Nanjing University of the Arts (NUA), the earliest independent institution of its kind in China, is a century-old higher art education institution with an enduring legacy. It is a co-established university by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government, and is also included in Jiangsu Province’s High-Level University Peak Plan. NUA’s comprehensive strength in art disciplines consistently ranks among the top tier of national universities.
Department of Fashion and Apparel Design
The Fashion Design program was established in 1984, with its origins traceable to the Craft and Pattern Department of the Shanghai Fine Arts School in the 1920s. With over 30 years of history, it is one of the earliest established fashion design departments in China. The program began enrolling full-time undergraduate students in 1984 and postgraduate students in 1997. Currently, there are 186 undergraduate students and 17 postgraduate students enrolled. In 2010, the program was recognized as a Jiangsu Provincial Distinguished Specialty Program by the Provincial Department of Education. Following the upgrade of Design Studies to a first-level discipline, the program has gradually developed an experimental and innovative profile characterized by interdisciplinary, cross-boundary, and comprehensive approaches.
Student Name: Cui Ziyi
Capsule collection title: Escape of Line
Concept collection: The clothing design of this series is deeply influenced by the concept of “escape point” in the field of perspective painting. This concept is intertwined and interpreted with a series of philosophical categories such as desire machine, abstract machine, domain decomposition, assembly, tuber, and generation, jointly constructing a complex and rich theoretical network. In this series of clothing the basic element of “line” is cleverly used as the core carrier of the design. Through the topological reconstruction of the clothing form, the mathematical logic and rational beauty of the clothing design are enhanced. This design technique inspired by escape lines creates a fascinating dynamic effect visually, which is an exploration of artistic freedom and depth of expression.
Student Name: Fu Zhongjiao
Capsule collection title: Endless Continuation
Concept collection:This series is centered around ‘modular design’, integrating the concept of architectural sustainability with the Dunhuang Three Rabbits Sharing Ears pattern. The design inspiration primarily comes from modular design in the fields of architecture and manufacturing. Modular design, also known as ‘combination design’, refers to designing product units with unified functions into interchangeable modules with different functional purposes, in order to better meet customer needs.
Student Name: Zhu Zhidie
Capsule collection title: The great river rolls through
Concept collection: The design inspiration comes from the golden conch line contained in the mountains of China. The shape and structure of the golden conch line provide a complex and accurate mathematical model for design, which conforms to natural laws and has artistic beauty. The spiral structure represents infinite extension and growth in nature, and its spiral growth provides designers with inspiration on how to apply dynamics and continuity in fashion design. I applied the principles of spiral lines and golden ratio to the contour lines and cutting of clothing, forming beautiful curves and smooth contours, achieving the fusion of traditional elements and modern aesthetics.
Student Name: Huang Yiming
Capsule collection title: Medium and Boundary
Concept collection: This series consists of six sets of clothing, aiming to link science and aesthetics through the medium of clothing, and construct a bridge between “medium” and “boundary” (limit). It explores the structural mysteries of condensed matter and transforms them into a unique language in clothing design.
