V&A Fashion in Motion Curator Oriole Cullen talking about Ma Ke Wuyong

Ma Ke is one of the most prolific fashion designers working in China today, she graduated from the Suzhou Institute of Silk Textile Technology in 1992 and four years later set up her own label Exception de Mixmind.

Ma Ke's interest in the crossover between contemporary art and fashion led her to establish the artistic brand Wuyong (Useless) in 2006. Wuyong is an examination of the concept of 'uselessness' and how this interpretation varies when seen from different points of view. In February 2007, Wuyong was presented at Paris Fashion Week for the first time and the innovative concept attracted much attention within both art and fashion circles.

Taking discarded items such as an old paint covered sheet Ma Ke transforms it into a dress, the cracked paint creating a beautiful pattern on the garment, and an old tarpaulin is constructed into a coat of magnificent volume. For Ma Ke this focus on personal interpretation and transformation is a way of highlighting the importance of the individual and the inestimable value of life.

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