Cultural differences and habits can impact the way we approach different aspects of our daily lives, including the way we wash our clothes. When it comes to washing clothes, China and the West have unique perspectives and approaches. In China, for instance, cold water is typically used for laundry, which doesn’t have a bactericidal effect. As such, clothes are kept separate to prevent cross-infection with bacteria and fungi, making public laundry rooms seem unsanitary to Chinese individuals. This is why most households in China own their own washing machines. Then they left on the balcony or spread out all over the yard for the sunshine to dry.
In contrast, Westerners typically use hot water for laundry and utilize dryers after washing their clothes. This makes it difficult for bacteria and fungi to survive on clothes for an extended period, making communal washing machines a more common practice in the West. When I first walked into the laundry room at the fashion school, I was surprised to see the numerous clothes that had been washed and piled up, filled with wrinkles that made them appear lifeless. I realized that a garment is nothing more than: taking a cloth from nature, making it into a garment. putting it in the washing machine, and becoming a cloth again.
Fast fashion brands like Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, and Shein produce millions of new products every year. These clothes go through various processes such as sewing, weaving, and painting before they finally make it to the market, generating billions of sales. However, many of these clothes are eventually thrown into washing machines and turn into rags once again. This endless cycle of manufacturing, consumption, and disposal of clothing has contributed to the culture of fast fashion. However, it begs the question: Do we need so many clothes? Do we need to keep ourselves fashionable all the time so as to abandon the quality of clothing and pursue the quantity of clothing?
My book, which contains my collection of fashion photography for the year 2022, raises this question while exploring the fashion industry. With my camera, I see the confidence of models and the pride of designers who see people wearing their designs. But I also see the laundry room filled with wrinkled clothes and apparel classrooms overflowing with wasted fabrics. Each time I press the shutter, I am saving a piece of clothing in a new form. Developing the film feels like being in a washing machine. Drying and scanning it feels like using a dryer or sunlight to dry clothes. It is a reflection of the maturity of the fashion industry, with me as a quiet and lonely laundry room witnessing it all.