Egon Schiele’s drawings remind Jin of her friend who was her muse and unfortunately passed. Egon would draw a couple’s embrace or a crying girl and looking at these drawing would evoke sadness and remind Jin of her friend’s unrealised dreams and creates a wistful sense of what might have been.
Did you face any obstacles when creating your piece?
It was hard to see a compromise myself that as long as I could make within time limit rather than doing everything what I wanted to do. Because of the deadline, I had to make samples with time constraints in the design process for the next development. I realised that making samples what I want within on time is one of the important ability.
What is your plan for the next year and What do you hope to achieve?
I am preparing for launching my brand base on textile accessory so I have been repeating for researching, creating and making samples, products also in terms of business aspect. I hope we meet in fashion week.
Who was your mentor and what was their contribution to this winning piece?
LCF tutors let me taught how technique applied for making textile samples. Also, Jenny gave me positive feedback when I asked early stage, so encourage me more pushing this direction.
What is your favourite element of your piece and why?
A lot of threads makes fringes and than it makes another texture throughout twisting, layering and tying the knot. This part meets the contrasting colours, at these point bring together an amazing synergy effect. In spite of the most time consuming task, it was my best expression to convey theme. Because I thought that with the layering could be expressed in three dimensions for flowing and invisible emotion of the time.
If you could describe your piece in 3 words what would they be?
Contrasting colours, Labour intensive manufacturing, Layering emotion.
What inspired you to take part in this competition?
As artwork become more valuable over time. Since the collector buys value not only a product. This slow fashion (Anti-Fast) fashion manifesto encourages customers to buy less, choose well and to keep such carefully chosen objects and garments. Also I aim to make purchasing decisions based on quality rather than quantity. That is why I wanted to apply Hand & Lock Prize, also this opportunity will enable me to achieve early career goals by promoting my fashion brand ethos and aesthetic.
If you could have any job role what would it be and why?
As in my case, constantly tried to create diverse samples of design development to make products for a collection. Like this, good practice makes better skilled. So I have confidence in ability to make visualisation of any textile design samples. It relates with design creation part.
What do you think this competition has taught you?
Finishing in a set time is the ability of the designer. As I mentioned above, I thought this opportunity was the first step for my career so I had to be able to show my design ability as much as possible within a set period. Because it needs to come out as a complete product, I realised that it is also important to organise step by step for finishing work.
You’ve expressed how colour is such an important element of emotion. Could you elaborate on what each colour represents within your piece?
First, thank you for asking. I like this question, because really wanted to explain about my colour concept. Colour is the most important part to convey messages and meaning with mood and idea in this collection. Colour leads to different emotions depending on the individual and the environment, condition. Colour therapy based on this colour psychology. Seeing the colour is physiological and emotional effect with visual effects (Dee and Taylor, 2002). Psychological effects have a unique feeling through the objects experience (Eiseman, 2000). For instance, “feel blue” generally signifies depression (colour symbolism) (Dee and Taylor, 2002). The warm colours have effective in order to care melancholy heart. These two contrast colours can be expressed with proportion. The combination of colours can be made to represent this collection identity. Thus, colour combination is the most effective to convey for aesthetic this collection. The starting of this collection was the death of the muse (my old friend). Accordingly, it became a significant story based on the past memories.
So, the colour of this collection is about memory and narrative with emotional relationship. The past emotion for her (the deceased friend) and the present emotion for me meet with colour, which based on the psychology of colour therapy. The memories of the past (Melancholy, feel blue, dark) and the emotion of the present (want to get better, enfolding) have interpreted that indicate the use of colour therapy that reflected by identity. Hence the needs in my collection for the colour palette to represent e.g. contrasting colours which are orange and royal blue, peach and dark green, blue violet and emerald mint etc. in proportion. Therefore, the emotions of the past and the present at the same time show based on the contrast colour for textile realisation.
Where did you learn the techniques displayed in your piece?
Research is quite important part to organise whole design concept. I was really interested in collecting image or analysising information about related in design theme. Methods of theoretical research sources from; Necessary for the textile realisation was referenced in the pattern books and textile technique books in order to get the ability of garments making and technical skill of macramé and knots. I focused on this techniques also it was referenced in website video clip in order to learn.
Basic embroidery skills are taught in University. It depends on how it is applied in a designer’s own way for development. Further developed techniques in this piece are ilish, hand tufter, button dyeing, hand beading, hand embroidery, etc. Based on those research and skills were applied to my design development.
Do you think university has helped to improve your career?
Of course I think. Because, it was luck to know Hand and Lock prize.
I have got a wide variety and a liberal thinking method from LCF fashion textile education system also, it has feedback to each student per person asking and answering for the reason about their concept. This is to encourage each student’s idea and further more developed idea. Technical things learn from anywhere, but emotional things are different. So, I was able to work more confidently. Those things will be positive effect for further work.
