Cooking Memory Variations

Centered on olfactory memory, this collection stems from the nostalgia I felt for my grandfather’s home cooking while living in New York. After understanding the "Proustian effect," I realized that scent and steam are the most potent triggers for memory. Consequently, I translated the gaseous forms found in the cooking processes of "frying" and "boiling" into the visual and structural language of the garments.
In the "Frying" section, taking sweet potatoes as a starting point, I visualized the instantaneous bursting, heat waves, and smoke of deep-frying. Sharp triangles symbolize explosive force, yellow tulle corresponds to rising heat, and splashing oil droplets are fixed as printed elements. The soft touch of wool in warm tones replaces the sensation of "scorching," presenting the temperature in a gentler manner. The outer fabric is reconstructed into a standalone vest structure; by layering coiling techniques, a felt base, crochet details, and organza lace, I created rich textures to give the chaotic energy of "frying" a rigorous structural expression.
The "Boiling" section originated from observing the trajectory of steam as my grandfather cooked Tangyuan (glutinous rice balls). I recorded the ripple-like forms of the vapor in my sketchbook and translated them into the design logic of a blue installation. Using the roundness of the Tangyuan as a base, I superimposed translucent blue tulle to mimic the slight trembling and enveloping sensation of steam. Drawing a parallel to the bridal veils in Yohji Yamamoto’s S/S 1999 collection, I adopted the veil structure to express "steam flow." The design evolved from a free-falling concept to a body-conforming, enveloping silhouette, utilizing layers of soft and stiff organza to visualize the rising and diffusion of steam.
The entire collection employs "gas visualization" as its core methodology, transmuting the temperatures, forms, and dynamic processes of the kitchen into materiality, tailoring, and structure. The warm-toned "Frying" and the cool-toned "Boiling" narrate two distinct stories, yet both revolve around a singular theme: how to translate the ephemeral tastes and scents of memory into a tangible design language.