In this month’s Member Monday, SunWoo Ari Jang discusses her individual, material-driven process, in which textiles guide the development of form rather than beginning with a predetermined silhouette. Through Nubism, she reinterprets the traditional Korean Saek-sil Nubi quilting technique to create soft yet supportive structures that shape the body through tension and movement. She is currently exploring applications of Nubism in bridal and performance wear, with an interest in expanding the technique beyond couture into new textile applications and collaborations.
Photo credit: Thandi Roe.
Textile Society of America (TSA): Let’s start with telling us a bit about your work process.
SunWoo Ari Jang (SWAJ): I don’t begin with a fixed silhouette. Most of the time, the shape comes later.
I start by working directly with the textile, stitching, layering, and observing how it responds to tension and movement. Nubism grew from Saek-sil Nubi—a traditional Korean hand-quilting technique using rolled paper (hanji) rather than batting that results in rigid, three-dimensional channels—but my focus isn’t on reproducing its traditional appearance. What stays with me is the feeling within it—something soft yet protective, intimate yet quietly structured.
By creating quilted channels in silk or mesh and adjusting the direction and density of the cords inside them, I let the material gradually guide the form. Instead of forcing the body into shape, the textile slowly follows it, creating support through closeness rather than control.
Photo courtesy of SunWoo Ari Jang.
TSA: Does your work feel more communal or individual to you?
SWAJ: My work is mostly an individual process.
Much of the time is spent alone trying to understand how the material reacts. I spend a lot of time stitching, testing, pulling, and undoing my work and decisions aren’t made quickly. I usually wait to see how the textile behaves before moving forward.
While Nubism begins from a shared textile tradition, how it translates into a contemporary form is shaped through my own hands and instincts. The process is less about preserving something and more about finding a personal way to make it live again on today’s body.
Photo credit: Thandi Roe.
TSA: Do you encounter any misconceptions about your work?
SWAJ: Some people initially see Nubism as a revival of traditional quilting.
But what interests me isn’t the surface pattern,it’s the functional sensibility behind it. Historically, Nubi wasn’t only decorative; it was a way to protect, reinforce, and give quiet structure.
I try to shift the focus from appearance to behavior. When the stitching begins to shape volume rather than decorate it, the textile stops being seen as embellishment and starts to be understood as something that forms.
Photo courtesy of SunWoo Ari Jang.
TSA: How do you imagine that humanity might engage with textiles in the future?
SWAJ: I imagine textiles becoming more active participants in shaping the body.
Instead of something that simply covers, textiles may increasingly help generate form—softly, without rigidity. Many traditional techniques already hold this balance between flexibility and strength.
I think the future may return to that sensitivity: structures that are supportive without being hard, and forms that emerge through tension rather than imposition.
Photo courtesy of SunWoo Ari Jang.
TSA: What projects are you currently working on?
SWAJ: Recently, I’ve been exploring how Nubism can move into bridal and performance contexts.
These are situations where garments need to feel close to the body while still holding presence. I’m experimenting with quilted channels that allow structure to exist gently. maintaining shape while remaining responsive to movement.
Looking ahead, I’m interested in seeing how this approach might extend beyond couture into new textile applications and collaborations.
SunWoo Ari Jang is a New York–based fashion designer and artist from Seoul, South Korea. Her work explores the relationship between textile, structure, and the body, with a particular interest in reinterpreting traditional Korean craft through contemporary fashion.
She holds a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design and has studied across Seoul, Shanghai, California, Paris, and Florence, experiences that have shaped her cross-cultural approach to design. Her practice combines textile experimentation, sculptural draping, and precise construction, often allowing the behavior of the material itself to guide silhouette and form.
Her ongoing project, Nubism, reimagines the traditional Korean quilting technique Saek-sil Nubi as a broader textile language for contemporary dress. Rather than treating the technique as a fixed method, Ari explores its possibilities through structure, pattern, color, surface, and craftsmanship, allowing elements of Korean textile tradition to take on new forms within contemporary fashion. Through this ongoing practice, she seeks to expand the language of Nubi while carrying forward the sensitivity and craftsmanship at its core.
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