xixiglobalstudios-blog

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

The night life in HongKong is amazing. There will still be people out on the streets 2am in the morning!

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-Asia Society-

Exhibition: Breathing Space

This exhibition features the work of 11 local artists with a focus on the pressure of living in a busy city like HongKong. The artists want to use this space to make individuals stop, reflect, respond and challenge the world around us.

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

- My first ever Comme des Garçons jacket-

Being given the opportunity I wouldn’t have gotten in Sydney this allowed me to not only analyse garments from world renowned labels but has opened my eye to new designs and ways to work. 

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-My Vlog-

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-A Cuppa to save my soul-

   I’m a happy girl in HongKong! You guys have no idea how much I was struggling without my daily supply of coffee in Nanshan

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-View from AWI-

On our second day in HongKong, we went to the AWI HQ. This was the day where we were introduced to Cindy, Daniel and Brian who organised our itinerary and showed us around HK

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

Visiting Local Designers

Daneil, from AWI organised a few appointments for us to meet and chat with local designers about their label and practices. These visits was very beneficial for me as the Chinese markets will be my ultimate aim so being given this opportunity allows me to understand and give me a better grasp on what my aim is for the future. Hearing about the ways they work, how they started their labels and the demands in the industry was extremely helpful. 

Andy Ho Andy Ho has this funkiness in his designs and all his inspirations came from his travels. He has an international market where he produces different collections or pieces for different countries. He showed us his manufacturing specification sheet and briefed use through it. It is amazing to see how detailed it is. From colours, types if beads and the place that sells that specific bead, locations to place the beads on, fabric...etc. I learnt so much by visiting Andy’s studio.

Harrison Wong  It was such a shame that we didn't get to speak with Harrison in person because he was on of the designers on the list that I really wanted to meet. I love his aesthetic and the way he uses textures in his collection. His staff did introduce his label and briefed us on his practices, but it would've been better if Harrison was there in person.  Harrison creates minimal looks, things that are simple and easy to wear but with  play on texture, fabrics, patterns and opacity. 

Meiyi Cheung Meiyi talked to us about her design process and how she likes to create art rather focusing on ‘fashion garments’; she likes to create beautiful textures and garments with unconventional materials such as nuts and bolts. She also puts a lot of effort in the experience that consumers get walking into her store.

Mr Yeung Chin Yeung is a designer that really interests me, especially the way he works and creates his garments. He is much more hands on and experimental when it comes to designing his garments. Rather than drawing up and sketching his designs, he drapes fabrics onto a manikin and the do alterations on it. 

At PMQ, I walked into his store when he was in the process of alternating his first look with his interns. It is so cool how his interns can have a say in his designs and have the freedom to play around with his toile.

Cynthia  and  Xiao We got the opportunity to meet Cynthia who talked to us about her journey in starting her own label. Cynthia told us that starting up her own label was never her goal, after she graduated from CSM she moved into retail and became a buyer for a company. Being a buyer allowed her to see a lot of high-end garments which gave her the opportunity to observe and understand the demands in the fashion markets

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-Man Mo Temple-

Man Mo Temple is one of the oldest temple in HongKong, located in Central. This Temple is dedicated to the gods of literature.

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-Chi Lin Nunnery-

Chi Lin Nunnery It's a very beautiful and peaceful place with floras that you won't be able to find in Australia

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-Wong Tai Sin Temple-

Wong Tai Sin is the busiest and most popular temple in Hong Kong and known for its sacrifice and worship, many also come here to get their fortunes told. Wong Tai Sin is surrounded by sky scrapers and a huge shopping mall. It is very interesting to actually see the fusion between the cultures of the east  and west, as well as the contrast between old and new, This is what makes unique and an incredible place to visit, and having gotten this opportunity made me appreciate it so much more. I personally think in a busy and congested city like Hong Kong, a scenic, peaceful and calming place like Wong Tai Sin is really helpful for individuals to relax and heal.

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

- HongKong Skyline-

This view of Hong Kong Skyline from the plane.  Hong Kong is a beautiful city to be in, their culture is a fusion between the eastern society and the western society. It's the modern and well developed business central of China but they still maintain their strict tradition dating back thousands of years.

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-Nanshan Garment Factory-

It’s really cool to have an insight on the setup and operations of a garment factory.

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

Nanshan Garment Factory

Visiting Nanshan garment factory gave me an overview on the industrial/manufacturing side the fashion industry and the system with-in it. Nanshan Garment factory is the biggest manufacturer in China and debatable the most successful, they are known to create suits using wool based fabrics for many labels around the globe including M.J bale. Nanshan Garment factory creates approximately 1800 tops and 2000 pants per day which was made possible by their extremely efficient method of dividing the factory into 6 main sections. 

From cutting  –> making –> finishing/checking –> packaging –> storing –>exporting.

After my visit to the garment factory I finally understood why most things are outsourced to China.  1- They have the most advance machines 2- They have the space and land  3- They have the manpower and skilled workers 4-They have a very good training system  5- The currency and pay is lower in China so it’s cheaper in production

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-Our Masterpiece, Flowers in Chaos-

Dove named our masterpiece 凌乱中的花儿 (Flowers in Chaos)

It was amazing getting to work with Dove! Through this exchange, I learnt a lot about the technical side of weaving and managed to operate the Dobby machine on my own. This week, not only did I make a friend but I also developed a stronger relationships with the 3rd and 4th year students that had come along with me on this life changing opportunity to Global Studios. (I was very intimidated by them at first).

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-Creating Our Final Weave-

My samples and mark makings are attached onto my machine to aid me in creating my final look. 

*My mark makings are done by ink and gold paint and I wanted to try and transform it into my weave.*

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

- My Three Experimental Pieces - 

My concept is Wabi Sabi which is all about finding beauty in the demented- in nature. I wanted to reflect this into my design by using neutral colours and textures. 

I encouraged us to create as many samples as possible so I 1. I had something to look back on  2. I could see how the weaving structures Dove designed look in real life as i couldn't visualise it on a piece of paper 3. I could see the textural effect when I incorporated different thickness of yearns into that specific weaving structure. 4. I could leave  my options open - seeing what works and what doesn’t will aid me in finalising my design.

[xixiglobalstudios-blog]

-Dove and I threading up the Dobby Machine-

Threading up the warp was the most time consuming and frustrating part of the process.

In this video, we are setting up the machine for samples/experimental pieces so we didn’t need as many yarns as the final one. There are approx 160 warp yarns in this sample piece…