Yutong Wang is a graduated BFA fashion design student from Pratt Institute and a MFA graduate from School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the department of Fashion, Body and Garment. She is a fashion designer and a multidisciplinary artist, with a focus on Women’s wear: Ready-to-wear, knitwear and accessories as well as installation works and short fashion films. Her past works and collections explore everyday-life topics that reflect on social phenomena such as “family dynamics”, “girls and their contraception” and “the self-discovery journey”; with a goal of not only challenging the viewers to think critically about the relationship between the garment, object and the human body, but also attracting and inviting them to look back to their own life experiences. In her most recent graduate collection, she created seven large, life size-inflatables with different shapes and tight garments with stretch knit material that go on top. She is mindful of what impact her creation can make on people and the world.
copy & paste, 2021, coffee table, photo by Yutong Wang
copy the pattern of an object then make it into a garment, I chose my coffee table
"Mind UR Biznes", 2022, Chantel quilting, photo by Yutong Wang
exploring the blurry definition of social distance and personal space
short film, 2022, black and white short fashion film--stills, photo by Yutong Wang
the self discovery journey, 2022, 3 inflatables in progress, photo by Yutong Wang
Above the cl9ouds, 2022, "God's" view, photo by Yutong Wang
wooden sticks, styrofoam board and human miniatures.
My final thesis is about learning how to navigate life being stuck at the cross roads sometimes. I’m someone who struggle to make decisions, my mind used to constantly drives me crazy about the things I have anxiety about. I wanted to channel the fear and worries into this body of work. I used inflatables as a core element, shapes inspired by swimming movements, because to me learning how to live life is like learning how to properly swim, you may not get every pose right, and you may not swim to the other side like other people do, but we all need that layer of protection like the inflatables glued to us in case we drawn. It is the safety first mentality I’m trying to get at. The idea of inflatables represents for everyone may look different hence the different shape and sizes. I’m also incorporating stretchy power mesh garments to cover the inflatables to make it more cohesive.