All at Once

Designer Carla Zhang on the language of mixed media and the societal issues she expresses through design

- MARIAN SAN PEDRO

In her pursuit of adventure, designer Carla Zhang found something more in the Pearl of the Orient. When she visited the Philippines, she was taken aback by the beauty of Palawan and the rich culture of the country. Ten years later, she's still here bringing her dreams and stories to life-and that of other people's, too.

"I describe my style as mixed media wear," Zhang, the creative soul behind the fashion label Le Ngok, explains. "When I started learning about fashion and design, art is not just about what you paint on the canvas. There are so many forms, media, and materials that you can use for art. So, fashion design is not only about fabric or clothing. I realized I can really explain my ideas and thoughts through a different way of presentation."

In the spirit of exploration, Zhang sourced for various materials in bookstores and hardware stores. Fabric fused with unconventional objects is her own definition of transformational creativity. The very first project she made was composed of broken mirrors, glasses, CDs, and plastic folders. From there, she developed mixed media as her design language.

"Now, my healing is in designing and sharing my work."

"For this project, I used different types of wool and manipulated its different colors and textures," she says, sharing how she made her own fabric by shrinking and connecting wool. For each project, like to try something different. It's a chance for me to experiment. don’t want to limit myself to just one medium. love everything. can’t pick only one thing, color, or design. So why not just combine everything and make it my own style?”