GLOBAL YOUNG TALENT 2021: YILING SHEN | DISCOVERING A COLLECTION INSPIRED BY MANGA SERIES

Yiling Shen has graduated the BA Womenswear from the Central Saint Martins this year. Yiling believes that holding onto our imagined world helps us to live better’, she explains poignantly. The key visual inspiration for the collection is sourced from Konan, a character who is supernaturally gifted at origami from the Japanese manga series Naruto. Her graduate collection was recently featured in the October issue of the Harper’s Bazaar UK. Check it out for yourself and read the full article to find out more!

Why have you chosen womenswear fashion design as your university course? Where did your love to fashion begin and how?

I loved Fashion since I can remember, but I decided to study fashion design when I was 14 because around that time my family experienced a big change and I began to think about what I can do more than before. Then accidentally I saw Mcqueen’s design. That was the first time when I got to know the infiniteness of garment design and how much fashion can move people away.

Would you mind telling us where do you see yourself in the close future? What are your main goals you want to achieve?

My friend and I plan to open our own brand right after graduation. We are starting to make plans now and there are still tons that we need to learn about this industry before we actually do it. I think our main goal is to have a stable amount of clients who understand and appreciate our design and are happy to have our brand existing in the world. Another goal will be that the money we earned can support our business, all the commercial designs and investment and also something expressive.

I think our main goal is to have a stable amount of clients who understand and appreciate our design

Would you mind sharing what was your main inspiration and vision behind your graduate collection?

Fine art and fashion do not conflict. What I want is a peaceful balance. My life is constantly imbued with a strong feeling for the creativity that is poured into a successful story(and fashion of course), and an unwillingness to leave the calm daily life with my loved ones. Those stories have been my most important mental support and I hope to lead my life just like those protagonists. But I failed. Between the two kinds of life that I love I don’t have the courage to give up any of them, and thus unable to really achieve any of them. Only in the story in my mind every dream of mine comes true, every pity of mine is settled. I want to create a collection that describe this brittle but beautiful illusion, how it .transcends the ordinary and ultimately showcase the power of design

Fine art and fashion do not conflict. What I want is a peaceful balance.

Who would you like to dress and what will be your dream event your collection would be seen at?

I don’t have a specific preference and I would like to dress anyone who resonate with our design. My dream place to present our collection will be at our own show during fashion week. If we could have sufficient finance, I really want to choose places following my heart without thinking too much about budget and create a perfect and appealing atmosphere for presenting our new seasons.

Discover Yiling Shen full collection

Words by Katarzyna Korcz