Pattern Design from Ancient Emperors for Modern Women

Amazed by the beauty and richness of ancient Chinese decorative patterns, I decided to update and renew them back for modern life. Having lived and worked in both eastern and western cultures, I found a way to transform those traditional patterns into modern styles without losing their classicism and universality. This breakthrough in my design involved decomposing the formality of the old pattern and changing it into asymmetrical design; then I re-colored the old pattern to make the new design brighter, sharper, and more joyful.

More importantly, I was drawn to these patterns because of the many rich meanings associated with individual flowers. For example, patterns with lotus carry a wish for purity and integrity; the peony, happiness and wealth. Therefore, we used my patterns to develop a women’s bag brand—Running Joys—which suggests as you run your errands, stay on the run in your life, these patterns/bags bring you wishes for joy, happiness, health, and wealth. This brand is dedicated to women who devote most of their time to work and family and deserve their own relaxing moments to enjoy life. The project was sponsored by USI College of Liberal Arts Faculty Research Award.