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# Project Description Trace Decay Theory Minami Sato Summary Final work As a Japanese-Filipino designer, my identity exists between cultures—something that has deeply shaped how I see the world, materials, and the stories clothing can tell. I was raised between the structure and subtlety of Japanese aesthetics and the warmth, resilience, and resourcefulness of Filipino culture. My work blends technical precision with emotional storytelling, often exploring themes of memory, erosion, and heritage through handcraft and experimental processes. As a Japanese-Filipino designer, my identity exists between cultures—something that has deeply sh... College London College of Fashion Course BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear Graduation year 2025 Final work leather moulded trouser The leather moulded trousers are a sculptural, memory-embedded garment that fuses craftsmanship with emotional narrative. At their core is a rigid, body-shaped hip section, created by wet-moulding vegetable-tanned cowhide directly onto a mannequin. This technique allows the leather to take on a fossil-like impression of the body — a physical echo of presence and time. In contrast, the lower half is crafted from soft sheepskin, allowing ease of movement and balancing structure with wearability. leather moulded trouser What sets this piece apart is its surface: a richly textured finish created through a Polaroid emulsion lift technique. I transferred distorted fragments of old photographs — blurred faces, faded hands, fragmented memories — onto the leather while it was still shaped. By carefully lifting the emulsions from instant film and manipulating them in warm water, I was able to stretch and tear the images into abstracted forms. These were then embedded onto the moulded leather, clinging to its curves and creases like decaying memories etched into skin. leather moulded trouser The result is a garment that doesn’t just tell a story — it holds one. Each crease, tear, and wrinkle in the emulsion becomes part of the trousers’ visual language, referencing memory loss, identity erosion, and the passage of time. Hand-stitched details using waxed thread (0.6mm, 120D/16) and machine reinforcements with Gutermann extra-strong thread anchor the piece in durability, while the edges are burnished with Tokonole and sealed with Resolene and acrylic spray to preserve the visual and tactile integrity. These trousers exist somewhere between fashion and artifact — wearable but also exhibitable — and are ideal for performance or installation contexts where narrative, texture, and body are in dialogue. Research and process View Gallery View Gallery View Gallery Share this project A link to this page has been added to your clipboard
# Links ## Official page - https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/656347/cover ## External - https://www.linkedin.com/in/minami-sato-9006021a6?utm_source=sha - https://www.instagram.com/minami__st - tel:07455747017 - mailto:minamisato301@icloud.com - https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F656347%2Fcover&text=Trace+Decay+Theory - https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F656347%2Fcover&media=https%3A%2F%2Fportfolio-tools.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2F16192217%2Fpiv.jpg&description=Trace+Decay+Theory