TAIPEI, Dec 22: Inspiration for high fashion can come from strange places. For one Taiwanese designer, it’s upcycling old wires and boltsfrom the power industry, reports Reuters.

Wang Li-ling, 36, scours dumps, picking up old bits of metal and wires from Taiwan’s main electricity supplier to add extra flair to her clothes.

“For example, there’s quite a lot of material from Taipower that they have phased out,” Wang told Reuters in her studio.

“These materials have been used for more than 20 or 30 years. At least more than 10 years. So their colour or the mottled feeling they give you is different from new material.”

The wires and other materials are stitched onto dresses and other
items of clothing, giving them a futuristic feeling, and drawing a
warm reception at a fashion show in Taipei on Friday.

“Actually, it is my first time seeing a Taiwan fashion designer
turning recycled things into new ideas,” said Taiwanese lifestyle
influencer Andrew Chen, who was at the show.

“Everyone knows the fashion industry is about fast fashion. And it is
wasteful. It expanded my horizons today that I saw how to use old
materials to create something new, and then present it with
creativity.”

A popular destination for trendy tourists in pre-coronavirus times,
Taiwan has an up-and-coming fashion scene, whose designers are
starting to make an impact on the world stage.

With many global events shuttered or moved online due to the COVID-19
pandemic, Taiwan put on Taipei Fashion Week in October featuring live
shows, a testament to the island’s successful efforts to control the
spread of the illness.