Designer Langdi Lin: Fashion Meets Textile Transformation

Fashion is the science of appearances, and it inspires one with the desire to seem rather than to be. ~ Edwin Hubbbel

The writing is on the high-tech wall. Wearable technology and fashion represent the necessary synergy  for success. According to a report from Beecham Research, the fashion-first wearable tech market could hit $9.3 billion by 2018. In the words of Saverio Romeo, author of the report and principal analyst at Beecham: "Current market forecasts are based on a smart-phone-centric view of wearable technology...We see wearable tech as playing a critical role in the drive to greater connectivity and the Internet of Things."

Textiles and body movement

Blooming Body Collection: Source: Uttutextiles.wordpress.com

The exploration of textile interaction with body movement is a burgeoning trend in wearable tech fashion and one that may well transform certain aspects of the industry.  Chinese-born, London-based designer, Langdi Lin and her  2012 colorful Blooming Body Collection for MA Textile Futures created a new perspective for  textiles as they merged unexpectedy with specific body movements.

Langdi Lin's movement aesthetic

Blooming Body Exhibit Sketches: Source: fashonlabs3ds.com

Lin describes herself as a "versatile designer who has worked in fashion, textiles and the field of illustration design."  For four years she studied and worked within the fashion industry, her strong sense of graphic and print design enhanced by her fascination with and manipulation of diverse materials. Her Blooming Body designs present a unique display of human body movement combined with experimental materials that can generate unexpected material transformation via manual interaction. Lin's design venue is carefully constructed origami-styled geometric patterns that fold, curve, enlarge and shift with the movements of the body. Each getsure transforms the texture, shape and silhouette of the garment.

The Blooming Body Exhibit

Blooming Body Collection: Source: Electricfoxy.com

The Blooming Body exhibit created for the MA Textile Futures  in Central Saint Martins questions how fabric can move and transform through body movement. Lin's creations fit snugly against the body and reprseent her love of manipulating diverse materials in design. The result is unexpected alterations and a unique  perspective. The idea  of integrating fashion innovation,  beauty and grace with  transformable textiles is brilliant, bold and artistic.

The future of textile transformation

Designer Langdi Lin: Source: Linkedin.com

Harnessing the true potential of wearable tech innovation and aesthetics is in its initial stages and there's no telling how far it can go. Artists with vision such asLangdi Lin have opened the door with their avant-garde designs. The Blooming Body collection marks her foothold into the world of wearable tech, geek-chic design and the fashion world eagerly awaits her next exhibition. Textiles will always inspire and challenge the gifted designer and for Langdi Lin, that challenge is accepted.