Interview with Fashion Designer SIMON YUAN

I would like to introduce to you a phenomenal designer and friend, Simon Yuan. He was the winner of last year's fashion show in the category of streetwear and ready to wear. His aesthetic and creativity with materials and design, makes him a designer to surely be famous very soon! Keep up with his latest designs on his Instagram account @mison.yuan 

Q: What inspires you?

Randomness! I try not to limit myself. It could be a person, trend, texture, material, moment - anything really. The common denominator is that it has to strike me visually. I like to call it a vignette, a moment that happens organically. There is something unique about that moment and it spurs something within you. The more you create, the more you draw from these moments. I think this is what leads to creative burnout, when you run out of inspiration - you run out of moments. Then you start force feeding your designs, and that leads to being inorganic. In music we see it all the time. You always hear about how an artist's early albums are their best, and how their later work just doesn't hit the same. Its why a lot of creative types live fast - to keep a steady flow of mew inspiration. 

Q: Why did you want to become a fashion designer?

I wanted to do be in a field that was creative and aesthetic, something I could do for the rest of my life. If I wasn't scared of blood or needles, I'd probably  want to be a tattoo artist or plastic surgeon. This sounds a bit crazy, but I kind of want people to wear my designs in one form or other. 

Q: How would you describe your fashion aesthetic?

A e s t h e t i c for sure. It has to visually make sense to me. I'm not sure how others percieve it. I hate name dropping but for the sakes of comparison, maybe a mix of Margiela, Moschino, and Banksy. Im really focused on making my garments hit, and theres a lot of ways to do that, whether its though materials, color, design, process, etc. I'll think about each of those elements and try to make each one pop. So it's a layered effect. A lot of stuff is going on, but there is harmony and balance and it all works out in the end. 

My aesthetic is going to evolve. For the upcoming year, I'm focused on making my garments more wearable. So probably less strange materials and more practical. 

Q: If you could give any advice to aspiring design students, what would it be.

Prove people wrong or prove yourself right. 

Q: How has your past experience preparing and participating in the fashion show?

 It was fun. it was my first show and i didn't know what to expect. So, I definitely feel blessed to have placed in streetwear and ready wear.  Honestly I was just happy that I got my garments finished for the show. None of my clothes is for myself, so its huge to see your designs come to life on stage. I definitely appreciate all those who were involved. In the real world, designers are responsible for organizing all of that (hair and makeup, models, staging, music, etc.). Once I submitted my garments to Diane, everything was out of my hand. 

Q: What is your favorite garment you have created?

It's actually an accessory. I made a vinyl belt using the mousetrap as a buckle. Its sort of modern art. Beleive it or not, it functions. 

Q:What are your future aspirations as a designer?

To put out as much creative work possible before I die, and live on through that work. Of course I want to evolve and grow along the way from starting out with single pieces to doing collections to building a house/atelier to establish a brand and branching out to other creative areas and projects. I try not to think that far though. I just want to make sure that I'm having and enjoy the process. 

Q: How do you feel about incorporating sustainable methods to your designs? Would you pursue an eco- friendly collection?

This is sort of a tricky question. I think some "sustainable methods" such as repurposing materials have an equal or greater ecological footprint on the environment. Recovering materials is resource intensive. It adds time to production. Not only that the yield is poor. Believe it or not, it might take ten pairs of jeans to yield enough denim for a single patchwork garment. Then you have to ask yourself, had you donated those ten pair of jeans, those jeans could have found ten new owners instead. So maybe youre actually doing a disservice to the environment by making that patchwork garment. Like I said, it's tricky.

Nonetheless sustainability is definitely the wave. In the future, I would love to experiment with new methods. Plant based dye is definitely on that list!