Kaiping
In-between
New Rhythms
Series Two is currently in production. The design process began in Kaiping, Guangdong, China when I visited my mother’s hometown in September - October 2024. My first visit was in 2003/4 when I was much younger, and the only memories I recall include: feeding the caged chicken we had bought to eat, playing pretend hit+run and hospital with my cousin in the balcony, making my toddler cousin dance with empty water bottles, the itch of mosquito bites, and riding on a motorcycle at night. As the design process continues after the trip, back in San Francisco, ideas of merging Bay Area icons come into mind.
Series One: Around the Sun
Winter
Summer
Evergreen
As of November 2024, three of our scarf designs have been produced in a limited batch of 18, in stores at On Waverly in Chinatown, San Francisco, CA.
Winter
Summer
Evergreen
Under Our Sky is the inaugural silk scarf collection by Chris M Yee. Harnessing the everchanging seasons and inspired by traditional Chinese patterns, these scarves are made to be worn, loved, and passed onto the next generation. At the core of Chris’s work is the idea of change, an inconsistent rhythm that keeps bringing in new life and eroding away yesterdays. Under Our Sky challenges traditional patterns while immersing contemporary techniques and influences. Under our age of globalization, diasporic communities, and fast fashion, our scarves are made for those who value quality, heritage and responsibility for their mark in the world.
Summer
Evergreen
Spring
Eclipse
Winter
Series One Prototypes (below) includes 6 designs exploring the change of time through
seasons in the year (winter, spring, summer, autumn)
celestial events (eclipse)
evergreen
Summer was the first idealized design in May 2023. The border is constructed by a repeating pattern of the same modified symbol, taken from Chinese ceramics, often seem in daily ceramic ware. Talons rotate in the center, originally from a failed attempt to digitize white chicken feet into a sticker design. Decorative organic lines rotating the scarf were recycled from a former illustration, Displacement (2020). A big part of this series was a balance of my love for color, graphic design, patterns (traditional and contemporary), and fashion. I wanted to create wearable pieces that could represent the past and present in a colorful, aesthetic style.