FUNCTIONAL GLAMOUR
Xingyan Wu
Chelsea College of Arts UAL
Functional Glamour responds to the storage demands of contemporary urban nightlife. Beginning with the question, “What’s in your bag on a night out?”, the project was informed by street surveys conducted across central London, gathering the essential items people carry to bars or clubs. Referencing the glittering aesthetics of Blitz Club and Studio 54, the collection explores fashion accessories crafted from 3D woven textiles. My practice is rooted in materiality and developed through structural experimentation. Inspired by discussions around 3D weaving technologies at the 2025 Making it in Textiles Conference, I began exploring weaving not only as surface decoration, but as a construction system. An early warp, originally designed for velvet and loop testing, unexpectedly formed pleated tucks capable of holding objects. This discovery reminded me of the lining structures in vintage workbags and became the starting point for further investigations into woven forms for accessories. Through multi-cloth and circular weave constructions, I developed textiles that hold volume and adapt to the body. My process combines material winding, colour motif drawing and paper structure experiments with visualisation methods such as CAD sketching and Photoshop collage. Influenced by previous internships in print studios, I often merge techniques across textile disciplines to expand both efficiency and creative possibility. Moving forward, I aim to become a more responsible multidisciplinary designer. While my practice has primarily focused on material performance, my next step is to further consider material durability and afterlife thinking. More importantly, this project has shaped my interest in designing accessories that emerge from social interactions, connecting textile innovation with contemporary cultural experience.