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East End knees-up downtown
By Wang Jie |
April 19, 2013, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
STARTING out with just an old sewing machine and a stash of vintage fabric, Liu Mei-hui created her own Victim Fashion Street designer label.
Liu, who is based in London's East End, is curator of the current "East to East @Xintiandi" exhibition in Shanghai, introducing the works of 10 fashion designers from east London to the Shanghai public, fusing looks from the East End with local style.
For Liu - who says a person's choice of clothes reflects not just their tastes and character but very philosophy toward life - vintage fabrics and lace are must-haves.
Faithful to the label's origins, garments made by Victim Fashion Street mostly use vintage fabric, without any attempt at hiding its historical traces.
"This is my way of adding profundity to the memories and emotions of my clients," Liu explained.
Liu comes from Taiwan and continued her studies in Europe. Upon graduation in 1998, she started Victim Fashion Street. Her couture has since been exhibited in Tate Modern and ICA in London.
Liu spoke to Shanghai Daily about her work, inspirations and the East to East project.
Q: Tell us about the East to East project.
A: At the moment, East to East brings international creatives to China, but in the future I have plans to do the opposite - bring young Chinese creatives to Europe. The name East to East refers to the original East London sensibility of pure creativity and how it can be shared with Asia - thus the East. I hope both sides of the world can be inspired by one another.
Q: You use a lot of the antique lace and fabrics in your work. Why do these materials interest you?
A: I have been designing and hand-making recycled high fashion womenswear collections in the UK for 11 years, long before the eco-fashion and sustainable design movements really gained momentum in the mainstream fashion industry. It began in London's Portobello Market over a decade ago, where I saw many unused, unloved, unwanted vintage garments which I felt could be "saved." To be honest, it is simply an instinct of mine to never waste what can be rescued or recycled. It is also an aesthetic vision of mine - I'm in love with old things with intrinsic stories and history. I find them very noble.
Q: Describe your style in three words.
A: Spontaneous; romantic; streetwise.
Q: How do the London, Paris and New York fashion weeks differ?
A: They each have their own strengths. Paris is probably still the center of fashion as it attracts the most influential designers but is more like an elite stage than a source of style inspiration - unless you count the people who gather for fashion week. London is where people feel free to experiment and where the underground can evolve into movements.
Q: It's been said that your designs are reminiscent of Vivienne Westwood's work. What's your reaction?
A: I'm flattered. Vivienne is a genius, an inspiration and an iconic figure in fashion who has influenced many other great designers.
Q: What's the latest London trend?
A: To be honest, I am not very fond of the notion of trends. The most valuable thing is to refresh your own unique style rather than trying to identify what will be trendy before everyone else does. That is a fashion victim. And this is one of the reasons I use irony in the name of my brand Victim Fashion Street because many people in the fashion industry are actually fashion victims and they don't realize it.
Q: What's your impression about the fashion in Shanghai?
A: I'm still discovering up-and-coming Chinese design. And actually, this is one of the motivations for me to do East to East. I expect to discover many exciting young designers, artists, musicians and others in Shanghai. And I would like to bring the best back to London at the next East to East event.
Liu, who is based in London's East End, is curator of the current "East to East @Xintiandi" exhibition in Shanghai, introducing the works of 10 fashion designers from east London to the Shanghai public, fusing looks from the East End with local style.
For Liu - who says a person's choice of clothes reflects not just their tastes and character but very philosophy toward life - vintage fabrics and lace are must-haves.
Faithful to the label's origins, garments made by Victim Fashion Street mostly use vintage fabric, without any attempt at hiding its historical traces.
"This is my way of adding profundity to the memories and emotions of my clients," Liu explained.
Liu comes from Taiwan and continued her studies in Europe. Upon graduation in 1998, she started Victim Fashion Street. Her couture has since been exhibited in Tate Modern and ICA in London.
Liu spoke to Shanghai Daily about her work, inspirations and the East to East project.
Q: Tell us about the East to East project.
A: At the moment, East to East brings international creatives to China, but in the future I have plans to do the opposite - bring young Chinese creatives to Europe. The name East to East refers to the original East London sensibility of pure creativity and how it can be shared with Asia - thus the East. I hope both sides of the world can be inspired by one another.
Q: You use a lot of the antique lace and fabrics in your work. Why do these materials interest you?
A: I have been designing and hand-making recycled high fashion womenswear collections in the UK for 11 years, long before the eco-fashion and sustainable design movements really gained momentum in the mainstream fashion industry. It began in London's Portobello Market over a decade ago, where I saw many unused, unloved, unwanted vintage garments which I felt could be "saved." To be honest, it is simply an instinct of mine to never waste what can be rescued or recycled. It is also an aesthetic vision of mine - I'm in love with old things with intrinsic stories and history. I find them very noble.
Q: Describe your style in three words.
A: Spontaneous; romantic; streetwise.
Q: How do the London, Paris and New York fashion weeks differ?
A: They each have their own strengths. Paris is probably still the center of fashion as it attracts the most influential designers but is more like an elite stage than a source of style inspiration - unless you count the people who gather for fashion week. London is where people feel free to experiment and where the underground can evolve into movements.
Q: It's been said that your designs are reminiscent of Vivienne Westwood's work. What's your reaction?
A: I'm flattered. Vivienne is a genius, an inspiration and an iconic figure in fashion who has influenced many other great designers.
Q: What's the latest London trend?
A: To be honest, I am not very fond of the notion of trends. The most valuable thing is to refresh your own unique style rather than trying to identify what will be trendy before everyone else does. That is a fashion victim. And this is one of the reasons I use irony in the name of my brand Victim Fashion Street because many people in the fashion industry are actually fashion victims and they don't realize it.
Q: What's your impression about the fashion in Shanghai?
A: I'm still discovering up-and-coming Chinese design. And actually, this is one of the motivations for me to do East to East. I expect to discover many exciting young designers, artists, musicians and others in Shanghai. And I would like to bring the best back to London at the next East to East event.
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