From September 20 to 21, professor Chen Bin from the Fashion • Art Design Institute of Donghua University led students to Milan for the European Fashion Union (EFU) contest. The works of DHU students Liu Chenyuan, Li Yangyang and Jiang Chaowei won the Fashion Designer Award. Besides, Liu Chenyuan was invited to participate in the Kazakhstan Fashion Week, and Li Yangyang was invited to participate in the Russian Admiralty Needle Competition.
Jointly founded by fashion colleges, fashion institutions, fashion media and fashion brand professionals from all over the world, the EFU is a platform for outstanding designers of Europe. The contest held every autumn aims to discover outstanding designers and ideas, and the winning entries will be promoted in Europe.
Inspired by the problems facing city females nowadays, Liu Chenyuan’s work Tear expresses the anxiety and pain of females suffering from discrimination in the workplace. Liu utilizes several materials to weave the image of human tissues to express the pain, which contrasts with the deconstructed part of the single-color suit. The series tells the story of women breaking free from the suits and trying to be themselves.
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(“Tear” by Liu Chenyuan)
Li Yangyang also gains inspiration from the status quo of today’s society for her work “If men breastfeeding”. Due to the gender difference between men and women, women have to undergo childbirth and breastfeeding. It is a trend for men to share the responsibility of breastfeeding, echoing with the appeal for gender equality. The series presents a lively daddy style.
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(“If men breastfeeding” by Li Yangyang)
Jiang Chaowei’s work “Li’s Song” adopts Li Brocade, the world’s intangible cultural heritage. Jiang modifies the Li Brocade based on its characteristic colors, patterns and fabrics. The work retains black as the main color, and modifies and deconstructs the style structure of Qipao to show the modernity while revealing the oriental charm. The brocade, velvet, leather, mesh and tassel fabric, together with hand-forged new fabrics make the work full of vitality. The ornament of nails and beads on the dress shows unique stage charm.
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(“Li’s Song” by Jiang Chaowei)
The Fashion • Art Design Institute has actively promoted the cultivation of innovative and application-oriented fashion talents with international horizon. In recent years, young designers of the Institute have made outstanding achievements in international fashion design activities, injecting new blood to the international fashion world.