DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
JZH : According to the dictionary, light as a noun is the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible, that is a source of illumination. It can also mean enlightenment, the understanding of a problem or mystery. Sometimes it means having a considerable or sufficient amount of natural light, not dark. Regarding to the weight, it means easy to lift. And it also means gentle or delicate. Emotionally it means cheerful, and free from worry or unhappiness. However, regardless of so many definitions of light, all these meanings have positive feelings and perspectives. So in conclusion, the major idea of this collect is to tell people that we should keep faith, never lose hope and have the confidence to express ourselves fearlessly.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
JZH : This collection transforms the idea of Light in both physical and psychological aspects. The quality of brightness is emphasized by manipulating contrast of different low saturated tones and colors. Light fabrics are used to provide gentle and comfortable feelings. Creative structures and detachable pockets, lapels, and strapped corset, allow the looks to be more variable. Garments can reflect the interactions between the wearer’s psychological emotions and their physical environment. The goal is to encourage the wearers to express their own aesthetics and styles bravely.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
JZH : Hopefully they can attract more buyers and new business opportunities.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
JZH : About 3 months from gathering inspirations to finishing the final presentation.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
JZH : The decision of designing this collection came from my own inspiration of light. There was a very emotional feeling about the word “light” flashed by in my mind, and I wanted to seize it.
DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
JZH : This collection is for my own fashion brand “Jessture”. So I prefer to produce them myself.
DI: What made you design this particular type of work?
JZH : As designer, my goal is to create possibilities and choices for the customers and help them define their own styles. Therefore I wanted to design a collection with more flexibility and creativity by applying detachable details, multiple layers and interesting structures. I hope the customers can have fun and find their own fashion styles.
DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
JZH : “The Starry Night” painting of my favorite artist Vincent van Gogh.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
JZH : Any woman who is confident and creative to express her own style and the true self.
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
JZH : The collection shows emotional changes by shifting colors from dark neutral tones to slightly brighter and lighter colors. All colors are in low saturation with little greyish tone to indicate the inevitable pressure, darkness and difficult moments in our life. Then as the light moves on, it gradually shows the colors of natural environment such as the ground and the sky. In addition to the meaning of brightness in visual sight, light can also refer to the weight. In this case, it eliminates our pressure and depression psychologically. In order to express these qualities, light fabrics are selected as major materials. Detachable details, such as removable suspender lapels, detachable pockets and asymmetric strapped corset are designed to attract interests and increase diversity in dressing looks. All these flexible details can be removed or attached to different outfits, giving more space and freedom to the wearer preferences and personal styles.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
JZH : The artist San Solo has a song called “Light”. There is a lyrics, “Even if it makes me blind, I just wanna see the light.” My inspiration is not the exact lyrics or the word light, but the spirit and determination of chasing the light. There could be countless unknown difficulties, pressure and depression in our life. We may be stuck somewhere, getting lost, and suffering in the darkness. But when we look up to the sky, we will find the shining stars as our guides. The darker the environment is, the brighter the light shines.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
JZH : I use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for making design drafts, sketches and technical flats.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
JZH : In this collection, different low saturated colors are used to create a gloomy psychological environment. Then I manipulate tones with different brightness and contrast to emphasize the layers of shades and shadows, so they can improve the three-dimensional effect on the garments. The collection use mainly light fabrics such as cotton, polyester and jacquard, to provide gentle and comfortable feelings for the wearers. Combinations of creative structures and detachable details generate more possibilities for the looks. In this way, the garments may become mirrors reflecting interactions between the psychological emotions of the wearer and the physical environment. I hope the wearers feel free to express and define their own styles with more satisfaction.
DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
JZH : I design the garments all by myself. Then I work with the pattern maker and sewer to make the actual garment samples.
DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
JZH : New environmental friendly fabrics with better air permeability and elasticity are applied to increase the comfort level and reduce wrinkles. Innovative textile processing technology help improve the user experience of the garments in very efficient ways.
DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
JZH : Not exactly data research but I did some background and inspirational researches in order to interpret and transmit the core concept clearly to the viewers and customers.
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
JZH : Color selection is very crucial to this collection. In order to see the light, we need to put ourselves in the darkness first. In this project, the brightness of the looks does not come directly from using bright colors. Instead, the brightness and lights are contrasted by the shades and tones. Low saturated colors are carefully selected within ranges of neutral, earth tones. Shades of blue are then blended into the earth tones, because blue is a cool tone which usually associates with something “light”, for example the air and the sky. In addition, blue also help cooling down emotions. It sets our mind free from anger, anxiety and stress. Making balance between the brightness and contrast are important as well. Otherwise the whole collection will be either too dull or too faded. Designing appealing garment details is another big challenge. Detachable lapels, pockets and corset increase three-dimensional effect of the garments. They make the looks more variable. These details are the highlights of the collection which give the wearers more space to show their creativities and their unique preferences.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
JZH : I have learned about A Design Award for couple years, but I was just a new graduate at the time, and was not confident and prepared for such a big international design competition. Throughout these years, I have started up my own fashion brand and been to couple big fashion events and exhibitions. This year, I opened my own design studio in China as well. It is a new milestone in my design career. I can feel my growth and progress, and I think I am ready for some new challenges and breakthrough now.
DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
JZH : The transformation from abstract concepts of “light” to the actual garments is the hardest part of this project. I need to pay more attention to details and relationships between structural elements, fabrics and color palettes. I am a short temper person in life, but developing a full collection is time consuming. So the first thing I need to learn during the project is to slow down and be more patient. Good designs should never be born in a rush.
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
JZH : I hope all designer fellows can truly do what we love and love what we do.
