Iron Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design · 2026
Aphros Transformable Bottomwear
by Ke Jiang
- A' Design Award 2026 Iron Winner in Fashion, Apparel and Garment Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Divine The Shop
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 11,604
- Verification code 3A6BB38E61 · Verify this award
About Aphros Transformable Bottomwear
Aphros is a modular fashion system featuring a sculpted bodysuit with Victorian-inspired sleeves and interchangeable bottom pieces. Designed for sustainable versatility, it enables seamless transition from casual to formal wear through its innovative connectable design. The garment integrates technical materials and embodies a narrative of transformation and adaptive elegance.
Ke JIANG's Aphros Transformable Bottomwear engages with contemporary fashion's ongoing investigation of modular design systems and material innovation, positioning itself within a broader movement toward versatile, multi-functional garments that respond to shifting lifestyle demands and sustainability considerations through technical ingenuity rather than disposability. The work demonstrates notable compositional sophistication in its bilateral architectural structure, where sculptural metallic mesh sleeves create substantial volumetric presence that balances against the streamlined central bodice panel, establishing dynamic visual tension between expansion and containment, opacity and transparency, industrial material vocabulary and body-conscious tailoring. The chromatic restraint evident in the near-monochromatic palette allows the formal achievements of the garment's construction to receive primary attention, with the interplay between the matte black central panel and the reflective, perforated metallic mesh generating continuous optical interest through light modulation and textural contrast rather than through chromatic variety. The mesh elements themselves represent particularly accomplished passages, where the designer has successfully transformed a material typically associated with industrial applications into a fashion textile that maintains structural integrity while achieving sculptural dimensionality, the countless small perforations creating visual rhythm and allowing ambient light to penetrate and activate the surface through reflection and transparency. The technical facility evident in the construction suggests careful pattern engineering and material manipulation, with the dimensional folds and curves of the mesh components indicating deliberate shaping that extends beyond simple flat textile application into three-dimensional form-making that responds to body movement and gesture. The work appears to explore themes of transformation and adaptability, as suggested by the design nomenclature, inviting consideration of how garments might serve multiple functions, adapt to diverse contexts, or reconfigure according to wearer preference, addressing contemporary concerns about wardrobe efficiency and sustainable consumption through design intelligence. The presentation format, which isolates the garment against neutral ground and employs straightforward documentation rather than stylized editorial interpretation, suggests confidence in the design's inherent formal qualities to communicate value without atmospheric enhancement or narrative elaboration. Visually, the piece may reference traditions of architectural fashion exemplified by designers who treat garments as spatial constructions rather than mere body coverings, while the material choices evoke associations with protective equipment, athletic gear, and technical apparel, creating dialogue between functional performance and aesthetic expression. The integration of the dramatically scaled sleeve elements with the minimalist bodice core creates a garment that negotiates between statement piece and foundational wardrobe element, suggesting the transformable potential referenced in the title whereby components might separate, reconfigure, or present differently according to circumstance. How might this approach to garment construction, which embraces both structural drama and material restraint, contribute to evolving conversations about fashion's relationship to functionality, sustainability, and individual expression in an era increasingly attentive to the lifecycle and versatility of designed objects?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Aphros is a transformative fashion system centered on a sculpted, techinfused bodysuit. Its core innovation lies in modular versatility: the minimalist lower body serves as a base for infinite styling, from tailored trousers to evening skirts, redefining sustainable elegance. Victorian-inspired sleeves and scalelike mesh merge narrative depth with cutting edge materiality, offering a single garment that adapts to modern life’s diverse contexts.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The garment utilizes stretchknit technology with biobased elastic yarns, offering adaptive fit for wearers between 160-180cm height. The modular connectors employ magnetic attachment systems compatible with various bottomwear components. Lasercut mesh overlays are precision-engineered to 0.5mm thickness, while the sculptural sleeves incorporate lightweight foam internal structures for volume retention. The entire system is designed for machine washability and modular disassembly.
- Tags
- Transformable Fashion, Modular Clothing System, Sustainable Design, Victorian-inspired Sleeves, Mermaid Mythology, Convertible Garment, Versatile Styling
- Production Technology
- Aphros is constructed using advanced seamless knitting technology for the stretch cotton base layer, ensuring second skin comfort and precision fit. The Victorian inspired sleeves employ sculptural tailoring with internal boning and foam structuring, while the scale like mesh overlay is laser-cut from sustainable polymer textiles. Modular connectors are integrated via magnetic fastenings, allowing effortless interchange of bottomwear components. The translucent polymer elements are thermoformed to body contours, combining couture craftsmanship with wearable-tech innovation.
- Design Challenge
- Aphros bridges French romanticism, expressed through its dramatic sleeves, with contemporary wearable needs. While the initial proposal of bold sleeves with ultra-short bottoms challenged local aesthetic preferences, we introduced a convertible one piece system. This adapts to diverse styling contexts, aligning with modern women's demand for both functionality and expressive elegance.
- Project Duration
- The concept was initially conceived during studies in Paris in 2015. Development continued following the establishment of my studio in Beijing, with the design finalized in 2022. The piece debuted through Swiss brand Divine The Shop and is currently available via the D2C (Designer to Customer) platform in China.
- Operation Flow
- Aphros works like a core piece you build upon. The top stays on as your style base. To change your look, you simply snap off the current bottom piece and attach a new one—like switching accessories. You can go from daytime pants to an evening skirt in moments. It performs better because it reduces closet clutter, supports sustainable fashion, and offers endless outfit possibilities with one intelligent garment.
- Research
- This project combined market research and material experimentation to address the need for versatile, sustainable fashion. We aimed to create a garment that reduces overconsumption while adapting to various lifestyles. Through user interviews and wear-testing prototypes with women in urban environments, we gathered feedback on comfort, style flexibility, and usability. Insights revealed strong demand for modular clothing that balances aesthetics with function. The research directly informed Aphros’s interchangeable system, influencing both its design and ethical mission—offering a practical yet innovative solution that promotes conscious consumption in daily life.
- Inspiration
- Aphros draws inspiration from the metamorphosis of a mermaid ascending to land, a metaphor for adaptability and identity transformation. The vision was to create a sustainable, versatile garment that empowers personal expression across contexts. Technically, it integrates advanced translucent polymers for second-skin comfort and modular construction, reducing wardrobe volume while elevating aesthetic and functional elegance through narrative-driven innovation.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Illustrator Ke Jiang & AI, Aphros Main Look, 2022.
Image #2: Detail Photographer Ke Jiang, 2023.
Image #3: Styling Photographer Ke Jiang, 2023.
Image #4: Styling Photographer Ke Jiang, 2023.
Image #5: AI Visualization Designer Ke Jiang, 2025. - Patents
- Copyrights belong to Ke Jiang, 2025.
Patent Pending. Patent Holder: Ke Jiang. Jurisdiction: China.
Colors of Aphros Transformable Bottomwear
Design Interview about Aphros Transformable Bottomwear
The inspiration came from conversations with modern women—women who move between professional and personal roles in a single day and need clothing that can keep up. The main principle is adaptability: a garment that transitions quickly between day and night, work and rest, without requiring a complete change.
My main focus was to design a piece that respects a woman's time. I wanted to achieve something practical yet elegant—an item of clothing that simplifies her day rather than complicates it. One garment, multiple ways to wear it.
I plan to continue developing the convertible concept into a fuller collection, exploring different fabrics and transformation mechanisms. I'm also open to collaborating with brands that share the same vision of designing for real women's lives.
The initial concept came during the same period as my children's swimwear—it started as part of a mother-and-child set. But as the two directions diverged, the women's piece took its own path. From early sketches to the final prototype, it evolved over a couple of years.
It was self-initiated. I kept hearing the same story from women around me: they were juggling multiple roles and had no time to go home and change between them. I wanted to design something that could move with them—one piece, different moments, no fuss.
At this stage, it is not in production. I'm exploring possibilities—whether to produce independently or partner with a brand. I want to find the right path that keeps the design's integrity and truly serves the women it was made for.
It came from listening. When women described the mental load of managing their day—office, childcare, evening events—clothing was often an added stress. I thought: if a garment could reduce even a small part of that burden, it would be worth designing.
Eileen Gray's philosophy has always influenced me—her belief that design should adapt to how people actually live. The convertible garment shares that spirit: it doesn't dictate a single use, but responds flexibly to the wearer's life.
Modern women who move through multiple roles in a single day—professionals, mothers, creatives. Women who value both style and practicality, and who want their clothing to work as hard as they do.
Many convertible garments compromise on elegance—they look functional. My goal was to make the transformation subtle, so the piece looks intentional in both modes. The wearer feels put-together, not makeshift, whether it's day or night.
The name "Aphros" comes from Greek mythology—Aphros is the sea foam from which Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, was born. I chose it because this piece was originally conceived alongside "Daughter of the Sea" as part of a mother-and-child set, so both names share a connection to water. While the children's design carries a fairy-tale spirit of freedom, "Aphros" speaks to the adult woman—elegant, fluid, and capable of moving between different worlds, just as sea foam shifts and adapts to the shore.
Sketchbook first, always. Then Adobe Creative Suite for technical drawings, fabric swatches for draping and testing, and physical prototyping on a dress form. The body is the best tool—seeing how the garment moves and transforms on a real figure.
The transformation is integrated into the garment's structure rather than being an obvious add-on. It doesn't look like a "convertible piece"—it just looks like a well-designed garment that happens to work in more than one way.
I developed the design independently, but I want to acknowledge the people who helped me along the way. When my studio first started, several friends—Shenqian, Fangfang, Coral, and Xiongbo—gave me tremendous support and encouragement. They helped with everything from brainstorming to practical problem-solving, and their belief in me kept me going during the early, uncertain days. Over time, as our career paths shifted and I eventually moved into academia, we each went in different directions. But I remain deeply grateful for that period and for what they contributed—not just to this project, but to my growth as a designer.
The technology here is in the construction—the way the garment is cut, seamed, and structured to allow transformation without zippers, buttons, or visible hardware. It's low-tech in appearance, but the thinking behind it is quite technical.
The research was mostly qualitative—conversations with women about their daily routines, their frustrations with clothing, the moments when they wished they could adjust their outfit without going home. Those stories were the data.
The main challenge was making the transformation feel natural. Early versions looked awkward in one mode or the other—too loose here, too tight there. Balancing the fit across two different silhouettes took many rounds of adjustment.
The same motivation as my other piece: after years of development, I wanted to test the design against an international standard. Knowing that a respected senior colleague at my university had previously won the A' Design Award also gave me confidence in the platform.
This project taught me to take my time and keep going. Balancing two silhouettes in one garment was a slow, iterative puzzle. Patience, more than any single skill, is what brought it together.
Grand Interview about Aphros Transformable Bottomwear
The crystallizing moment came from a single, simple image: a mermaid reaching the shore, her tail transforming into legs so she could walk between two worlds. I asked myself—what if a garment could do the same? What if a woman could move through her day, shifting between professional and personal roles, without needing to change, just as fluidly as that mythological transition from sea to land? That image became the structural logic of Aphros. The mermaid's transformation is not just decorative—it is functional, necessary, a response to a new environment. And that is exactly what I wanted for the wearer: a garment that transforms not for spectacle, but because her life demands it. The modular system was born directly from this thinking—separate elements that integrate and adapt, like a body learning to move in a new form. As for materiality, I chose fabrics with fluid drape and quiet stretch, something that moves with the body rather than against it, echoing the seamless, organic quality of the metamorphosis itself. Aphros, in the end, is not about a mermaid becoming human—it is about a woman becoming free to move through all the different waters of her life.
During my research, I noticed a recurring pattern: women's wardrobes were often overflowing, yet they still felt they had nothing to wear. This paradox—abundance alongside a sense of lack—pointed directly to the problem of overconsumption. It made me ask: what if a single, well-designed core garment could adapt to different moments of the day, reducing the need to constantly buy more? That question became the foundation of Aphros. By creating a modular interchangeable bottomwear system, the design offers versatility without excess—one piece that transforms, rather than five pieces that accumulate. The goal is to help women feel they have enough, and that what they have is truly right for them.
The technical construction of Aphros directly addresses textile waste in two ways. First, the magnetic modular connectors allow a single garment to serve multiple functions—day to evening, professional to relaxed—which reduces the total number of pieces a woman needs to own. Fewer garments purchased means fewer garments eventually discarded.Second, the choice of materials reflects a commitment to responsible production from the start. The laser-cut sustainable polymer textiles are precision-cut to minimize off-cut waste during manufacturing, and the thermoformed translucent elements are designed for durability, extending the garment's useful life. When a piece lasts longer and adapts to more occasions, it resists the cycle of fast disposal.As for the broader industry, I believe this approach signals a shift away from designing for seasons and toward designing for longevity. If more brands invest in modular systems and durable, low-waste materials, the definition of "newness" can move from buying more to transforming what you already own. My hope is that Aphros offers one small proof of that possibility.
Aphros navigates these three dimensions not by treating them as separate goals, but by seeing them as three threads that must be woven together. In fashion, sustainability, technology, and cultural relevance all fail when they are applied as afterthoughts—they need to be embedded at the structural level.On sustainability, the modular interchangeable system directly reduces the need for multiple garments, while the laser-cut polymer textiles minimize production waste. On the technological level, the magnetic modular connectors and thermoformed translucent elements are the very mechanisms that allow the garment to transform and endure. They make the transition seamless, turning "owning less" into a pleasure rather than a compromise. On cultural relevance, Aphros speaks to the reality of modern urban women—women who move through multiple roles in a single day and need clothing that respects their time and complexity. The design does not ask them to choose between elegance and practicality. It acknowledges that their lives are fluid, and provides a garment that is equally fluid.Receiving the A' Design Award means more than recognition itself. At a moment when the industry is beginning to take modular and sustainable fashion seriously, this award gives the design visibility and credibility. For the future, this acknowledgment opens conversations with manufacturers, collaborators, and potential brand partners. My hope is that Aphros can grow from an award-winning prototype into a fuller collection, and eventually into the wardrobes of real women.
That challenge revealed something essential: avant-garde ambition, when disconnected from cultural context, risks becoming a monologue rather than a conversation. The initial design—bold sleeves, ultra-short silhouette—was very much a product of who I was during my Paris years. At that time, I was driven by artistic expression and the desire to push formal boundaries. But I was not yet fully attentive to functionality or to the cultural context in which the garment would actually be worn.Over the decade that followed, I myself was growing. When I returned to China, I pursued a PhD in Communication at Peking University, and that experience had a profound impact on me. It deepened my understanding of communication and culture, and it sharpened my awareness of the distinction between art and design. Art can afford to be purely expressive; design must communicate. It must meet the body, the life, and the cultural gaze of the wearer.This shift in perspective is what led to the convertible one-piece system. The core vision—transformation, adaptability, fluidity—was never abandoned. What changed was the method. Instead of placing the boldness on the surface, I embedded it into the structure. The transformation mechanism became the design's quiet innovation, rather than an overt stylistic statement. In the end, the cultural resistance I encountered did not weaken the vision—it refined it. It pushed the design toward a deeper, more thoughtful form of avant-garde: one that does not shout for attention, but earns its relevance by genuinely serving the wearer.
There were two moments in the material experimentation that truly shifted my thinking.The first was during the sleeve development. The original Victorian-inspired sculptural sleeve was dramatically oversized, with internal boning and foam structuring to hold the silhouette. In early prototypes, the structure held beautifully, but the weight became a problem. The sleeve pulled on the garment, distorting the fit and making the piece uncomfortable to wear for more than a few minutes. That tension—between sculptural ambition and bodily comfort—became a central puzzle. I began reducing the foam density incrementally, testing different thicknesses, and gradually moved toward a more integrated approach where the boning worked in dialogue with the body rather than against it. The breakthrough came when I stopped treating the sleeve as a standalone sculpture and started designing it as part of a system that moves with the wearer.The second revelatory moment was the introduction of the magnetic modular connectors. Before magnets, I had tried zippers, snaps, and hook systems for the interchangeable panels. They all worked technically, but none of them felt right. A zipper interrupts the line of the garment. Snaps create bulk and visual clutter. I wanted the transformation to feel intuitive, almost silent. When I began testing magnetic closures embedded within the thermoformed polymer elements, the experience changed completely. The panels clicked into place with a satisfying, quiet precision. The mechanism became invisible—not something the wearer had to figure out, but something that simply responded to her movement.These discoveries taught me something fundamental: in modular design, the mechanism itself is the aesthetic. If the connector feels awkward or industrial, the garment fails—no matter how beautiful the fabric. If the structure fights the body, the design loses its purpose. The most technically demanding part of Aphros was not making transformation possible, but making it feel effortless. That, I now believe, is the true measure of craft in functional fashion.
To be transparent, the direct-to-consumer platform in China is no longer actively operating, and the Swiss brand debut was actually the result of my own initiative rather than an ongoing commercial partnership. So in a sense, Aphros is currently at an open crossroads—and I welcome international brands, manufacturers, or collaborators who share this vision to reach out and explore possibilities together.Looking ahead, I see the vocabulary of interchangeable components expanding in two directions. The first is material: as bio-based yarns, recycled polymers, and smart textiles continue to evolve, the modular connectors and panels can become lighter, more durable, and even responsive to environmental conditions. The second is cultural: different regions bring different aesthetic preferences and functional needs. A modular system like Aphros could adapt its silhouette, coverage, and detailing to suit diverse cultural contexts without losing its core identity—transformation with purpose.As for my academic position at the Communication University of China, it interacts with my design practice in a deeply reciprocal way. My research in communication and culture feeds directly into how I think about design as a form of narrative—clothing not as static object, but as a medium that carries meaning between the wearer and the world. At the same time, my design practice brings real, tangible cases into the classroom. When I teach, I can speak not just from theory, but from the lived experience of prototyping, failing, and refining. My students see that design is not just about making things beautiful—it is about making things meaningful. And their questions, in turn, often push my own thinking forward. This feedback loop between academia and practice is, I believe, where the most vital innovation happens.
Aphros is, and has always been, one of my most personal works. It mirrors my own life journey. Over the years, I have moved between roles—student, independent designer, PhD researcher, university educator—and each transition demanded adaptation. Yet through all these transformations, I have never stopped being fundamentally myself. That tension between change and constancy, between outer adaptation and inner continuity, is precisely what Aphros embodies.Functionally, the interchangeable bottomwear solves a real problem: it saves the time and mental energy of coordinating outfits across different social contexts. One core top remains stable; the lower half transforms. But the deeper message lies beneath that practicality. No matter how the exterior shifts—day to evening, professional to relaxed—there is a core that holds steady. The upper garment, in its quiet continuity, represents that inner self. It is a design that says: you can adapt to the world without losing who you are.If there is a dimension of Aphros that has not yet received the critical attention it deserves, I think it is this philosophical layer. Most discussions of modular fashion focus on sustainability or functionality—both of which are essential. But Aphros is also about identity. It asks a quieter question: in a world that constantly demands you to change, what part of you remains unmoved? I believe that question resonates deeply with contemporary women, and I hope it becomes part of the broader conversation around what adaptive design can mean.
Thank you—I'm genuinely moved that you felt that tension, because it is exactly what I hoped someone would see. The world itself is full of contradictions, and I think my own aesthetic sensibility is no different. Ornamentalism and minimalism have always been in a kind of pendulum swing inside me, and I've never wanted to choose one and abandon the other. They coexist—sometimes uneasily, sometimes beautifully.As a teacher of design history, I often discuss with my students how fashion does not develop in a straight, linear way. It folds back on itself, it reverses, it overlaps. Some of the most significant moments in design history were not born from consensus, but from opposition—from one aesthetic pushing against another. That dialectical movement is what drives the discipline forward.The sculptural sleeve and the minimal modular lower body in Aphros are not a conflict I tried to resolve—they are a dialogue I chose to stage. The sleeve carries memory, drama, ornament, a sense of the past. The lower body is architecture, system, restraint, a gesture toward the future. They belong to different languages, but they speak to each other within the same garment.What this juxtaposition communicates about my philosophy is simple: ornament and function need not be enemies. The tension between them is not a problem to be solved, but a conversation to be sustained. And I believe that conversation—between excess and restraint, between emotion and rationality, between past and future—is exactly what keeps fashion alive.
The connector system began with a simple question: how do you make a garment transform without the wearer having to think about it? I tested zippers, snaps, and hooks early on, but they all felt too industrial—they interrupted the line of the garment and demanded too much conscious effort. Magnets, embedded within thermoformed polymer elements, became the answer. They click into place with a quiet precision, and the connection feels intuitive rather than mechanical.What surprised me most during wear-testing was how naturally users began to treat the connectors as part of their daily rhythm. They would swap panels between errands and evening plans without stopping to figure anything out. One woman told me she forgot the garment was modular—she just reached for the piece that matched her next moment. That, to me, was the real success: when the technology disappears and the experience simply becomes dressing.