Be Water
Ashlyn S.
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I am a fashion designer and an accidental activist. The theme of my most recent collection debut in Oct 2022 during Paris Fashion Week combines my fashion with activism. The theme is based on Bruce Lee's quote, ""Be Water."" Water can be fluid and/or strong. It’s multi-dimensional. You can’t describe the shape of water without looking at it from different angles. This idea is very much like people’s characteristics and personalities. People cannot be stereotyped. One must spend time with each other to understand and emphasize with each other. My collection is based is on this very idea that you have to spend time to look at the pieces from all angles before you can understand it.
In early 2021 when I was 12 and saw senseless violence and bullying against the AAPI elders, I organized a rally in my community to bring awareness of the injustice and senseless acts. A few months later, I also organized another rally to unite the BIPOC communities as I started seeing factions and disagreements. Ever since I have been invited to multiple rallies, conferences, graduations and talk shows to discuss my work and my activism. My fashion design has since been always about combining fashion with issues I care deeply about.
My process is an idea that comes to me based on issues closest in my heart. I take inspiration from everyday objects and things I see around me. I usually first sketch the ideas out and draw out all the pieces. For this “Be Water” collection, it was much harder to draw everything out because the designs are very three-dimensional and fluid. Instead, I went to fabric stores, picked out fabrics that are fluid and water-like. Then I would bring them back and started pinning them on the dress form one by one. I have ideas in my head what each piece will be and it took time for me to pin and unpin and finally sew the pieces together. The process is very manual and experimental. For this collection, I used a lot of organza, which is a fabric very new to me and is not the easiest fabric to work with. Each piece is experimental and there are pieces that I have scrapped and started over until the outcome is what I have in my head.
The selection of the models was also of importance to me. As you see, I tried to find models with as many representations of different backgrounds as I can. The models chosen are also supportive of the ideas behind the collection.
I hope that when people wear each piece, it will be a conversation starter of real issues we face each day to bring awareness, educate or find common ground for a better environment for all of us to live.
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I have started sewing and doing fashion design since I was 6. My first fashion show was when I was 8 and it was a show fundraising for anti-bullying. Fashion has really been part of my life since and I love to combine fashion design with what I care most about - humanity and helping others.
