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Zhixin (Carol) Shang

Zhixin (Carol) Shang’s 2020 student collection Disappearing Blue focused on the traditional Japanese tiedyeing technique shibori, which reappears in her Olympic designs with a New Zealand twist.

Her outerwear cloak jacket, inspired by the ka¯kahu (cloak) worn by the NZ delegation’s flag bearers, features a large silver fern pattern dyed using the maki-nui shibori technique, where a twisting stitch is used to create a small ‘‘rope’’ of fabric that remains undyed.

‘‘The inspiration for the white stripes on the garments is from [the London] 1948 and 2012 [Olympic Games],’’ says Shang, who is keen on weaving both culture and history into her designs. Both London games notably featured blazers with white piping in their opening/formal apparel.

Shang designed the kowhaiwhai pattern on the belt herself. The curves symbolise the ocean waves and acknowledge New Zealand’s relationship to the sea while the koru symbolises ‘‘new life, regeneration and strength’’.

Fashion

en-nz

2021-07-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://stuff.pressreader.com/article/284485756547626

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