Profile: ZiYi Liu – Real Leather Design Competitions

ZiYi Liu

Tainan University of Technology

I’m a soon-to-be graduate with a strong interest in the relationship between design, everyday life, and self-expression. I am skilled at drawing inspiration from daily observations, transforming emotions and experiences into tangible creative language, and exploring possibilities through materials, structure, and detail. In my creative process, I value critical thinking and experimentation, often refining and developing ideas through repetition so that my work goes beyond form to convey perspectives and narratives. During my studies, I have gradually developed my own style, favoring subtle yet layered visual expressions. I am deeply interested in handcraft and materials, with a particular passion for crochet. Through each stitch, I engage with the passage of time and the discipline of patience. Beyond technical skills, I continue to cultivate self-awareness and expression, hoping to find a balance between creation and life, and to move forward with a rhythm and direction that are uniquely my own.

← →

《TRACE AS FORM｜痕跡成形》

Category: Accessories

Competitions: Taiwan Region

This design is inspired by the idea that materials carry memory. Leather, as a by-product of the livestock industry, already contains a past. Instead of resetting its identity into a flawless product, this project preserves and extends its history through patchwork composition. Each leather piece represents a fragment of time—different textures, tones, and marks coexist within the same surface. Through daily use, new traces are added by the user, forming a continuous dialogue between past and present. The bag is not designed to remain unchanged. It is designed to evolve. Time, therefore, is not an external force, but a co-designer.