“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”

— Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote

BFA Thesis Collection Escapade:An Absurd Journey, 2025 photo: Flora Feng | model: Kiara Simmons | MUA: Lillian Rong

Escapade: An Absurd Journey explores the philosophical concept of absurdity, as introduced by Albert Camus in The Myth of Sisyphus. In Camus’s view, absurdity arises from the tension between humanity’s search for meaning and the indifferent, irrational nature of reality. This collection embraces that dissonance—rejecting conventional categorization of the human form by age, gender, or race. Instead, the body becomes a transformable site: a living sculpture capable of becoming fantastical, surreal, and deeply imaginative.

Fictional figures like Don Quixote serve as key inspirations—characters who lived extravagantly and absurdly, challenging the mundane with conviction and flair. Similarly, this collection breaks away from traditional fashion frameworks, presenting garments that are radical in silhouette and unconventional in material. A series of avant-garde wearables—pieces that construct personas and redefine what clothing can be.

Drawing heavily from fine art and art history, specific looks in the collection reference seminal works such as Dialogue by Marina Abramović and Ulay (Look 1), and Bernini’s Anima Damnata (Damned Soul) (look 2). Each garment is built through intensive, handcrafted processes—tufting, embroidery, beading, pleating, and coiling—layered with yarns, threads, boning, and bindings. Much of the material was sourced sustainably, using recycled fabric scraps and leftover yarns from previous projects, adding a textural and ethical depth to the collection.