You reminisced the Victorian era in your designs to compliment your inspiration of women’s beauty standard. What stood out about the Victorian era and women’s beauty standards that inspired you the most?

Definitely It’s interesting that women had to dress in a complicated layering of clothing in the Victorian Era. In the Era where exaggeration is most “praised”, tight corsets, big hoop-skirts and gigantic bustles. It also caught my eye how today’s so called beauty standard is quite similar to the Victorian Era’s (small waist, big hips) and for it to be a “standard” of an era from more than a century ago is still here. There’s so much beauty in the Victorian era’s fashion.

While in Indonesia, you created your own textiles through smoking; how did you come up with this process?

While I was in Indonesia, I had a really hard time finding a textured fabric such as metalassé, cloqué, or even a non-bridal like jacquard. There, I had an idea development that I must make my own textured fabric for me to achieve what I want for this project. So I started to explore some smocking ideas.

I must make my own textured fabric for me to achieve what I want for this project