Modi Li
Collection
Bio
My interest in fashion began in middle school, when I started drawing fashion illustrations and designing garments. Now a womenswear designer at Parsons, I focus on avant-garde design, evening wear, bridalwear, and couture. My work is rooted in cultural stories, social observation, memory, emotion, and community. Through structure, silhouette, fabrication, and material exploration, I translate human experiences into garments. I see fashion as a canvas for expressing perspective, craftsmanship, feeling, and soul.
The Remnant: a moment for us to look back, think back, but keep moving forward
Inspired by the life cycle of the cicada and its act of shedding, my thesis collection explores human life as a series of transformations in which each stage leaves behind a “shell” that shapes the self.
Just as a cicada leaves its old shell on a tree, people also move through different phases of life, continually shedding past identities while carrying their traces forward. The goal of this collection is to reflect how these discarded layers are not meaningless remains, but important records of growth that form our present identity and continue to represent us in the space once we've lived in and in the memories of others.
The Cape
This look is about breaking through the old shell.
The process of breaking out of old shell is full of pressures and challenges. Body movement is then restricted with cape is on.
The wings
Look 5 is inspired by the cicada wings.
Wings pieces with rust prints layers on the top of base dress. Floating on the body while moving, giving the moment of freedom.
