We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Moon Jung Chang about their original and creative Womenswear Collection design work. Moon Jung Chang is an award-winning fashion designer, that makes our world a better place with their original womenswear collection works.
Moon Jung Chang ("MJC") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Hybrid Beauty Womenswear Collection. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
MJC : The title of the s/s 2020 collection is Hybrid Beauty. Starting from my personal story, when I had PTSD, the death moment. To deal with this, I tended to go back to childhood, also on the other word “Being Cute”. I use the cuteness as the survival mechanism.
MJC : I want to reinterpret the 17 to 18th century couture and millinery techniques to hybrid and futuristic versions, which is romantic, dark, but also eternal. In this process, I wish to cooperate the concept of sustainability to create timeless designs.
MJC : This winning design is ready to meet customers at the department and concept stores in Asia and Europe. I am happy that people can touch, wear and feel.
MJC : This collection design took honestly 4 years to complete. For 2 years, I researched and designed about the garments expressing PTSD. Another 2 years was I used fashion as tool to recover from PTSD, and this winning design represents how PTSD recovered and rebirth of the new survival mechanism, the cuteness.
MJC : I love to be inspired by the personal story and experience, something I or other people experience because I believe design should be human story based. Everyone goes through stressful and hard time, which can be PTSD moment. I am a fashion designer, not a doctor, and I wanted to help people and PTSD patients as the fashion designer's perspective.
MJC : I produce everything by myself. When my brand grows big, I am planning to open my own couture atelier.
MJC : I am the designer who loves beauty, aesthetic, as well as the function. I promote hybrid couture, which means wearable couture in modern and future days. I use many traditional couture techniques and reinterpret them into modern and sustainable ways, which bring a new aesthetic point of view and also wearable and functional.
MJC : I researched many fields of art, design, history, and even psychology and medical.
MJC : I am targeting all gender, and age, anyone who wants to wear. Also, I am planning to launch my second label, which is a lifestyle, so that customers can wear couture while walking with their dogs.
MJC : My design is not just a garment, everything was created artistically and scientifically. I created and tested materiality and fabric choices when dealing with PTSD in the design process. I researched and selected friends who suffer from PTSD to explore the impact of fashion play therapy, so to speak. I asked them to play with fabrics and materials, it reminded sufferers of their childhood and they felt at ease and more comfortable.
MJC : "Hybrid Beauty" is the word that I created to reflect my concept and aesthetic, which is tension and dualism between aesthetic and senses. Therefore, It means using the cuteness and childhood to overcome PTSD.
MJC : I created 5D sketchbook, which contains all the senses, such as visual, smell, touch, hearing, and feeling. Also I use all the fashion tools and design tools to create it.
MJC : My design can be looked like a beautiful collection, but inside of it, there is a dark and sad experience, and many researches behind it, which will evoke people's curiosity. Also, I played with the concept of the beauty and ugliness. In the “Hybrid Beauty” collection, I challenge to break the stereotypes of beauty, and I use flowers as metaphors that beauty can become ugly, and also the ugly can become beautiful.
MJC : I did everything by myself. I love to collaborate with artists and photographer after I finalize my collection. This creative collaboration will produce new visual languages and also even new unexpected space or exhibition.
MJC : The technology I used was the reinterpreting the traditional couture and millinery techniques. Many people abandon the old things because of time consuming and functional issues. I also want the techniques to survive again. The cute features which have been traditionally used and inherited is a ribbon, ruffles, and flowers. By practicing the traditional millinery and couture techniques with using velvet and silk to mold flowers, and ribbon foldings. These reinterpret the 17 to 18th century couture techniques to hybrid and futuristic versions by combining my dual aesthetic and concept.
MJC : I have to develop the system and data analysis to calculate the interviewers and testers who are all involved in this research. I had to know which fabrics with materials are useful for PTSD patients to be more comfortable and safe, as well as the customers too.
MJC : My challenge was creating visual realization of the concept of PTSD, which is a mental health. I collected many experiences and story from myself and others, study the medical and psychological treatment, and add aesthetic and functionality to the design realization.
MJC : I want to get a proof my design is not just a fashion, but also with function and story. Also, I wish many people to know about PTSD and hope to recover, saying "we can do it!"
MJC : I am also a PTSD patient, I had a bad accident while doing fashion and always nervous when I am doing fashion. I am also on the process of recovering, and become much better after completing my design collection. In this process, I had to meet many PTSD sufferers and that also leads me to open up my mind and design development much wider and deeper both as a human being and designer.
MJC : My second brand, Venus In Black is launching soon. We seek sustainable and ethical approach to the design and production process. The brands’ goal is to elevate the environmental human and animal friendly lifestyle, to work on enhancing animal rights, and to abandon toxic and non recycled materials, animal leather and furs. Moon Chang and Venus In Black promise to be a sustainable and ethical brand which is born with the love for coexistence with human and animal, and with human and nature.
