00:05A bold statement of the past and the present, where high fashion meets centuries-old craftsmanship.
00:11This collection was unveiled at Taipei Fashion Week in March by Taiwanese designer Jian Junyuan, who goes by the name
00:18Xi Jin.
00:19Under the theme Satana Ma, which means birth, life, death and rebirth, Xi Jin looks to highlight the cycle of
00:27life and the imperfections of being human.
00:30I perceive the clothing as how we dialogue with the traditional crafts, so I try to use all this medium
00:40to express the idea of rebirth and life transformation.
00:50Xi Jin teamed up with artisans from Kyoto, Japan, who specialize in a traditional wax-resistant dyeing technique known as
00:57Roketsuzome.
00:58It's a method that's been around for over a thousand years.
01:02We apply the wax to the whole fabric, and then after we cool down the wax with well water, that
01:12gives you like very hard texture, right?
01:14And then when we are dyeing, like dipping inside of the dyeing liquid, that will naturally crack, like break it.
01:26So, and then the place where the wax was cracked, the dye gets through.
01:37Blending fashion with Roketsuzome is a real test of skill. Each detail must be carefully planned and meticulously executed.
01:46As wax cracks across the fabrics form unique patterns, meaning no two designs are ever the same.
01:53The challenge with this technique is that we have to control the temperature of the wax, depending on how thick
02:02is the fabric, or what kind of waves is it, or like material itself, like linen, cotton, silks.
02:10In this collection, we used several types of fabrics. So, for each fabric, we had to adjust the temperature.
02:19Close communication between the designer and the artist was key.
02:23Not just for the designs, but for the entire runway show.
02:27From music to style, it's all part of Sijin's vision to bring the craft's history and meaning to the runway.
02:33The traditional craftsmanship, mostly they carry the symbolic weight about not only the history, but also the concept of all
02:48these techniques.
02:51If handled poorly, it will become kind of like decorative.
02:56The collaboration has been a rewarding experience for both the Taiwanese designer and the Japanese artists.
03:02United by the goal of bringing traditional craftsmanship into everyday life.
03:07What we want to do is to cooperate with not only the handmade, but the people who perceive time and
03:15all these techniques as a treasure.
03:18We want to use all these mediums to transfer into our modern language.
03:25Working with many traditional craftspeople has also been a long-term objective for Sijin.
03:29I don't see traditional as the past, but I see the seeds of the future.
03:36While increasing the technology, the importance will become increased too.
03:41Because, you know, we will miss the essence of our human being and that's the real human connections.
03:51By blending tradition with modern design, this collaboration shows that in an age of speed and technology,
03:59heritage craftwork still has its place and maintains lasting value.
04:03Isan Pan and Saidi Chi for Taiwan Plus.
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