INTERVIEW WITH
YING YUAN
SA: What made you decide to go into fashion design?
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| Ying Yuan |
SA: What has inspired this collection?
Ying Yuan: This range was inspired by my trip to
Paris in Winter at the beginning of 1999. For me, Paris is the most romantic
city in the world but it has a sadness and loneliness. It has a dark side and
so much history behind it. It feels to me like the city is haunted by the
spirits of those amazing artists of the past that I’d heard and read about. It
makes me think about what happened to all those people that made history and
what it was like for them. When ever you look, it’s like a scene from a movie.
The music on the street or in the underground is always so touching. All the
stories, books and novels that I’d read seemed to come to life. But despite all
of these amazing experiences, towards the end of the trip what’s really left?
And this is a metaphor for life too. All you have at the end is fragments of
memories. Like a mosaic, they piece together the whole journey into a fluid
discontinuity.
SA: The fabrics you prefer to work with?
why?
Ying Yuan: As a designer, Im in favour of
natural fibre. It’s much more comfortable to wear good quality fabrics. Silks also give garments a luxurious feel and handle.
My range is really focused on tailoring; I use pure silk, wools and wool blends to
enhance the structure of the design. I love to use leather as well, because my designs
always have a hard edge to them and I feel leather is a great way to express
that aspect of my designs.
SA: Who has been one of your biggest
inspirations in the fashion industry?
Ying Yuan: Alexander McQueen because he was the
most innovative fashion designer of our time, although in some ways he was
beyond that. Fashion was his media but often what he created transcended
fashion. He was an artist and activist who used fashion as a tool to express
his views and draw attention to what he felt was most important and raise
public awareness of these issues no matter how confronting.
Dion Lee is no doubt my favourite
Australian fashion designer because his designs are original and innovative and
I can appreciate his clean, sleek aesthetic. His sports tailoring is very
suitable for the Australian climate and style.
SA: Your favourite fashion piece you have
created?
Ying Yuan: My favourite is the winged-lapel tuxedo
jacket. I love tailoring and this is a very sharp tailored piece.
Nothing can show off a tailored technique more than a jacket. I love
this jacket because it keeps all of the traditional tailoring technique but its
very innovative and also very contemporary. Construction wise, the jacket
doesn't have side seams (I spent an entire month pattern making this single
piece). All of the panels are designed to follow the anotomical shape of a
woman, so the result is that the jacket has a beautiful fit and is very
flattering. It's tailored to fit around a woman's body. The beautiful Italian wool has a satin finish, it looks and feels so luxurious. The beauty with this jacket is that from any angle you look at, its very sculptured and edgy, and yet it's very feminine and sexy at the same time.
Posted by: Steph Adams. Photos: Ben Thurgood. Anastasia Fai
