Jiaqi Yu

Instagram: @jiaqi0921
Hometown: Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
Collection name: Distant Galaxy
Three words to describe her collection: Love, connection, parallel world

Jiaqi Yu’s collection Distant Gallery, created using mostly black denim, silver-patterned woven fabric, and temperature-responsive faux leather, is inspired by long-distance relationships, the effort people put into maintaining connections with each other, and the bonds of love among people. Yu also took inspiration from a book she read that mentioned that dreams are a glimpse into parallel worlds with which we share a soul, “so we are meeting people we want to, but are not able to meet in another world,” she says. “We might not see people, or we may regret some of the decisions we made in this world we are living in right now, but we still have the chance to live thousands of different kinds of lives.” Yu says she hopes that those who see her work experience the way in which fashion is not only externally beautiful, but can be a way of sharing inner thoughts. Yu came to America when she was a high school sophomore and selected CCAD because of the college’s status as a top 10 fashion school, its community and its access to supplies and tools. “At CCAD, I learned that we should always keep learning from others around us, use all kinds of resources to support our learning experience, and never stop creating and designing as we move forward,” she says.