Yinglan Li

I am a fashion designer interested in structure, material, and cultural observation. I use design as a way to explore how the world exists, approaching my work from an observational perspective and paying attention to structure, order, detail, and everyday life across different cultural contexts. I have a sustained interest in architecture and traditional craft, particularly in how they reflect systems of organisation and ways of living.

During my time volunteering in Bali, I began to notice the repetitive rituals embedded in daily life. Acts such as offering, weaving, and arranging are essential parts of the local way of living. However, through tourism and observation, these practices are often turned into something that can be visually consumed. I realised that what appears as something “exotic” or visually interesting is actually part of someone else’s continuous and repeated daily life.The sense of ritual, weight, and presence I experienced in person felt much stronger than anything I had seen through images or media. Because of this, I aim to use my work to bring back that feeling, or to re-present the sense of ritual and order in Bali from my own perspective.

I hope my work can evoke a certain feeling, allowing the viewer to see things from a different point of view and to better appreciate the diversity and quiet beauty of the world.