Dao Bao — Clothing

Dao Bao is my clothing and home textiles practice.

Dao is the Chinese word meaning “the way,” and is associated with my generation of my father’s family. In my family, there is a fifty-character-long poem in which each character of the poem is connected with each subsequent generation. My generation’s character, Dao, is the 25th character in the poem, and each cousin in my generation has a Chinese name that starts with Dao. My name is Dao Jing, “the way to peace.”

Bao honors the vintage kimono handbag business that my mom built throughout my childhood. My mom taught me how to sew and how to have an eye for fabric and fashion. Bao is also the name of my favorite Chinese dim sum buns, which my Por Por (my maternal grandma) always keeps in her freezer and gives to me when I visit her.

My clothing output is dedicatedly sporadic, but clothing design and making is a core impulse that I’ve followed throughout my life. I make clothing to sell as I feel like it, as the opportunity arises, as my friends or strangers commission me, as the Winter holidays roll around, and as I have time. Most of my clothing designs arise from what I make for myself.

Email me at elenayu14@gmail.com for commission inquiries.

Visit my online store to see currently available work.

Check out my Dao Bao Instagram profile to see more past clothing projects.