Ying Hong

“Body of Work” is a thesis collection examines invisible domestic labor through repetitive gestures of care that often remain unnoticed. Inspired by my mother’s domestic tasks and broader female experiences, the collection develops through the embodiment of labor in time. Nylon, suiting, organza, leather, and self-developed prints are used to inform silhouettes that reflect bodies‘ transformation by domestic labor.

The intention is to honor this labor and recognize its strength rather than its invisibility.

“While documenting cleaning gestures, tools, and repeated actions, three interconnected themes appeared consistently: Body, Time, and Movement.

Body — how labor leaves immediate and long-term physical impact.
Time — how domestic routines form continuous cycles.
Movement — how gestures like wiping and smearing create paths and distort material.

These three pillars became the conceptual and material foundation for the entire project.”

“Time in domestic labor operates through constant repetition.
Tasks reset the moment they are completed, forming cycles that accumulate throughout the day.
To visualize this rhythm, I worked with circular and spiral forms—structures that loop without ending.These shapes informed fabric development.
Twisting, coiling, and layering fabric allowed the spiral to appear both structurally and on the surface.
Through these studies, time becomes material: a physical representation of continuous, ongoing care.”

“Movement carries its own logic in housework.
Wiping motions create directional paths shaped by pressure and repetition.
I recorded these trajectories, transferred them onto fabric, and stitched secondary layers along the paths so that the material could ‘remember’ the gesture.I also explored the verb to smear as a way of understanding how dragging and pressure reshape surfaces.
Smearing on both fabric and garments produced distortions that could be held, pushed further, or extracted as new structures.
These experiments generated silhouettes, surfaces, and fabric prints that extend movement into the visual language of the collection.”

“Body research began with performing the housework myself. I documented my physical state before and after cleaning — the redness in my hands, pressure at the knees, posture changes, and the wrinkles formed from repeated bending and wiping. Tools such as rubber gloves, trash bags, and aprons became sources for material experimentation.
I also observed habitual gestures — for example, rolling sleeves up before cleaning, which creates stacked folds on the forearm.
This gesture informed sleeve shaping and fabric manipulation. Long-term repetitive labor was another focus. Joint thickening and curvature around the upper back—such as the formation of a buffalo hump—became references for silhouette development across several looks.”

Look 1 consists of a sleeveless tailored vest and wool trousers. The top is constructed in a double-layer fabrication: an outer layer of self-developed printed organza over a base of wool suiting. The trousers are made from wool suiting, featuring spiral-shaped three-dimensional fabric manipulations at the knees.

Look 2 consists of a fitted knit top and a nylon skirt. The top features a sculptural glove detail, with elongated sleeves designed to be scrunched, referencing the habitual gesture of rolling sleeves up during domestic labor. The skirt is constructed from nylon, with a three-dimensional leather apron detail at the front. The hem is adjustable, allowing it to expand or be cinched for variable volume.

Look 3 consists of a leather vest and trousers. The vest is fully constructed in leather, featuring a spiral-shaped three-dimensional sculptural detail at the chest. The trousers are made from a cotton-linen blend combined with a self-developed pleated print, with a continuous spiral structure running along the leg.

Look 4 consists of a knit textured top layered over a cropped shirt, paired with leather trousers featuring pleated detailing. The top is a two-piece construction: an outer knit layer with hand-stitched pleats, developed to mimic the distorted forms of garments shaped by domestic labor, worn over a plain grey cropped long-sleeve shirt. The trousers are fully constructed in leather, with hand-stitched pleated structures at the knees and hem that echo the surface treatment of the top.

Look 5 consists of a sleeveless nylon top and printed shorts. The top features a voluminous silhouette inspired by garbage bags, with adjustable drawstring constructions at both the neckline and hem, allowing the form to shift and transform. Sculptural glove elements are applied across the body as three-dimensional details.

The shorts are constructed in a double-layer fabrication, combining a self-developed printed organza outer layer with a wool suiting base.

Look 6 is a one-piece dress constructed from wool suiting. The body features a sculptural apron detail, while the back incorporates a three-dimensional relief mimicking an apron bow. Pleated detailing is inserted along the side seams, connecting the apron structure to the main dress.