Lily Xu
On Longing
A collection that explores the idea of cultural melancholia, and the emotions of longing and loss to people, places and culture within the immigrant diasporas. Being born and raised in Australian, to Chinese and Taiwanese immigrant parents, there is an inevitable sense of disconnect to my family heritage and background and a continued sense of in-betweenness, of not completely belonging to my Australian identity and connected to but also distant to my parents’ cultures. Thus, I attempt to materialize these intangible emotions through the fabrications of this collection.
The textiles are based on a series of photographs of miscellaneous unfamiliar people, places and objects taken by my grandfather whom I did not know well. I experimented with various ways of incorporating imagery into knitwear and creating a nostalgic tone through yarn choice and fabric structure, in creating predominately lightweight translucent knits and through deep oil painting-like colours.
My practise within fashion design is largely driven by hand crafting textiles that then inform garments. The beauty I find within knitwear is the technical knowledge behind crafting the textiles and the ability to create a piece from nothing but a single yarn without waste. I see garments as storytelling devices that allow for different narratives and perspectives to be shared; it’s a way for people to connect with each other but also to the clothing itself. Through this approach of crafting individual garments by hand, I hope to make clothing personal and more meaningful, to add value and extend the longevity of each item.