Shixiu’s work explores how feelings of self-perception shift through changes in body movement or posture. The starting point has been the contrast between personal experiences of ‘imposter syndrome’ contrasted with feelings of great confidence. ‘Tension’ is the key word throughout this collection, having both physical and metaphorical meanings; the contorted body, stressful emotions, and what is required to keep the yarn under during the knitting process.

Skin, as a medium and canvas, conveys the emotions. Both the colour palette and material are inspired by human skin. Shixiu uses skin-like, and hair-like, yarns to express this concept through her knitted fabrics. She is good at telling stories by combining kinds of materials. For her, skin can show who you are and build a connection with outside world. It is like building a second skin, that conveys emotions like insecure, self-doubt and stressful.

The collection was inspired by Shixiu’s emotions. ”I am not good at speaking, expressing something through work is my passion to make things.” Shixiu’s work tells a story of how to use knitting as a medium to associate emotions with body shapes, through the considered combination of textures and body patterns. The resulting end fabrics demonstrate the word ‘tension’ and connect the body and emotions.