SOUE：trace history and return to nature

Kang Yu-shi, who studied Public Art at the Jiangnan University, has gradually obtained interests in studying materials.

Since creating his brand ‘SOUE’ in 2012, Kang insists on creating crafts under the idea of 'retrospection', bringing the familiar materials to a new state through hand-craftsmanship.

Making by hand allows him to feel more authentically connected to his creative work, and 'transforming handcraft into a poetic documentary' has thus become the theme of the brand.

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'Leaf'

The series 'Leaf' is inspired by the beautiful motion of a falling leaf. “When you look at the leaves, just as when I was watching them back then, you find the beauty of the plant is so natural."

The pieces are all made by hand, combining the natural leaf veins with 1.0 ~ 2.0mm vegetable tanned leather and 0.35mm eel skin, and the ultra-thin leather managed to preserve the texture of the veins.

Each leaf has gone through more than 20 steps in the process, such as bonding, sealing, grinding, colouring, and connecting the branches. The complicated process adds an interesting visual touch to the leaf while keeping its original form, freezing the fleeting moment permanently.

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'Thorns'

Kang believes that everyone has a thorn bush in his/her heart. It represents the unforgettable experience of the past, along with courage and curiosity.

Except for the beauty of the appearance, the wild nature of plant is also charming. The uncontrolled growth of the branches expresses the unknown language or danger. However, compared to the human world, the law of survival in the plant world is still much purer.

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'Xanthium'

Xanthium is a type of spiky plant. The designer combines 3D printing technology to make the radial shape jewellery.

This 'spiky' brooch also symbolises that there should be some appropriate distance between people.

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‘The Thorn Bird’

The piece is inspired by the legend of the thorn bird. Some may see the bird as a sad song, some may see it as the ultimate form of life, while Soue also finds the precious courage in the tragic story. When it is being worn, the handmade 'thorn bush' and the 'thorn bird' intertwine together, which seems like the bird is flying across the thorns.

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'Mi Gu'

Mi-Gu is a tree that comes from ancient Chinese legend 'Shan Hai Jing' (Mountain-Sea Book). The tree has a special function that if people wear its branch, they will never lose their direction. The brooch 'Mi Gu' is created based on the romantic thinking that the object should have some psychological connection with the person who wears it.