The NPUST Department of Fashion Design and Management has put on its 9th Annual Graduation Works Exhibition. This year’s installment was entitled “Klein” based on the non-orientable and non-definable surface manifested by the “Klein bottle”. The opening show was held at 10:00 AM on December 19th at the university Library and Exhibition Hall together with a press conference. More than 130 dynamic clothing articles and 140 creative design products were presented to the public during the exhibition.
NPUST Vice-President Shui-Jen Chen delivered some remarks at the opening, stating that “every year the NPUST Department of Fashion Design and Management cultivates outstanding talent in art technology. In the past several years, we have seen the forward-looking and sustainable thinking of students and their warm ideas towards social issues and humanistic care. By combining professional textile knowledge and technology, and making use of recycled materials, they are designing amazing and touching works and fully expressing the freshness of a future society”.
The dean of the Department of Management, Yi-Chaio Huang, said “we are very happy to share in the joy of the students at this graduation exhibition and to see how students spared no effort to produce each amazing work. We hope that each of the graduating students will be able to continue to strive towards their goals and bring the knowledge and skills they have acquired into full play in the future”. Commenting further, the director of the department, Weiher Hsieh, said “we have once again arrived at the annual graduation exhibition; and behind the works of every student, countless hours of painstaking efforts have been made. The challenges and the choices encountered through the processes of creation and design require students to study hard and overcome.”
This year’s exhibition was directed by Associate Professor Hsiu Pay Chao from the Center for General Education. Both dynamic and static presentations were used to show off the clothing and accessories designed by students who spent the past four years learning theory and applying it to their creative works.
One such work, entitled “Fengsheng”, represented “vitality in the cracks”, with an urban design concept that is inspired by the way in which trees tightly bury their roots into cracks in cement, and show that no matter how difficult it is, they will grasp the opportunity express their life. Another work, entitled “aLife” was inspired by the beauty of life. Although our bodies may not be perfect—even though there are defects and diseases— we still have to accept and love ourselves.
Meanwhile, the students behind the unique and luxurious “The Art of Blue” contribution set out to “boldly create art and beauty, and to draw what I see”. In a similar vein, “Don’t be afraid of what other people think, just be yourself” was the idea behind the “Don’t judge me” creation, which aimed to tear off external labels while blending a dreamy and sexy style of self-presentation.
The static design works were exquisite and diverse, incorporating characteristics from a variety of cultures. One example was “Traveling in Taijiang”, which used the Taijiang National Park as the main design axis, weaving together scenery with images of the black-faced spoonbill in an effort to bring attention to the protection of animals, the environment, and culture. The seascape of the tropical ocean served as the basis for “sea garden”, which simulates marine ecology using various mediums and colors and presents an atmosphere full of vitality—calling the public to cherish and protect the underwater world.
With many other creatively rich and aesthetically intricate works on display, guests to the exhibits and fashion shows were able to see the world from a new perspective as they witnessed the talent of NPUST’s fashion students and appreciated the ways in which the Department of Fashion Design and Management has developed their skills over the years.
