Profile: Yiling Dong – Real Leather Design Competitions

Yiling Dong

I am Elina Yiling Dong, a student specializing in avant-garde men’s fashion design. My design creation is consistently inspired by two core themes: the natural layered texture of geological strata and the rough sculptural shape of medieval hand-forged metal armour. Leather is my primary creative material, and I am deeply fascinated by the rich texture, structural plasticity and hard silhouette that matte weathered genuine leather can bring to menswear. In this collection, I integrate genuine leather with solid metal hardware and metallic textured fabrics to strengthen the rugged forged aesthetic. My competition collection Chronicle of Strata & Forge fully centers on leather craft. I translate the layered folds of rock and segmented ribs of forged iron into deconstructed leather panels, matching multi-pocket cargo tailoring, adjustable leather binding straps and tiered ruffle trouser hems. Every leather piece in the series adopts worn, oxidized texture treatment to restore the rugged sense of metal forging and weathered stone. Solid metal fittings and metallic fabrics are embedded into seams and structural joints to echo the forging concept visually and tactilely. I aim to break the single, rigid stereotype of leather garments, combining architectural armour structure with wearable daily workwear silhouette. By joining the RLSD International Leather Design Competition, I hope to display my exploration of innovative leather splicing and segmentation techniques, and communicate my unique understanding of combining natural geology texture with leather fashion design to professional leather industry judges.

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Chronicle of Strata & Forge

Category: Apparel

Competitions: International

This avant-garde menswear collection Chronicle of Strata & Forge draws dual inspiration from layered geological rock formations and medieval metal forging craft, exploring the dialogue between natural stratification and industrial metal texture through leather, solid metal hardware and metallic woven fabrics. The whole design system is built on core structural symbols: segmented spinal rib silhouettes derived from skeletons and forged armour, layered tiered trouser hems echoing the flowing contour of forge flames, and accordion pleats & asymmetrical draped panels referencing wood grain and stacked nail textures. I translate rigid metal armour contours into wearable deconstructed outerwear, adopting riveted shoulder armour panels, segmented gauntlet sleeves, multi-layer spliced cargo pockets and adjustable nylon utility straps to balance sculptural architectural silhouette and practical daily function. The colour palette takes oxidized metal and weathered rock as tonal reference, mixing matte weathered leather, textured woven cloth and rigid metallic panels to recreate raw, worn tactile effects. Surface texture experiments include cracked rock grain printing and hammered metal grain extraction, matched with distressed leather finishing to strengthen the rugged aged aesthetic. The target wearer group favours raw, heavy layered fabrics and structural tailoring, pursuing solid, crafted avant-garde masculinity. By integrating genuine leather, real metal fittings and metallic textured fabrics, the series narrates a process from chaotic natural texture to refined structured tailoring. It breaks the monotonous stiff impression of traditional leather apparel, and innovates the mixed-material splicing and layered segmentation techniques of leather fashion for avant-garde menswear.