Cranes, but make it fashion

Designer Olivia Cheng is the creator behind the brand “Dauphinette.” For this year’s #CranesForOurFuture fashion initiative, Olivia and her team re-created a custom dress made of origami cranes, a universal symbol of hope and peace.

Please tell me about the crane dress! What is it made of? How did it come to be?

The crane dress is about 300 very small paper cranes quilted between recycled vinyl. There’s actually no fabric in the dress. Originally, we made this dress for my summer 2022 collection, and that season was all about the crane. We had a hallway of 4,000 cranes strung onto garland. When we were approached by your team, I thought, this is perfect because I’d always wanted to make another one. There were some things with the original dress that I wanted to do differently, and this one turned out better!

What does the symbol of the paper crane mean to you?

For me personally, the crane has a lighthearted meaning because it reminds me of childhood and playfulness. As an Asian American child, you kind of dip into these various cultures, and you’re confused about what’s your own culture and what’s not. As a result, my whole crane collection was whimsical and playful—almost saccharine.

But on a larger cultural scale, the crane is a point of continuity across the entire Japanese culture. And of course, the story with Sadako is so beautiful, and it’s nice that this ancient art form is taking on new meaning over time, including raising awareness around the role of children in these massive conflicts and wars that we have going on now. The crane is a nostalgic object that so many people can connect to.

What drew you to the fashion and design world? How did you find yourself on this career path?

It was the only thing I was ever really like truly, deeply, genuinely interested in! Growing up feels so pre-professional now—there’s such an emphasis on constantly thinking about what you want to do. Growing up in the Midwest, in a Chinese family, it wasn’t exactly encouraged, but I wanted to see if I could at least try to make a living doing something I’m interested in.

So, I started my company when I was 19 and in college. My thinking was, if all else fails, I’m literally just a student. I booked myself a trip to Paris during my first college winter break. I had no plan. But when I was there walking around, I came up with the idea to build a brand of upcycled outerwear and market it like a luxury company or high-end contemporary fashion brand. And I’ve been doing that now for seven years.

My design ethos and method are inspired by the idea that we’re doing the most with what we have. I preserve a lot of ephemeral materials, whether plants, dried food, or animal byproducts. There’s a lot of preservation. We take that couture-like precision and apply it to everyday objects.

What drew you to be a part of the #CranesforOurFuture campaign, which is meant to remember and honor the victims of the atomic bombings but also symbolize hope for a more peaceful world without nuclear weapons?

Coincidentally, when I was approached about this project, I had just listened to this podcast with Annie Jacobson, who wrote a new book called, Nuclear War: A Scenario. There was so much to take in. It’s such a stifling portrayal, and it’s impossible not to feel existential after hearing what doomsday looks like. This felt like such an organic collaboration.

I think everybody, regardless of their platform, identity, or age probably thinks, well, what can I do? And this is something my team and I can do. It’s an amazing opportunity to contribute to a narrative about the larger issues of world peace and encouraging unity across all types of people.

What does a world without nuclear weapons mean to you? What does it look like? What does it represent?

I think it represents a type of beauty that none of us have lived with in our lifetimes. I think people will always find a way to disagree and to create conflict. But we’ve created a world where life could be so vastly affected by a tangible object like nuclear weapons. We’ve already gotten rid of so many nuclear weapons, and yet, the risk has not diminished significantly.

It would be nice to have a world where even if countries know how to make nuclear weapons, they’re not. They’re practicing multinational discipline in recognition of our shared humanity.