About Us: Belsize25
Belsize25 is an independent womenswear brand founded in 2024, inspired by the tree-lined calm of Belsize Park and the poetic duality of city and wilderness. Its philosophy, “The greater retreat lies not in the forest, but in the city.”(Adapted from the Chinese proverb: “小隐隐于林，大隐隐于市。”“The lesser hermit hides in the forest; the greater hermit hides in the city.”)
As founder of Belsize25 with 14 years’ experience in China’s womenswear market, I bring expertise in design, e-commerce, and team management. Trained at art and design in Royal Collage of Art and now studying at Regent’s University, I merge fashion design and strategy. My vision is to create slow fashion for urban women—blending symbolism, emotional aesthetics, and commercial viability.
Founder Aria Hua-Tong
The Sustainable Heart of Belsize25:Zero Waste Serie
In alignment with global sustainability goals, Belsize25 integrates environmentally responsible practices across material sourcing, design methodology, and product lifecycle. The brand primarily uses natural fibers such as mulberry silk and ramie, while incorporating man-made cellulose alternatives in select collections to ensure a balance between luxury touch and responsible sourcing.
One notable highlight is the printed scarf-drape collection launched in the 2025SS season. Each item in this range—two dresses and one two-piece set—was crafted using exactly two full-size scarves, employing a zero-waste pattern cutting technique.
The design process involved using 145cm edge-length scarves draped on a model, followed by the development of a pattern from the draped fabric. This pattern achieved 100% fabric utilization and zero waste. The result is a fully modular, convertible garment that can be styled in multiple ways or worn as standalone scarves. The textile used is a regenerated cellulose fiber with a silk-like luster and fluidity, offering a sustainable alternative to natural silk without compromising aesthetic quality.
As shown in the experimental draping process , the use of one square scarves enables
full-body coverage and zero fabric waste, while retaining visual coherence.
Garment prototype (top) and digital flat pattern (bottom) for a modular scarf-top design. The pattern was derived from draped scarf trials and digitally refined for zero-waste cutting.Source: Author’s own design documentation, Belsize25 Studio (2025)
This methodology reflects the principles of circular design, where flexibility, material efficiency, and durability are prioritized. It aligns with Fletcher and Tham’s Slow Fashion framework, promoting thoughtful consumption and long-lasting emotional engagement with
Multi-angle views of the zero-waste 3D-cut scarf dress with engineered placement print. The design demonstrates modular draping and silhouette adaptability while maintaining fabric integrity.Source: Author’s own photography, Belsize25 Studio (2025)
Surrealist Print
Usuallly figurative prints from traditional art often express the Renaissance tradition, on the contrary Belsize25 uses lumen photography to make, abstract prints with halos and soft edges. These literal prints are derived from the founder’s own lumen photography work , translated into digitally printed silk. Fluidity and softness of the fabric is a perfect match to the ethereal prints ,reflecting the spirit of Abstract Renaissance. Inherent in its design language, which turns emotional fleetingness into wearable art, the opposite of “yo-yo” is this abstract print that feels way more reflective of the fashion fever, mixing light-emitting textures with symbolic reflection than pulling an with a literal Renaissance image.
Transforming ephemeral emotions into wearable art, this modern pattern provides an abstract design more fitting to the trend in endless textures and shimmering finishes, an idiom that conveys symbolic emotion instead of relying on literal Renaissance imagery.
women’s wear ＜ Lumen printing series ＞ (2025)，from Belsize25
This iteration continues to reference materials such as digitally printed silk whilst focusing on the abstract quality of the prints, tying them to the concept of
“Abstract Renaissance”.
Metaphorical Structure
Their silhouettes allude to the traditions of classical sculpture, religious iconography, and Renaissance devotional art. Glossy acetate satin and sculpted drapes conjure sacred rituals and physicality as elevated to contemporary femininity.
women’s wear ＜ Soft Sculpture Series ＞ (2025) ,from Belsize25,Not republished yet
Essential Print
Belsize25 makes Abstract Renaissance’s Essentialist strain of the trend through the reduction of Indian block prints into black-and-white designs on ramie. It’s the bridge between old handwork and urban leniency, with an ode to minimalism and meaningfulness. In the process, Belsize25 links the tranche’s cultural history with a minimalistic and contemporary visual and feel that is both understated and important.
This image depicts the original placement print pattern (left) and the long-sleeve dress garment layout (right). The flower motif was designed to fit the dress silhouette, creating use of zero-waste cutting and maintaining visual balance between panels.
Placement floral print (left) and corresponding long-sleeve dress pattern layout (right).
Source: Belsize25 Internal Design Archive (2025)
The collection blends aesthetic appeal with functional design, offering scarves, tops, and dresses for various weather and styling needs. This aligns with the theory of Functional Aesthetics , which emphasizes that garments should be both beautiful and practical. Designers like Issey Miyake and Phoebe Philo exemplify this balance of artistry and wearability—a principle reflected in Belsize25’s work. The brand also follows a pyramid pricing model, scaling from symbolic, high-value pieces to accessible, entry-level items.
women’s wear ＜ Fading Indian Garden Series＞ (2025) ,from Belsize25,Not republished yet
