Yiting Chen, Yanshan Xie｜2025 SUSFUTURE 國際永續時尚設計展

／Description and concept of the artwork
作品描述與概念／

This work is inspired by paper fan flowers (紙翻花), an item of Fuzhou intangible cultural heritage. Supported by two wooden sticks and formed through layers of interlaced coloured paper, this craft achieves endlessly changing structures through repeated stacking. Hidden within it is the core logic of sustainable design: using minimal materials to create multiple forms, echoing green design principles through the traditional philosophy of “less material, more possibility”.

This heritage technique, which relies on structural ingenuity rather than complex or resource-intensive materials, offers a natural source of inspiration for sustainable fashion design. It reduces excessive dependence on industrialised materials while allowing traditional culture to become a vivid carrier of eco-conscious fashion.

In this design, the structural aesthetics of paper fan flowers are closely intertwined with sustainability. Traditional motifs, cultural meaning and technologically inspired silhouettes are brought together. The key characteristics of paper fan flowers—overlapping structures and multiple forms from a single object—are translated into modular garment construction and detachable details. Through flexible recombination of components, the garment can adapt to different occasions and styling needs, increasing re-wearability and reducing waste in fashion consumption. Recycled paper-fibre textiles and biodegradable eco-friendly materials are used to recreate the lightness of paper fan flowers, while natural dyes are employed to express their rich colours, avoiding the environmental burden of synthetic chemicals. At the same time, the craft wisdom of “simplicity controlling complexity” is extended to streamline production processes, lower energy consumption, and uphold low-carbon design principles while emphasising both heritage and innovation.

This fusion of “traditional structural ingenuity + modern eco-materials + tech-inspired silhouettes” not only protects and transmits the cultural meaning of paper fan flowers through contemporary design, but also harnesses heritage craftsmanship to empower sustainable fashion development, breaking down the perceived barrier between tradition and environmentalism. It demonstrates the feasibility of integrating intangible cultural heritage with sustainable fashion, and proposes a new pathway: using the minimalist logic of traditional crafts to optimise resource efficiency in modern garment design, and using contemporary design language to revitalise traditional culture within green fashion. Ultimately, it calls on us to embrace eco-conscious thinking and sustainable design so that intangible cultural heritage can be passed down while protecting the environment, achieving a double win for cultural continuity and ecological responsibility.

感來源於福州非物質文化遺產紙翻花，其以兩根木棍為支撐、彩色紙重疊交錯，通過重復疊加實現千變萬化結構的智慧，暗藏著可持續設計的核心邏輯——以極簡材料創造多元形態，用傳統工藝的“少料多能”呼應綠色設計理念。這種無需複雜耗材、依賴結構巧思的非遺技藝，為可持續服裝設計提供了天然靈感，既減少了對工業化材料的過度依賴，又讓傳統文化成為環保時尚的鮮活載體。

設計中，將紙翻花的結構美學與可持續理念深度綁定，將傳統元素、文化內涵與科技感服裝廓形相結合：提取紙翻花“重疊交錯、一物多形”的核心特徵，轉化為服裝的模塊化結構與可拆卸設計，通過部件的靈活組合實現多場景穿搭，提升服裝復用率，減少時尚消費中的浪費；選用再生紙纖維面料、可降解環保材質還原紙翻花的輕盈質感，以天然染料呈現其多彩視覺，避免化學合成材料對環境的負擔。同時，延續紙翻花“以簡馭繁”的工藝智慧，簡化服裝生產流程，降低能源消耗，在突出傳承與創新多樣性的同時，踐行低碳設計准則。

這種“傳統結構巧思+現代環保材質+科技廓形”的融合模式，既讓紙翻花的文化內涵通過現代設計得以保護傳承，又以非遺智慧賦能服裝可持續發展，打破了傳統與環保的壁壘。它不僅證明瞭非遺元素與可持續服裝設計結合的可行性，更提供了新路徑——用傳統工藝的極簡思維優化現代服裝的資源利用效率，以現代設計語言讓傳統文化在綠色時尚中煥發新生，呼籲大家通過環保化構思、可持續設計，讓非遺文化在守護生態的同時代代相傳，實現文化傳承與環境友好的雙向共贏。