Designer Vega Wang: "I Want To Encourage Chinese Girls To Become Stronger, More Confident, And Independent"

Wang Studied Fashion Design At Central Saint Martins In London Emerging talent and new fixture of the Beijing fashion scene, Vega Wang recently spoke to the Shanghai-based publication BundPic (外滩画报) about her design philosophy and upcoming collections. Wang, a graduate of Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London, recently returned to China after seven years of study, during which she served as the late Alexander McQueen's design assistant and did window design for Vivienne Westwood. Launching her own label in 2010, Wang opened her first workshop/storefront in Beijing's Jianwai Soho last August, quickly garnering praise from the city's fashion elite and celebrities like actress Fan Bingbing. After only a short time on the scene, Vega Wang has quickly developed a reputation for blunt talk and a keen eye for fashion. At the recent debut of her autumn and winter series in Beijing, Wang said, "After I got back from London, I realized that most girls in China are too dependent [on others]. I want this series to encourage Chinese girls to become stronger, more confident, and independent." From BundPic's interview (translation by Jing Daily team): BundPic (B): Can you describe your personal style? Vega Wang (VW) : I like to wear clothes that match. Simple, matching, uniform in color. Sometimes I just dress for the situation, like if I'm shopping I'll go casual and comfortable. I'm not the kind of person who likes to wear things just to attract other people's attention. B: What's the relationship between your fashion design and personal style? VW : Design for me is a way to express my emotions, so it's basically consistent with my personal aesthetic. I can't let my design stray too far from my personality, even if it'd be more profitable for me to do so. B: What's the most important factor in your designs? VW : People. The origin of my final designs is always people. B: Which fashion designers have influenced you the most? VW : Yohji Yamamoto and Ann Demeulemeester. They really express their artistic attitudes through their design concepts. For example, Yohji Yamamoto has a concept about a piece of clothing being something that a father can pass on to his son, who can then pass it on to his son, and because of the passage of time and the number of times this item is worn, it's changed and starts to reflect its own history. And Ann has perfected a style of Gothic structure design of her own making. B: In general, do you like to shop? VW : Relatively speaking, I don't shop that much. Aside from defective versions of my own designs, the majority of my clothing is second-hand. In Beijing I typically go shopping in the Drum Tower area (鼓楼东大街). When I was still in the UK, I usually frequented weekend flea markets. A lot of the decorations in my studio were found in second-hand markets in Beijing. I like the sense of history you can get from objects that are made by hand. Things mass-produced by machines just feel tedious and monotonous. B: What's new about your latest series? VW : The latest series is called "Cape." It's a relatively pure concept. Each dress is completed by a single person, so each will be somewhat different. Even the way the buttons are sewn on is unique, as it's different than the usual x-shaped button style and each button is finished by hand by craftsmen. Vega Zaishi Wang Unit 662, B/1F, Bldg 6, Jianwai Soho, 39 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区东三环中路建外Soho6号楼B/1层662店 Map

Designer Vega Wang: "I Want To Encourage Chinese Girls To Become Stronger, More Confident, And Independent"

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Published January 31, 2011

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Designer Vega Wang: "I Want To Encourage Chinese Girls To Become Stronger, More Confident, And Independent"