Kexin Yang
Systems & Society
ReWEAVE
Over the past few decades, China has become the world’s leading fashion manufacturing hub, rising from 3% of global output in 1995 to 31% by 2022. This growth was fueled by global offshoring and supported by over 285 million rural migrant workers—many of them women—who left their homes for low-paid factory jobs in urban centers. As a result, 61 million children have been left behind in rural areas, growing up without one or both parents. At the same time, the fashion industry discards over 26 million tons of textile waste annually, turning fashion into both a social and environmental crisis.
Growing up in China, I witnessed firsthand the invisible cost behind rapid industrialization—how progress often sacrifices family, care, and ecological balance. My thesis collection is both a critique of that system and a proposal for a new one. It imagines a decentralized, home-based production model that allows women to work from home while caring for their children.
The collection is made entirely from post-consumer denim, one of fashion’s most iconic yet wasteful materials. Through woven and patchworked denim textiles, I transform discarded jeans into new surfaces that are rich in texture, rhythm, and memory. These pieces reflect women’s craftsmanship, resilience, and untold stories. My silhouettes range from sculptural to structured, balancing softness with strength. The work not only diverts textile waste from landfills but also centers the family as the core of the fashion-making process.
This collection is not perfect—but it is a proposal for a different future. A future where circularity replaces waste, where care replaces exploitation, and where fashion becomes a force for healing rather than harm.
