It’s not everyday you see a girl sporting discarded animal skins, old magazines and bamboo steamers and calling it high fashion. But that is exactly the genius behind Currie Lee’s most recent Trashion collection flaunted here by Cindy Xing. Cindy is a girl of few words, but she makes one thing very clear when it comes to her fashion choices: “I love D-SATA by CuR (Currie Lee), which is why I work there. The designs are fresh and cool and I not only look good, but feel proud in it.” Currie Lee’s Nali Patio store D-SATA (DimSum Of All Things Asian) was born from, not surprisingly, Currie Lee’s love for all things Asian. She seeks to incorporate ethnic or traditional Asian materials into more contemporary designs so that the everyday fashionista can enjoy them without feeling like a walking souvenir. From hand-woven buntals and tinalaks of minority village women to the silks, brocades and batiks of saris, kimonos and hanboks, each of her pieces are eco- and ethnically-conscious works of art—more than just an accessory bought to be worn and thrown out after a season. Getting back to her latest Trashion revelation, Currie divulges that it was her father’s obsession with trash that inspired her. “My father always told me that everything was something once and still has the potential to be.” Thus Beijing is the perfect place for Currie’s art. “There is nothing you cannot find in Beijing if you know where to look,” she says, “and even if you are not looking you will soon find that what you find is that ‘what’ you should have been looking for!” Judging from the fabulous up-cycled outfit made with discarded articles, it seems that both Currie and Cindy found exactly what they were looking for.

Name: Cindy Xing wearing
Currie Lee originals
Occupation: Sales staff at D-SATA by Currie Lee

Fashionista: MeiLi Autumn
For more style analysis or fashion insight, visit MeiLi's website, www.MeiLiAutumn.com
Photographer: Tao Zi
Hair and Makeup: MeiLi Autumn