This thesis collection began with a fantasy about a world run by powerful women. I was inspired to create this fantasy after looking into my own Chinese heritage and the strong women in my family, especially my mother. The textiles developed in this collection were inspired by a character that I discovered in one of my mother's novels, a prominent female general in Chinese history. At first I was quite drawn to the armor that she was wearing, leading me to begin my textile experiments. To add diversity, and to avoid a literal representation of armor, I created textiles using complex methods and worked with unique materials. While forming patterns for these garments, I relied on shapes that would allow all the textiles to harmoniously form the garments. My thesis collection is an exploration of creativity before I enter the real fashion industry. It tells a story about a powerful female figure and shows that women can be strong and feminine at the same time. Most important, it represents who I am as a designer. I am proud of this collection and look forward to developing it into more-wearable fashion. http://www.hanwenstudio.com/fashion/