This a studio term project for an advanced garments studio led by Tom Bonamici.

The Aespera Collection was created to signify my journey as a first-generation Vietnamese-American and my relationship with the ocean. Ever since I was young, I've been heavily drawn to the ocean and water. I am Vietnamese-Buddhist and our burial ceremony is to spread the ashes of the deceased into the ocean. I experienced this once before with my Grandpa. We were on a cold Oregon beach with heavy crashing waves. Even though it was unpleasant weather, I still longed for the ocean due to my ancestral ties to it, and still do.

This relationship inspired my collection. I wanted to invoke vulnerability and familiarity in these garments while emphasizing aspects of myself. I stayed true to feminine forms and silhouettes while designing as a woman has fundamentally shaped me into who I am today.