Yu Qian Explores the Beauty in Difference through The Treatment of Soul

I am a fashion designer who focuses on mental health issues through my designs. With a five-year background in clinical pharmacy, I understand that mental and physical health are equally important. I use a unique design approach and innovative vision to create pieces that resonate with the audience and inspire healing emotions for the wearer.

This is the first international award I have received, and its significance is extraordinary.

This serves as proof of my design skills and I believe it will greatly benefit my future career development.

Experimentation always plays a critical role in my design process. For example, I create small scoliosis body sculptures and different orthopedic braces using varied materials such as clay, thermoplastic, silicone, and wires. This process has given me a more intuitive understanding of the shape of the body with scoliosis.

Using different materials has also deepened my understanding of the characteristics of physical therapy for scoliosis. Through these experiments, I was able to extract various elements and details related to the theme and apply them to my designs.

Professional medical books are my unique source of inspiration. Inspired from “Gonstead Chiropractic Science & Art”, I collected a lot of ideas for mood board, and determined the silhouette in the project based on the correction methods introduced in the book.

Through the professional suturing method of surgery of the treatment for scoliosis, it inspires me to make the details of the clothing, so there are a lot of leather strip threading techniques in the collection.

On the back of the white leather coat, I applied metal steel nails of various sizes as decoration, symbolizing how metal nails integrate with bone—representing an indestructible soul.

It depends on whether the project's original intention is commercial or artistic. If it is commercial, I am more open to advice from the client. If it is artistic, I tend to stick to my vision and try to persuade the client. Throughout the communication process, there is always a relative compromise between both sides.

I want the collection to raise awareness and promote positive mental health. Therefore, the designs do not magnify the pain caused by scoliosis but instead express a strong and powerful mental state. Elements related to the theme—such as skin, bone, and braces—are all in neutral colors. The challenge I faced was choosing bright colors to highlight the collection.

After trying different color options, I settled on red, blue, green, and white as the main colors. Red represents strength and courage, blue symbolizes health, green stands for vitality, and white signifies harmony. Finding fabrics in the same colors but with different shades and textures also took considerable time.

There will always be bottlenecks in the creative process, but persistent effort and experimentation will bring new inspiration.

“The Treatment of Soul” comes from my personal experience. As someone with scoliosis, I have worn hard braces since childhood and undergone four orthopedic surgeries. This condition, which makes a person’s body different from typical shapes, brings not only physical pain but also emotional trauma. Feelings of inferiority and anxiety can make people afraid to wear the clothes they love and impose limitations on daily activities.

Through the design process of this collection, it becomes more than just fashion; it serves as a pathway to heal my own soul. I also hope to empower others who suffer from scoliosis to step out of the shadows of negativity. We are all imperfect but unique.

Sometimes external opinions can interfere with people. As designers, we must stay confident. Take me as an example: just before I entered the National Graduate Examination in China, my parents said it was impossible to pass and discouraged me from switching from clinical pharmacy to fashion design.

But in the end, I was admitted to the best fashion institute in China, ranking sixth in the country. Even before that, I had never studied art, and my drawing skills were poor. I believe in my design work and vision.

I would like to collaborate with Jeremy Scott if possible. His design work is bold and avant-garde, breaking the bonds of tradition. The unique elements he uses on garments are striking, often with a humorous and ironic tone. I want to learn from him and create a wildly imaginative, diverse project.

I wish more people asked how to buy my work. The answer is simple — you can find it here: https://www.yilliaq.info/!