Meet the Taiwan Designer Who Turns Waste into Fashion

Model poses with a piece made with recycled materials at a fashion show in Taipei, Taiwan, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang
Model poses with a piece made with recycled materials at a fashion show in Taipei, Taiwan, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Inspiration for high fashion can come from strange places. For one Taiwanese designer, it’s upcycling old wires and bolts from the power industry.

Wang Li-ling, 36, scours dumps, picking up old bits of metal and wires from Taiwan’s main electricity supplier to add extra flair to her clothes.

“For example, there’s quite a lot of material from Taipower that they have phased out,” Wang told Reuters in her studio.

“These materials have been used for more than 20 or 30 years. At least more than 10 years. So their colour or the mottled feeling they give you is different from new material.”

Wang Li-ling looks for materials to collect at the waste storage that can be used for her dress in Taipei, Taiwan, December 10, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang

The wires and other materials are stitched onto dresses and other items of clothing, giving them a futuristic feeling, and drawing a warm reception at a fashion show in Taipei on Friday.

Wang Li-ling inspects a dress at her studio in Taipei, Taiwan, December 10, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang

“Actually, it is my first time seeing a Taiwan fashion designer turning recycled things into new ideas,” said Taiwanese lifestyle influencer Andrew Chen, who was at the show.

“Everyone knows the fashion industry is about fast fashion. And it is wasteful. It expanded my horizons today that I saw how to use old materials to create something new, and then present it with creativity.”

Model walks with a dress made with recycled materials during a fashion show in Taipei, Taiwan, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang

A popular destination for trendy tourists in pre-coronavirus times, Taiwan has an up-and-coming fashion scene, whose designers are starting to make an impact on the world stage.

With many global events shuttered or moved online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan put on Taipei Fashion Week in October featuring live shows, a testament to the island’s successful efforts to control the spread of the illness.

Models pose with their dresses made with recycled materials at the end of a fashion show in Taipei, Taiwan, December 18, 2020. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Reuters

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