The collection is inspired by a personal research on Japanese aesthetics.

 I started by reading In Praise of Shadows, an essay written by Junichiro Tanizaki in 1933. Comparisons of light with darkness are used to contrast Western and Asian cultures. The West, presented as continuously searching for light and clarity, is opposed to oriental art, seen to represent an appreciation of shadow and darkness. I was very fascinated by the concepts of the construction of a space by leaving void, balancing light and shadow and appreciating beauty in the dark.

 This brought me onto studying the art of Composition present in Ikebana, origami and kimono painting.

Whilst collecting antique kimonos I was fascinated by the way patterns were displayed according to a notion of composition that privileges voids. In many floral kimonos, flowers were painted at the top or at the bottom of the fabric, but rarely in the centre. I particularly loved some examples of Furisode where areas of plain black or white where suddenly broken-up by an unexpected concentration of colour and details, all grouped in only one powerful area.

 I started cutting clothes with the idea of light and darkness, voids and cut-outs, flowers and unexpected explosions with the goal of creating an emotional impression for the viewer.

 The body-hugging black and white silhouettes are meant to disappear or pop out depending on the darkness of the background, contrasted by the floral patterns that explode into 3D artworks reminding flat paper origami.