Ngo, Jillian

Ngo, Jillian
@echoaftermath / @jillianngo

The Armor Paradox posits that to don armor is to battle against the self’s destruction, but in doing so, we put it and ourselves on the path to erosion. Through asymmetry, distortion, and the integration of metal into traditionally soft crafts, the garments embody collapse and persistence at once: armor as strength, armor as decay. In a culture of acceleration, in this dog-eat-dog world, everything that is given up— time, identity, even the self, can be expendable in the pursuit of something greater. We chase greatness because we fear insignificance. In this quest to become larger than life, to surpass the human, we are driven by the most human of fears: that without our armor, we might be nothing at all.

With roots in structure and a fascination for form gone rogue, Jillian Ngo designs garments that subvert silhouette and technique, merging deconstructivist theory with fabric, form, and poetry. The process begins with lived experience: fractured emotion, memory, place. Each piece is reconstruction— an act of translation where meaning is lost through each iteration. The garment becomes a scar, an echo of something that no longer exists, a body made from the remains of another language. Creation is never gentle, but an act of violence.

My process formed around a lot of writing I did about the concept, so I’d love for people to see the how the text translated into visuals. Much of the direction came from the vivid imagery that surfaced while I was writing, so it was a matter of identifying how those images could translate into material and silhouette. I felt like I was reliving the paradox in real time while I was working on the collection, which was mentally intense, but ultimately helped shape it, especially as I continued refining the original concept. I also really enjoyed the experimental side of the process, especially knitting and crocheting with new materials. Overall, that process taught me how to refine and sharpen my work bit by bit, rather than expect a perfect outcome right away.