Verena Yiduo Liu — BFA Fashion Design 2024

Collection

Taoism Follows Nature

“Man patterns himself on the operation of the earth; the earth patterns itself on the operation of heaven; heaven patterns itself on the operation of Dao; Dao patterns itself on what is natural.” My thesis topic is Taoism follows nature, which means Dao operates in accordance with the natural conditions of all things. This idea first appeared in the book Laozi, according to which “natural” means the natural state of things. Dao creates and nurtures everything, yet it does not command anything.

Therefore, I will combine nature and Taoism together through the small things, like a tree, a flower, even a dust. Viewing all things through small things means observing the macroscopic universe through tiny things, thus triggering the thinking of man and nature and all things. I hope that my clothing can convey such thoughts, as well as the unique cultural aesthetics of the Chinese.

Portfolio: Taoism Follows Nature

For the prints, I will refer to the traditional totems of Chinese Taoist culture and modernize them. My clothing prints are inspired by porcelain. Porcelain plays a very important role in Taoist culture. Whether it is asking for instructions from gods or serving tea, porcelain plays a decisive role.

I will use flowers to represent nature, and I will also use flowers to develop my silhouette. On the one hand, there is a flower in my name, and on the other hand, I have a special feeling for flowers. The blazer is also part of my silhouette. The blazer itself is menswear but I gave it a feminine quality, which also represents the balance of yin and yang in Taoist culture.

What is Taoism?

Comics stem from the memories of my childhood, sitting beneath flowering trees watching petals flutter down, transforming into celestial cranes. Dream-incantations coil into red threads around my wrists, my connection with Taoism born from the plum blossoms falling in spring.

Bio

Yiduo Liu is a New York-based fashion designer. She is pursuing a BFA in Fashion Design at Parsons The New School of Design. Her design language is easy to identify, and she created a series of collections about sustainable textile design. Based on her Chinese cultural background, her design style show her cultural identity with dedicated colorful fabrics.

Rich colors are one of the significant characteristics of her works. She is good at using yarn stacking and believes that stacked yarns symbolize the balance of ink and yin and yang in Chinese culture. Yiduo Liu will also use fish bones to create shapes that are separated from the body to redefine the relationship between clothing and the body but will use jersey fabrics to ensure a comfortable wearing environment.