The theme of our F/W ’19 collection is beauty in brokenness. Being broken and putting oneself back together is a constant cycle of life and is one of the things that makes for a strong individual, for in those broken places we find reinforced strength.
"IYUN" or "CORAL" in English is my material of choice for the collection. Coral plays a significant role in my culture dating back centuries. Its worn by royalty, brides and grooms for their traditional wedding and by individuals for a variety of special occasions.
Unfortunately, we keep seeing a rapid depletion and destruction of beautiful coral reefs all over the world, directly or indirectly due to human activity.
“In 2006, elkhorn and staghorn coral, found in Florida’s coral reefs, were listed as threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. To help replace these corals that were once so abundant, coral nurseries have been established along Florida's coast and in the Florida Keys. Nurseries are growing new colonies and successfully out-planting them to locations where they had once flourished, but the threats still remain”
This collection will reflect the death occurring in the coral reefs worldwide and the replanting efforts by various individuals and organizations to restore the coral reefs to new glory. This is symbolic of the brokenness we feel as humans due to the direct or indirect actions of other individuals and the beauty that results from taking time out to nurture and care for one another.
The collection was created using 3d printing technology, laser cutting technology and handcrafted in our Missouri Studio. The entire collection plays of the structure/texture of the brain coral and the staghorn coral.
The colors for the collection transition from gold, pink, peach and red , signifying the beauty of coral in its healthy form to white signifying the bleaching and destruction of the coral.
A percentage of the proceeds from this collection will be donated to help in the replanting efforts of the Florida reef tract.