Fashion designer Ying Gao unveils a new series of robotic garments adorned with shimmering, self-moving shards of mirrored surfaces. These delicate fragments are assembled using medical cotton gauze enhanced with an 18-carat gold finish, then carefully stitched onto the fabric. The motion of the mirrors is powered by electronic components designed by Simon Laroche, bringing the garments to life. This marks one of the first instances in which Ying Gao incorporates mirrors into her dynamic fashion creations.
Known for her use of metals, silicone, and camera sensors in previous designs, the Montreal-based designer and professor now explores the theme of imperfection. By integrating fragmented mirrors, she evokes the philosophy of kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold. In this interpretation, the broken elements are mirrors, hinting at deeper layers of reflection, both literal and metaphorical.
Project info:
Name: All mirrors
Design: Ying Gao
Robotics: Simon Laroche
Photography: Malina Corpadean
Studio team: Espé Duenas, Marianne Frève, Pascale Tétrault, Ruochu Xie, Yasmin Tcheconi, Christophe Paré, Tommy Lecomte, Julien Villeneuve
Director: Alexandre De Bellefeuille
Editor: Guillaume Marin
Cinematographer: Maxime Lapointe De Roy
First camera assistant: Luka Sanader
Grip: Yvain Jeanmart
Best boy: Thomas Jacquet
Makeup/hair artist: Katérie Portelance of The Project
Models: Sabrina Coridon of Another Species; Ophélie of Folio