It’s May 2023, yet many are still feeling the impacts on day-to-day life caused by the pandemic. For Jiaqi Yu, it was the effort people had to make throughout the pandemic to maintain their most important relationships. Those feelings come to the forefront in Yu’s collection Distant Galaxy, part of this year’s CCAD Fashion Show.
With her family in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China, Yu has not been able to go home to see them as often as she would like. They have relied on technology to stay in touch. Yu has been living in the United States since moving here as a high school sophomore and then decided to stay for college.
“My parents wanted me to experience education in a different culture and style,” said Yu. She went to live with a host family in a small town in Minnesota and was able to meet new people and connect with them. “All the teachers knew you personally.” When deciding on what to do after high school, Yu turned to the internet to research colleges.
“I wanted to go to an art school,” said Yu on why she decided to come to CCAD. “I searched for the top fashion schools and I liked the pictures of students’ work.”
The creative and unique feel of the website also got her attention.
“It’s not a huge college either, which I also liked,” she said. “It’s nice to have smaller communities so you know everyone, especially in your department and classes.”
She found that the environment was very collaborative and supportive and she enjoyed the fashion program. Yu was also recognized by the fashion community in Columbus last fall. She was the recipient of a $5,000 scholarship from Fashion Week Columbus which she used for fabric and supplies for Distant Galaxy. The fashion council has raised more than $42,000 in scholarship funds for CCAD Fashion Design students since 2010.
These scholarships “provide the recipients with the extra funds needed to help them focus on their studies and be able to create the collections they have been dreaming about for the past four years,” said Suzanne Cotton, Chair of Fashion Design at CCAD.
Since she was young, Yu had wanted to study fashion, although she also enjoys other artistic pursuits.
“I love crafting and fine art,” she said. She wove elements of fine art into her looks for her final collection.
Yu experimented with many different materials to bring her sketches into reality before settling on a foundation of dark denim for a couple of her looks.
“I find this denim to be ready to wear for many different occasions,” she said, adding that it’s stiff and clean, doesn’t wrinkle, is comfortable to wear, and easy to take care of.
The dark colors of blues and blacks used throughout her collection bring to the forefront the sadness and loneliness one might feel when they are isolated from loved ones. Silver threads and delicate chains connect the negative spaces between cut-out pieces in the looks, showing how delicate the strings of communication are that hold a long-distance relationship together. Regular communication with loved ones brings to life the faux-leather red heart in the A-line dress (which changes to the red color with heat).
“I love this piece because it shows that even through a distant relationship, you can still feel emotion,” she said. “Fashion is not only externally beautiful, but can be a way of sharing inner thoughts.”
Although Yu is presenting four looks, her collection consists of separates and the pieces can be layered and worn in many different ways. Some pieces can also be customized to incorporate special memories or designs a client may wish to include.
“Imagine how you use photo frames to collect your memories, this piece works in the same way; you can weave some of your memories in it,” she says of the designs woven in the blue dress. Like a memory collector, but woven into a functional accessory piece you can wear.
“As designers we are designing for people, she says. She finds personal happiness when seeing someone enjoy a piece she created.
“I love seeing their reaction to my designs,” she says “I’m doing something to make people excited.”
See Jiaqi Yu’s collection Distant Galaxy as part of the 2023 CCAD Fashion Show on Thursday, May 11 at KEMBA Live! For more information on the Fashion Show and how you can support the program, visit ccad.edu.
All photos by CCAD unless noted.
-Columbus Underground is proud to be the media partner for the 2023 CCAD Fashion Show-