We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Au Jie Min about their original and creative Womenswear Collection design work. Au Jie Min is an award-winning fashion designer, that makes our world a better place with their original womenswear collection works.
Au Jie Min ("AJM") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Are We Womenswear Collection. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
AJM : The initial inspiration come from a video that talk about the biology experiment called Biosphere 2, which is an American biology research to investigate on building a second earth. But the experiment failed due to imbalance of ecosystem which mainly due to exist of human. So, from here, I started to feel that are human become the actual "pest" that caused the Mother Earth sicks, struggling on building second earth at the same time..That's why, this collection named as ARE WE? kind of questioning ourselves as a reminder on our mistakes.
AJM : I wish to achieve an awareness towards environment issues and let more people knowing that our Mother Earth used to be as beautiful as we now trying to achieve... Currently, people started to focus on sustainability to "save the earth", to return the nature but it used to be as what we wish for.
AJM : I hope to use my achievement as a creative evidence for my future career, building my own label which could move towards sustainable fashion brand that make it a part of "moving green".
AJM : I designed this collection with lot of researching and sketching over 150+ looks. it takes me a month to finalised the final 8 looks and 4 out of 8 picked to turn into physical pieces. I then took another 2 months to draft and drape, toiling as well as actual pieces productions under the guidance of my lecturer, Ms. Jennifer Kong.
AJM : A sense of apologises to the Mother Earth. I suddenly filled with sadness after watching the video of "BIOSPHERE 2" and a short video that show how nature come back and animals start to visit human world during the lockdown period of pandemic. It then makes me wanting to voice up my sadness to nature and highlights how beauty is the Mother Earth.
AJM : No. I planned to make this collection as my brand, limited edition collection that used to raise awareness only, not for sale. As I also planned to create those meaningful and awareness based collection as a presentation of designer creativity and for competition entries also. It will be separated from designed retail collection as it will only for awareness campaign usage, plus with only piece produced each look.
AJM : I hope to make fashion part of building betterment to the society.
AJM : Yohji Yamamoto. I love the way he expresses design with such a highly tailored pieces and presentation.
AJM : Most of the "environment saver" concept of collection tend to show up the sadness or down mood of destroyed earth, but I decided to show up the positive and beauty of nature to recall human's memory on the past beauty of Mother Earth. It is also kind of reminding ourselves how does those mistake caused the lost of nature beauty.
AJM : It is a question mark given to question human, are we the actual pest to the earth who keep saying wanting to save the earth but who made the mistake at first.
AJM : Illustrator and Photoshop for portfolio and designing paper & sheets.
AJM : The beauty of marine world could be the signature of this collection with the unique creation of "coral-like" netting ball decorated by hand stitching one by one and shapes is originally developed by myself.
AJM : no. I discovered by my own "coral-like" layered and folded hand made ball that designed as the overall mail decorations of each looks.
AJM : The development of producing "coral-like" ornaments are quite challenging as coral is hard structured, but I want to transform it into softer but remaining its structures.
AJM : Recommended by my lecturer, Ms. Jennifer Kong.
AJM : The most learned things are researching. It is important to make the collection much more meaningful and enrich the content and design flow to come out a unique piece.
