Graduate designers at Istituto Marangoni Shanghai explore nomadism, identity, and sustainability in fashion

For four graduating designers from Istituto Marangoni Shanghai, VIA NOMADIS became a starting point for exploring what it means to move through the world — physically, emotionally and culturally. Chen Yikun (Daniel Chen), Qin Ruiyang (Edmond Qin), Liu Ziqi and Wang Yanfei each approached the theme from a distinctly personal perspective, transforming ideas of movement, identity, desire, belonging and home into contemporary fashion narratives. Their collections span patchwork and tailoring, experimental textiles and digital environments, while also questioning how fashion can respond to changing lifestyles and incorporate more sustainable approaches. In this conversation, the designers reflect on the ideas behind their collections, the challenges of bringing those ideas to life, and how collaboration and technology expanded their work beyond the physical garment.

Chen Yikun——Daniel Chen

How did you translate the VIA NOMADIS themes of movement and identity into your collection?

I see nomadism not only as physical geographical migration, but also as a spiritual state of adolescence — that sense of floating, shifting self‑perception. I translated this emotional resonance into my collection through layered, fluid silhouettes and dynamic draped constructions. For identity, I used patchwork and reassembled textile fragments to reflect the fragmented, ever‑changing inner self of young people in this transitional phase.

What was it like seeing your physical garments transformed into 360-degree digital environments? Working with 360‑degree digital environments was truly challenging yet incredibly rewarding. It taught me a great deal, because digital garment creation shares the same core logic as making physical clothing. While the digital space lets audiences view every fabric and construction detail from all angles beyond physical runway limits.

How do you integrate traditional cultural heritage or Eastern philosophy into contemporary design?

My collection draws on British patchwork traditions, using iconic British tweed fabrics including Linton tweed and Harris tweed as core materials. At the same time, I incorporate silhouettes inspired by Japanese school uniforms. Rather than direct cultural quotation, I blend these distinct Western and Japanese references through modern tailoring, creating a new hybrid aesthetic for contemporary wearers.

What was the single biggest creative or technical hurdle you overcame during this project?

The biggest challenge was harmonising hand‑stitched patchwork craftsmanship with clean modern silhouettes. I carried out numerous trials on fabric weight and seam construction, aiming to integrate these elements seamlessly.

Beyond creating garments, how did you build a broader narrative or lifestyle concept around your work?

This collection is rooted in the idea of dreaming, capturing that floating, unsettled state of mind. While developing the garments, I drew on the diverse feelings of adolescence, as well as my own teenage habit of collecting fragments. These personal sensations are embedded within every design element. Ultimately, this project is also a reflection and summary of my personal favourite fashion aesthetic.

How did you incorporate sustainable practices, natural pigments, or circular design into your collection?

I prioritised circular design: I reused vintage and leftover textiles for patchwork. Some fabrics were dyed with natural plant‑based pigments. The whole concept focuses on upcycling, extending the lifespan of discarded materials.

What is your immediate next step: launching an independent label, joining an established fashion house or more?

I will continue my further studies for the time being. Moving forward, I may consider launching my own independent label, as I believe it will bring me greater challenges.

Qin Ruiyang ——Edmond Qin

How did you translate the VIA NOMADIS themes of movement and identity into your collection?

My interpretation of the show’s theme, Via Nomadis, centers on humanity’s ever‑shifting desires. Throughout life, people chase one desire after another to fill an inner void. Yet soon after one longing is satisfied, a new emptiness emerges, in an endless cycle. Within my narrative, when this cycle spirals far enough, one falls into the abyss of desire — Aubi6io.

How do you integrate traditional cultural heritage or Eastern philosophy into contemporary design?

Drawing from this abyss of desire, I turned to an archetype prone to falling into it: the dandies. I took the iconic morning coat of Dandy style as my primary silhouette inspiration, merging tailoring techniques from the Dandy era with contemporary design. I also looked to Japanese folk yokai, metaphors for human craving, as a key source for my fabric manipulation and accessories. Together with experimental, innovative materials, these elements build a collection that feels both avant‑garde and steeped in vintage spirit.

What was the single biggest creative or technical hurdle you overcame during this project?

The biggest creative and technical challenge I overcame in this project was transforming organza — a soft, smooth fabric — into something rigid and heavily creased with a distinctive texture. My initial idea was to use textile manipulation to recreate the translucent shed skin of a Japanese serpent yokai. I tested countless sheer fabrics and coatings; some turned far too stiff, while others failed to hold a desirable sheen. In the end, I used polyvinyl‑alcohol glue as a coating for organza, then developed a crumpling technique to give the material depth and a unique sense of fragmentation. I integrated this treated fabric into every look of the collection, making it the DNA of Aubi6io.

Beyond creating garments, how did you build a broader narrative or lifestyle concept around your work?

Beyond garment design, I extended the concept of Aubi6io into rap music. I released a namesake mixtape on Chinese streaming platforms. If fashion design is a more veiled way of sharing my perspective, rap lays bare everything I want to say for my audience. I turned the desires and stories that dragged me into the abyss into lyrics, and my repression and pain into melody. My hope is that anyone going through similar struggles will know they are not alone, to hold onto hope, and to believe that suffering need not last forever.

What is your immediate next step: launching an independent label, joining an established fashion house or more?

I will move to Milan for my final year of studies. After graduation, I hope to join an established fashion house to keep learning and grow as a designer. Once I feel ready, I plan to launch my own label and keep using fashion as my medium to share my vision.

Liu Ziqi

How did you translate the VIA NOMADIS themes of movement and identity into your collection?

My graduate collection, STILL FOLDED, was inspired by the nomadic reality of young people who rent and move frequently between cities. When you live this way, your belongings always seem to be folded, stacked or ready to be packed again. There is a constant feeling of being not quite settled.

I was inspired by artist Do Ho Suh's translucent recreations of former homes, which led me to ask: if home does not have to be a fixed physical place, could clothing become a kind of portable space instead?

I translated the traces of packing — compression, folds, wrinkles and fabric spilling out from corners — into the visual and structural language of the collection. Rather than trying to reproduce the appearance of a home, STILL FOLDED is about making peace with movement. When our place of residence is no longer permanent, perhaps clothing can offer a sense of belonging that moves with us.

What was it like seeing your physical garments transformed into 360-degree digital environments?

It was an incredibly striking and inspiring experience. Physical garments are constrained by physics and gravity, yet digital transformation sets them free from real-world limitations. In the virtual environment, light reshapes the delicate, translucent sheen of silk fabric, the irregular folded textures, and interwoven sheer layers, generating dynamic effects impossible to capture in reality. This made me realize digital technology is far more than a display tool — it is an extension of design itself. It allowed me to view my collection from an entirely new perspective and opened my eyes to the boundless potential at the intersection of fashion and technology.

How do you integrate traditional cultural heritage or Eastern philosophy into contemporary design?

My collection does not directly reference traditional cultural symbols. Instead, I was more interested in a contemporary experience that is shared by many young people today: mobility, temporary living and the search for a sense of belonging.

For me, the starting point was real life rather than a predetermined visual language. I wanted the collection to communicate an emotional state through material, structure and the relationship between the body and clothing. The garments become a kind of personal space — something soft, protective and portable that can move together with the wearer.

What was the single biggest creative or technical hurdle you overcame during this project?

One of the biggest challenges was learning how far the finished garment can be from the initial idea.

Before studying fashion design, I imagined the process as something much more direct: you have an inspiration and then turn it into a garment. In reality, every stage requires testing and reconsideration — from developing the research and experimenting with materials to adjusting patterns and resolving construction.

During the programme, ideas were repeatedly challenged, taken apart and rebuilt. That process pushed me outside my comfort zone, but it also strengthened my ability to execute an idea and helped me establish a clearer position as a designer. I learned that design is rarely a sudden moment of inspiration; it is a continuous process of making choices within constraints.

Beyond creating garments, how did you build a broader narrative or lifestyle concept around your work?

The narrative of STILL FOLDED is built around the idea of a "portable home."

One of the key looks is an asymmetric deconstructed trench coat that deliberately resists rigid shaping. Instead of stiff interfacing, I allowed the natural drape of silk to create folds around the neckline. Silk satin and organza are layered to create a relationship between an outer shell and what it contains, with the translucent organza exposing the structure of the dress underneath.

The irregular draping of the inner dress references the way fabric spills out when luggage is compressed and packed. Through these elements, I wanted the garment to feel like a private space that breathes and moves with the body.

So the collection is ultimately not only about clothing. It asks what "home" means to a generation accustomed to mobility, and whether our sense of belonging can exist independently of a permanent physical place.

How did you incorporate sustainable practices, natural pigments, or circular design into your collection?

My exploration of sustainability was closely connected to material innovation. For this project, I had the opportunity to work with innovative bio-based materials through the school's collaboration with SynMetabio.

What interested me was not simply using a sustainable material as a statement, but understanding how a new material can become part of the actual design process. Working with unfamiliar materials requires experimentation: you need to understand their physical characteristics, their limitations and how they can interact with more traditional fabrics and construction techniques.

For me, sustainability becomes more meaningful when it influences how a designer thinks about material choices and how those materials can be translated into a finished garment.

How did collaborating with film and communication students elevate your final presentation?

Cross-disciplinary collaboration with students from other majors freed my work from simple garment display. My film peers captured the fluid texture of fabrics through dynamic footage and 360° virtual environments, while we created image and text materials tailored for social media platforms. The final presentation carries richer atmosphere and a fully cohesive narrative.

What is your immediate next step: launching an independent label, joining an established fashion house or more?

Moving forward, I plan to further my studies in luxury management to build robust commercial branding thinking while continuously refining my personal design language. I will gradually nurture my own fashion label, and I also look forward to collaborating with established high-end fashion houses in the future to strike a balance between pure artistic creation and commercial implementation.

Wang Yanfei

How did you translate the VIA NOMADIS themes of movement and identity into your collection?

My graduate collection, Moving with You, grew out of my own experience of frequently moving between cities for study and work. For many young people living a mobile life today, home is no longer necessarily a fixed house or a permanent address. It can instead be the emotional connections and sense of security that we carry with us.

I drew inspiration from nomadic tents and pet travel carriers, translating ideas of wrapping, folding, storage and portability into garment structures. I wanted the clothing itself to become a kind of mobile home — something that could move with the wearer while providing an emotional sense of shelter and stability.

How do you integrate traditional cultural heritage or Eastern philosophy into contemporary design?

My collection does not rely directly on traditional cultural references. Instead, it comes from observing contemporary life and translating personal experience into design.

I am interested in the emotional relationship between people, clothing and the idea of home. Through my own experience of moving frequently, I began to think about whether home needs to be defined by a fixed physical location at all.

The collection therefore approaches "nomadism" through a contemporary emotional perspective: how can design give someone a feeling of protection and belonging when everything around them is constantly changing?

What was the single biggest creative or technical hurdle you overcame during this project?

The biggest challenge was learning how to deconstruct a personal experience and turn something emotional into a garment that actually works.

Before studying fashion design, I thought primarily about beautiful silhouettes and visual impact. Through this project, I realised that design needs to go much deeper. You have to understand what you are trying to communicate and then find a structural and functional language capable of expressing it.

For Moving with You, that meant translating very personal feelings about moving, instability and attachment into elements such as wrapping, adjustable straps, fastenings, gathering and folding. The challenge was to retain the emotion while making those ideas physically convincing as clothing.

Beyond creating garments, how did you build a broader narrative or lifestyle concept around your work?

The broader narrative is about creating shelter for a generation that is constantly moving.

The first look, for example, borrows from the construction logic of a nomadic tent. An oversized volume evokes the tent itself, while multiple adjustable straps and fastening structures allow the garment to wrap, expand and fold. Circular gathered structures also reference the storage form of pet travel carriers.

I deliberately avoided making these functional elements look like conventional technical outdoor clothing. Instead, the functionality is integrated into the garment's construction.

When the wearer puts it on, I want there to be a feeling almost like constructing a temporary shelter around the body. The clothing becomes both a physical object and an emotional metaphor for the way contemporary young people search for stability while living increasingly mobile lives.