In a two-part profile
FashionUnited has selected 4 standouts from this year’s CFDA Fashion Future
Graduate Showcase which presented onto the fashion landscape 52 graduates
from 12 schools across the nation. From a fashion/film collaboration on
cultural identity to elevated tailored toiles, from optimism through
knitwear to activism through activewear, these are ones to watch.
Yayi Chen, Parsons, The New School for Design, New York City
What inspired your graduate collection?
Coming from a similar cross-cultural background, my artist collaborator
Cathy Mou and I came up with the concept of “in tran . sient ” inspired by
our mothers’ experiences as participants of the first wave of southern
Chinese immigration to Europe during the 80s and 90s. “in tran . sient”
became a collaborative collection of fashion, performance and film which
aims to question the overlooked and objectified body of women laboring in
the immigrant community. The collection also explores the poetic
relationship between these women’s invisible social identity and their
impermanent home and working space, the Chinese restaurant.
What was the most challenging part of its conception or creation?
The biggest challenge for me was working simultaneously with several
collaborators in different locations for an entire year, it was not easy to
assemble all our ideas into a concrete one at the beginning stage of
ideation. But the outcome became a very successful piece, I appreciate how
much London-based artist Cathy Mou and New York-based accessory designer
Hau Yin Andree Kong contributed to and enriched the collection.
Describe your most memorable goal or achievement from your school
career?
The most memorable achievement for me at Parsons was the first fashion
award I won, the 2018 CFDA Scholarship Award. After experiencing countless
failures and self-doubt, the scholarship award was not simply a huge
financial support to my thesis work, but an endorsement of my designer
vision and identity.
Which individuals, designers, muses or other figures operating in or
around fashion do you currently admire?
Ann Demeulemeester and Uma Wang are two women designers that I admire as
role models in the fashion world.
What would your ideal next career move be?
For the future, I foresee myself diving further into research on the
possibilities of fashion in collaboration with other fine art fields such
as theater, music and installation art, to expand the cross-disciplinary
conversation within the contemporary art scene.
What about the current fashion industry excites you?
In the current digital age, I think the fashion industry has never been
more eager to develop new visions, technologies and interpretations of the
world and lifestyles that fashion creates for the wearer. Fashion has also
become a tool for making social statements, it could be political,
feminist, ethnic, homosexual, etc… it provides the wearer with the most
direct freedom of “speech.”
What about the current fashion industry concerns you?
The overproduction of unnecessary low quality fashion is extremely
wasteful. I personally think the majority of fashion business today is
still about trends and speed, but the precious part of craftsmanship,
tailoring, detailed hand work and material quality which I believe in as a
designer is less appreciated.
The designer wished to credit sponsorship from Solstiss for lace and
Lineapiu for yarn. Photographer: Son Dae Yoon & Lusan
Christopher Cabalona, Academy of Art University, San Francisco
What inspired your graduate collection?
My graduate collection was inspired by the purity of clowns from the
early 1900s. My collection is not envisioned to be humorous or childlike,
rather, I want to show the contradiction of being enthusiastic while
presenting taste and refinement, to honor the clown’s dramatic spirit by
adapting their traditional loose-fitting outfits and transforming them into
polished and tailored garments. Today people think of clowns as frightening
and up to no good, but for me clowns signify joy and optimism for those
suffering from sadness. I wanted to bring awareness to the social issue of
depression, such a sensitive topic to many people.
What was the most challenging part of its conception or creation?
My design aesthetic used to be extremely playful and colorful, until my
design professor recommended just using canvas and muslin to create my
whole collection. I was planning to use lightweight wool in different
shades of neon pink, blue and lavender to create an ombré effect to
showcase positivity and happiness. I was uncertain for a week but I was
surprised to see the sophistication of canvas and muslin together with my
silver hardware, it is something fresh in men’s fashion. I was able to show
my tailoring skills and details of my garments clearly and, most of all, I
saved a lot of money! Furthermore, it was also a challenge to be able to
tell the story of my inspiration without offending other people, and to be
politically correct about it.
Describe your most memorable goal or achievement from your school
career?
My first memorable achievement from my school career was to be chosen
as one of the 7 finalists of the CFDA Scholarship Award in New York back in
2018. I got to meet other creative individuals from top fashion schools,
and the best part was it was an all expenses paid trip! Secondly, to be
chosen to be a part of the CFDA Fashion Future Graduate Showcase in New
York. To be considered as 1 out of 52 most “Talented Fashion Design
Graduate” is truly an honor.
Which individuals, designers, muses or other figures operating in or
around fashion do you currently admire?
I will always admire Thom Browne, Raf Simons, Virgil Abloh, Phillip
Lim and Bárbara Sánchez-Kane. I’m hoping to work with them in the future;
and if not, for them to view my portfolio would be such an achievement. I
would also love to dress up Troye Sivan, Shawn Mendez and Dua Lipa in the
near future.
What would your ideal next career move be?
I’m currently looking for a job here in San Francisco. Everyone I know
has been convincing me to move to New York like it’s that easy. I’m being
practical and will try to save up to move to New York since I won’t be able
to support myself to live independently. I currently live with my family
here in San Francisco and I am grateful to have them by my side. When
everything is settled, of course, I would love to move to NYC and hopefully
work with my fashion idols. It would also be great to start a business
since I started selling limited edition belt purses/bags on my Instagram
account.
What about the current fashion industry excites you?
I love it when I see menswear designers taking bold risks and raising
eyebrows. Also, I love the fact that fashion is more inclusive and diverse
today, compared to decades ago. I personally believe that everyone has
their own beauty and that what is considered ugly will be beautiful to
someone else.
What about the current fashion industry concerns you?
What concerns me the most is fast fashion. I feel like this is a
problem that we will be facing for many years to come. As a struggling
graduate, I’m guilty of shopping at one of many fast fashion stores around
my area but I’m trying to lessen that. I’m actually more into thrift
shopping now, it is a great way to help the community and be
fashionable.
Images jenlovelyphotography; Models:@dienomite
,@tristanyi,@tristangreene
Part two to follow tomorrow…
Fashion editor Jackie Mallon is also an educator and author of Silk
for the Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion
industry.
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