The utilitarian function of clothing is to house the human body, a body that is always in constant motion. Bo Yang Jiang's collection is an interpretation of this relationship. She dissects the prime functions of what clothing does, on one hand it satisfies the practical demands and on the other, its a manifestation of character.

For her MA Fashion graduate collection at Kingston University, Bo Yang turned to contemporary dance for inspiration. She looked into female contemporary dancers and choreographers such as Silvia Gribaudi, who is know for her work in body politics through dance. Through this research, Bo Yang was able to inspect the different elements of dance to identify the correlation between expression and movement. She then transformed these movements into her garment patterns.






With pattern cutting, Bo Yang turned to the radical patternmaking specialist Rickard Lindqvist, a designer who proposed an alternative theory to pattern cutting. The traditional method of pattern cutting saw tailors working on non-moving bodies, such as mannequins, to treat pattern cutting as shape making. Its doctrine was known as the 'tailoring matrix', how to alter these shapes based on a mathematical x- and y- axes. But Lindqvist argues that the body isn't a static object, it is constantly in motion and fabric needs to move with it. He proposes to cut patterns according to the way fabric wants to fall when the body is in motion.



By practising Lindqvist's proposed methods, Bo Yang was able to convey expressions through this alternative draping technique. She makes use of zippers throughout her collection to enable the wearer to transform these garments at ease - to move with the body as one unit as opposed to confine the body in a set structure. Her choice of fabrics such as the thick air tech mesh textile used in sportswear was chosen for its lightness and its ability to support contours.