This exhibition showcases the work of two fashion designers from
two of the largest cities in China and their connection to UC
Davis. Rongrong Xu and Rui Xu both address the position of the
body as an agent between nature and the industrial world. In
contrast to the contamination from smog, noise, light, and media
driven information in the urban environment, both designers
explore how nature can provide a calmness of spirit. Rongrong Xu,
Associate Professor of Fashion Design at Shanghai University of
Science and Engineering, is currently a visiting scholar in the
Dept. of Design at UC Davis. Her new body of work, created with
vegetable dyes, natural fibers, and hand embellished surfaces, is
inspired by the quiet and temporal journey of clouds. Rui Xu is
the Director of the Fashion Dept. in the School of Design at
Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. For this exhibition she
collaborated with Susan Taber Avila, Professor of Design at UC
Davis, using Prof. Avila’s innovative stitched fabrics from
repurposed textiles as the creative muse for conceptually
provocative garments.
Design-by-Design is the annual juried student competition
highlighting the breadth, talent, and diversity of the Department
of Design, as shown through the outstanding course work produced
over the past year.
