Noah Chin

My blue garment, Arctic Defrost, features a plethora of ruffles that mimic the colossal waves that are formed when icebergs melt and fall into the sea. The size and nature of the outfit engulf the model, to convey the idea of drowning. I intentionally used plush fabric in order to mimic absorbents and conservation efforts meant to combat our rising sea levels. Since, during production, the plush fabric literally absorbed the fabric dye/water - an indicative process of present-day efforts to stop arctic melting.

I formulated my ideas for the arctic project when watching a David Attenborough docu-series about climate change. In one of the episodes, Attenborough shows an alarming scene depicting the arctic melting from the perspective of a helicopter. As someone who aligns their lifestyle to be as environmentally friendly as possible, I felt obligated to convey the gravity of climate change and its impact on our planet through a physical representation.

As a politically-involved individual, I felt inspired to encapsulate the political warfare within the United States in a two-piece pajama set called Game Of War. This outfit represents the chaos of the 2020 presidential elections, as well as the zenith of American division. My custom playing card deck made of shiny pearl cardstock paper features democratic and republican cards, and drawings of the Capitol building, Supreme Court, and of the White House. Within all of these institutions, there are left-wing and right-wing politicians constantly battling with one another. The politicians’ names are printed on each card. The mailbox-shaped purses represent the partisan debate over mail-in ballots. The vibrant red crossbody strap signifies the virality and widespread nature of political division since it features infectious-like balls meant to represent a virus.