Elie Wu-Chen, BFA in Fashion Design ’26
Elie Wu-Chen is a fashion designer inspired by her surroundings: the people in her life, the culture she was raised in, and the environment she exists in. Through intricate and intentional craftsmanship, she creates pieces that reflect her perspective of the world to resonate and develop with the wearer.
Impressions
Interaction is inherent to our existence. Individual entities may contain innate characteristics and tendencies that put them in a state of stability. Yet, in a given environment, interaction is eventually inevitable. And once it occurs, how does each entity react to the other? Previously separate, but now involved, a return to their initial state is impossible. An impression has been left, unique to their interaction. Thus, their states of being will be forever changed, and will continue to evolve through further spontaneous interactions.
IMPRESSIONS explores this dynamic through the lens of tree roots in relation to man-made elements. Roots grow endlessly and continuously until they encounter something foreign. At the same time, we see sidewalks upturned and building foundations fractured as a result of the roots that grow beneath them. Through metaphorical manipulations of natural and man-made materials, this collection aims to highlight the beauty and spontaneity of the interactions that define our existence.