On May 11, a graduation design exhibition titled "Weaving Boundaries · In Progress" officially began at YCIT campus. More than 300 faculty members and students were seated along the T-shaped runway, watching 46 graduates present 185 original designs in succession.
The exhibition, themed "Weaving Boundaries · In Progress," was divided into four major series: "Pattern Veins," "Artisan Rhythm," "Corrosive Sprouts," and "Boundless." It systematically presented the teaching practice results of "modern expression of traditional culture." Graduates deconstructed and recombined traditional cultural symbols such as shadow puppetry, paper-cutting, willow weaving, tie-dyeing, and ceramic repair, giving traditional crafts modern fashion language through techniques including three-dimensional cutting, digital printing, and composite material experimentation.
“The inspiration for these works comes from Chinese traditional culture, but the expression is 'futuristic,'" noted Zhou Ke, Head of the Fashion Design Department. He pointed out that graduates carry on craft inheritance through "handmade warmth," pursuing modern expressions of cultural context and embodying the Eastern design philosophy of "making full use of materials" and "technique advancing toward the Way.
When models walked onto the runway wearing student Chen Hao's series inspired by willow weaving techniques, the exhibition hall lights focused on the garment surfaces. Audience discovered that traditional willow weaving patterns had been transformed into three-dimensional hollow structures through 3D printing technology, created with exquisite craftsmanship. This design detail prompted quiet discussions among professional viewers in the front row: "Traditional craftsmanship has truly been deconstructed into the context of modern design."
Dean Zhang Jun emphasized that this year's graduates broke traditional boundaries with open design thinking, employing cutting-edge technologies such as 3D printing and smart fabrics to overcome physical and digital barriers, cleverly integrating tradition with future, culture with locality, and function with art. Their works not only subvert the inherent concept of modernist "perfect finished products," but also reflect on resource-consuming design models, vividly interpreting the school's teaching philosophy that "design is continuous creation."
12 outstanding works from this exhibition will soon be featured at the opening ceremony of the 4th Youth Art Week at Yancheng Art Museum, sharing design education achievements with Yancheng residents. In the future, YCIT will continue to promote teaching reform with the "in progress" concept, making each work a vivid footnote to "traditional genes activating future fashion."
