The Dysfunctional Pig (adolescence)
"We were like livestock." The Dysfunctional Pig began with Hayden’s vulnerable and immature moments during adolescence. This collection serves as a critique of the prevailing cultural norms in South Korea, which tend to de-emphasize individuality and personality in favor of a standardized approach. The Korean education system enforced a restrictive ideology upon students—mandating identical uniforms, hairstyles, education, and goals—which created a stifling environment. This made Hayden feel trapped, akin to a helpless pig, fed without hope of escape. The pressure to be a "Good Student," judged by societal standards and necessary for admission to "Good Universities," further intensified this feeling of confinement. In such a coercive system, Hayden observed a clear hierarchy of power, oppression, and violence among students. This oppressive atmosphere had a profound impact on their identity, making them feel like mere tools or livestock. The inherent unfairness of the situation was rarely questioned, highlighting the systemic issues within the education system.
The Dysfunctional Pig explores the tumultuous and transformative period of adolescence through a thought-provoking and unconventional fashion collection. This collection delves into themes of identity, rebellion, and self-discovery by deconstructing conventional symbols of adolescence, such as school uniforms and the pig motif.
Central to the collection is the motif of the school uniform, which has been deconstructed to emphasize the destructive nature of the system imposed upon us during our formative years. This deconstruction serves as a critique of the rigid and often oppressive structures of education that stifle individuality and creativity.
The pig, as another key motif, evokes a range of emotions and ideas for the artist. To Hayden Yang, pigs symbolize both violence and fear, representing creatures that are easily consumed and readily replaced. In South Korea, during outbreaks of diseases like cholera and foot-and-mouth disease, pigs are culled en masse to prevent the spread, buried in pits, and covered with earth. This brutal reality serves as a metaphor for beings that are disposable and subject to the whims of necessity. Additionally, pigs convey a sense of blind acceptance and foolishness, paralleling the artist's own feelings of existential significance during adolescence.
The artist finds a unique terror, excitement, and subtle beauty in the pig's entrails. This inspiration is reflected in the collection through the use of elastic bands, one of the cheapest and most common materials in the fashion industry, to create continuous ruffle decorations reminiscent of pig intestines. These ruffles emphasize the organic nature of the design and the complexity of the adolescent experience.
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