The design of the shoes and handbag was based on a visual analysis of the costumes worn by the character Fan Changyu in the TV series *Pursuit of Jade*. The inspiration came from two stages of her story—her time living in the village and her subsequent journey in search of her husband and lost sister.
I interpret the theme of my thesis project, *Between States*, as a transition between the known and the unknown, between home and the journey, between the past and transformation. I focus on the moment when the main character leaves her familiar surroundings but still carries with her the memories, values, and symbols associated with home.
The handbag is based on a costume inspired by the character’s life in the village and features soft textile materials, layering, and decorative details. The shoes, on the other hand, draw from her period of wandering. The front part is based on one of the garments the character wears during her travels, while the back is inspired by the leather wrist guards she receives as a final gift from her husband before he leaves for war.
Both products are linked by a combination of fabric and leather, a shared color palette, decorative embroidery, and the pig motif. This motif appears repeatedly in the series as a symbol of home, origin, and the main charakter’s personal indentity. In the design, it takes the form of a pig-shaped earbud charm and an embroidered detail on the insole of the shoe. It thus becomes a symbol of the memories that people carry with them even during times of life changes.
