Meet Yimin Deng-Wen

Yimin Deng-Wen was introduced to TILL: bioFASHIONtech by 2019 intern Ellie Sohmer. We loved his garments for their elegance, integrating the heritage of Chinese traditional craft with the contemporary ethos of social justice and ecological imperative, with a gender fluid aesthetic. Yimin was one of three ecological fashion designers, all recent graduates of Parsons School of Design, commissioned to produce a capsule collection for debut in our 2019 Summit. Yimin designed and produced a beautiful collection at our Stamford studio in workshops and working one-on-one with community residents using locally sourced upcycled textiles.

How are you involved with Wear Wool New London?
I help design and execute Wear Wool New London’s fashion products and visual identity.

What excites you about Wear Wool New London?
I am passionate about the way Wear Wool New London approaches ecological fashion, which includes our local communities (like farmers and weavers), regenerative fibers, soil health, carbon footprint, our diverse cross-sector network of expertise, our rigor in research and well-designed fashion...

What is one idea that has fundamentally changed you/your life trajectory?
My father has instilled in me that giving makes one happy. However, it wasn't until I met someone in New York that I realized giving gives my life meanings, as I was going through my nihilistic phase. At a sustainable fashion event, a waiter told me my work in sustainable fashion, especially building awareness for garment makers’ lives, really does make a difference, because he saw the changes himself from his family back home. Thinking about the positive changes we can do and how they can impact people’s lives, even just modestly, keeps me going.

What analog object or activity do you enjoy?
I love walking a lot, especially in nature.

If you could live in another time period when/why?
Right now is good.

What has living during a pandemic taught you?
Loving and supportive relationships + access to nature = happiness (to me)

In one sentence your positive prediction or hope for the future.
We will act, so more and more people will know and care, so we will be all motivated to act together.

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