Ishrat Madiha and Erin Hynes • April 27, 2025

From the arid deserts of South Jordan, Utah to the lotus-lined streets of Taipei, Taiwan, Christina Chen grew up in a variety of cities throughout the world, encountering many societal and cultural influences. These diverse experiences led her to pursue a major in textile and apparel management at the University of Missouri. This academic year, as a sophomore TAM student, she designed a garment she titled the “Lotus Dress,” that incorporates the unique mosaic of her identity as a Tawainese-American.

Chen was tasked with creating a ‘60s themed item of clothing. She chose to incorporate second-wave feminism, the women’s movement beginning in the ‘60s, focusing more specifically on a prominent protest for mini skirts, which were a symbol of rebellion.

She also incorporated components of her heritage into the project. The Mandarin saying, 出淤泥而不染, which means “growing out of the mud yet remaining untainted,” was the ultimate inspiration for the dress. The saying describes the resilience of the lotus flower: how it grows out of the mud, a messy environment, yet remains untainted.

“[The dress] just kind of reminded me of that quote, because I feel like those women, they grow out of the mud, they go through so much hardship, but yet they’re so beautiful and untainted and pure,” Chen said. “And that’s kind of what I wanted to represent in the dress.”