work
about
the ruin
stockists
something in the air (s.i.t.a), formerly known as shichuchi since 2017, was established in 2020. Is a slow-making project rooted in the transformation of antique and vintage textiles into garments and objects with renewed life. Based in a small mountain studio in Taipei, s.i.t.a centers slow, handmade processes - sewing, repairing, dyeing, and ceramic work - to create one-of-a-kind pieces shaped by time, memory, and care.
Founded by artist and maker Shichu (Lea), s.i.t.a grew from years of working closely with cloth - stitching, mending, dyeing, and shaping by hand. While trained in fashion and experienced in ready-to-wear, her path has always been rooted in something slower and more intuitive. The project took shape gradually, through long seasons of making and reflection, and continues to evolve in her current studio in the mountains of Taipei, after spending 15 years in New York. Each piece is created with care and intention, using antique and reclaimed textiles gathered from France, Spain, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, and beyond — fragments of linen, lace, hemp, and cotton, each carrying its own story.
At its heart, s.i.t.a is a conversation: between old materials and new hands, between function and feeling. Shichu works mostly alone, shaping garments through intuition and response, allowing the fabric to guide the form.
No two pieces are alike. A skirt might follow the rhythm of a hem from a century ago. A button might be shaped from local clay and fired in small batches. A dress might be patched from three different regions, held together by hours of hand stitching. The work is not driven by scale, trend, or season — but by what feels honest, present, and alive in the moment of making.
Over time, this way of working has become its own language — practiced not through theory, but through small, repeated gestures: mending a tear, knotting a tassel, listening to the fabric before cutting.