashion products not only to be fashionable, but also to be able to imitate models, to present these values in society, and to gain social advantages. In the case of "skin blemishes", they are already tied to stigma. It is, therefore, necessary to consider how to deal with stigma before giving them a new value to be shaped into fashion.
Case studies and my approach –
After studying real-life examples, I realized that the stigma treatments often seen in the past still identify 'skin blemishes' as something negative. Instead I could try to celebrate 'skin imperfections' as diversity in appearance. At the same time I needed to integrate the design concept with brands in order to maximise the impact of the campaign. Thus the concept of a fictional anti-fashion brand emerged, the name of which imitates the fashion brand Acne Studios.
My project came from my daily observations of myself and my friends: I found that people are not comfortable seeing their real skin. People try every way, both physical (make-up) and electronic (filters), to cover up their skins. People were taught to look at every pore and bump on their face in a magnifying lighted make-up mirror, to identify the causes and stages of all the flaws, and to spend a lot of time and money learning how to conceal or remove them.
This is because mainstream aesthetics tell people that real skin is ugly and that people with imperfect skin possess traits that are socially unappealing (such as being old, sexually unattractive, or unclean). Such stigma, appearance anxiety, and accompanying consumerism come together to form an invisible corset as a freak fashion.
In order to understand how I should respond to the current situation, I need to first understand what fashion is and what motivates people to pursue it. Then I could figure out my own approach.
Embroidered mask –
The different stitches were carefully chosen to show the different forms of the pimples while embellishing them with pearls. Soft, natural colors were chosen for the coloring. The end result is both realistic and beautiful, challenging the perception of pimples.
Embroidery: Xin Tang
Coloring: Yaning Zhang
Model: Mengmeng Song
Details of embroidery.
Resin mask –
The resin material makes pimples and blackheads shine like jewelry. The way the resin pieces are linked gives people the opportunity to customize their own decoration.
Resin pieces can also be used to make body chains.
What would happen if features on the skin could be worn as freely as jewellery, and people might choose the number and colour of pimples on their face today because of their mood? I want to challenge the deeply ingrained notion that skin imperfections can only be artificially minimised. To take skin features out of the invisible corset and make them body features that can be treated with ease.
Working with two wonderful artists, we experimented with various ways of using pimples as decoration and creating facial accessories. The anthropomorphic pimples can adorn the cheeks like blooming flowers.
In Collaboration with:
She is a talented young artist. She has helped me experiment and make resin face decorations, colored embroidered masks and helped me communicate with other collaborators in the country. She was also one of my models and my photographer. This project would not be completed at this level without her help.
She is a professional embroiderer. For the embroidered masks, she helped me experiment with different stitches to find the most appropriate way to represent the pimples and made all the beautiful embroideries.
Skin & Hair Pattern –
The subject of the first is a human version of leather and hair, including exaggerated pimples, hairs, and pigmentation.
Floral Pattern –
The second is inspired by the flowers in the Chinese Tang Dynasty patterns. The jigsaw-like design allows people to customise their own patterns.
Skin & Hair Pattern Top –
Tailor: Jianping Wen
Model: Yaning Zhang
Skin & Hair Pattern Top Details
Floral Pattern Top –
Tailor: Jianping Wen
Model: Mengmeng Song
Floral Pattern Top Details
Skin Pattern Silk Scarf –
The customizable pattern allows people to use their own skin as a material to create patterns and to use it on personal objects. The pattern creates at the same time an additional intimate connection and a possibility of self-healing. In fact during the interview, two of the target users sent in photos of their skin to customize their own printed pendant.
In order to spread my designs and to help people accept a wider range of images of real skin, I created two different patterns using a combination of my own skin photos, wool felt material created by Yaning, and web images. I wanted people to view their own skin as a beautiful and special pattern. The sheer printed fabric allows the pattern to blend perfectly with the real skin. A tailor helped me make the fabric into tops. I asked two ordinary people to model the tops, leaving their skin as untouched as possible and showing how confident they looked.
Tattoo Sticker
Feedbacks –
I explained my design idea online and invited people to get involved by making their disliked skin part of the pattern and actively documenting and describing it. I got a lot of positive feedback. They think tattoo stickers can help them face their skin and be more willing to take photos to show their skin. It is also inevitable to get negative feedback: for example, the size of the tattoo sticker itself, the limitations of the occasion and function, and the prints look a little disgusting.
Special Thanks –
I got support and detailed feedback from so many warmhearted volunteers. And Iwona and Eleanor, two wonderful technicians, really helped me and directed me when I'm lost.
In my previous work I tried to convince people that their skin could be seen as a special kind of pattern, but how do you get people to actually practice this idea? I came up with the idea of tattoo stickers. I used the shapes in the pattern to create tattoo stickers with skin prints and holes in the middle to put into skins.
As a designer, I rarely rely on inspiration for my designs. My designs are focused on contextual research and will make concessions for the sake of being ultimately usable. I also realize that this tendency to design has often made my designs boring, and I am trying to push my limits on myself after studying here.
I have always been interested in social science and I also see design as a variable that acts on human society. In my past attempts, I have tried to combine my identity and experience as a female in my designs, and I hope that my designs will find their place between the statement in the art gallery and the everyday tools. In my past practice, I have recognized the great role that design can play, but I am also aware of the limitations that design can have. My future attempts will continue to find my own path between statements and tools, the values and limitations of design.