School of Design / Fashion Design / Bethy Yuhan Niu / Still, The Water Murmurs

Still, The Water Murmurs

This project focuses on the traces left behind after water has passed. Water is fluid and transient, yet its influence continues to remain within the environment. Riverbeds, landscapes, and eroded boundaries retain the paths once carved by water, becoming quiet records of time and memory.

The collection uses knit as its primary language, combining knitted and structured materials to translate movement, residue, and transformation into garment form. The project particularly focuses on how material can carry traces and memory through texture, structure, and the process of wear. Soft knitted elements shift with the body and movement, while double-faced wool acts like land and riverbeds, preserving the trajectory and imprint of water. Together, they create a balance between fluidity and stability.

Research began through observing streams, reflective surfaces, and the rhythm of moving water, which later developed into textile and draping experiments. Techniques such as plating, irregular pleating, inlay, and the combination of contrasting yarns allow the fabrics to remain soft while maintaining structural integrity, keeping the garments in a continuous state of transition.

The project also considers a longer-term relationship between material and environment, seeking a more responsive approach to sustainability where materials continue to evolve through time, wear, and natural processes.