Lu Yang
Fashion MA
Royal College of Art
Specialisms: Womenswear / Apparel / Accessories
Location: London, United Kingdom
Lu Yang
First Name: Lu
Last Name: Yang
Specialisms: Womenswear / Apparel / Accessories
Sectors:
My Location: London, United Kingdom
University / College: Royal College of Art
Course / Program Title: Fashion MA
About
This design practice explores feminist viewpoints rooted in equestrian cultural heritage. Taking historical sidesaddle riding customs and ancient female‑oriented armour as reference sources, the body of work consists of sculptural apparel constructed from vegetable‑tanned leather. The project examines historical bodily constraints placed upon women and investigates modular garment constructions to probe themes of bodily autonomy and inner resilience. Combining material‑driven research and feedback collected from community participants, the work integrates craft‑based innovation with social reflection, investigating fashion as a vehicle for self‑empowerment instead of purely decorative ornamentation.
Rooted in historical bodily constraints upon women, this wearable collection reinterprets female armour by extracting silhouettes from traditional saddle structures. Made of saddle‑making vegetable‑tanned leather with hand‑stitching and partial hand‑dyeing, these modular garments allow partial disassembly and rework. Embracing circular design against disposable fast fashion, it explores modern female bodily autonomy and identity.
Competitions
