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Bags are cut above the rest
By Michelle Zhang |
May 8, 2011, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
WHEN I first saw the Flying Scissors logo, I thought it was a cute, girly winged-heart pattern. I told Tali Wu, founder of the Shanghai-based leather accessories brand, about it and he laughed.
It is actually a pair of scissors with flying wings, said the 30-year-old who once labeled himself as a "rebel child." His collections of handbags and small leather goods are by no means cute or girly. A combination of rock'n'roll and romantic, the products are defined by the use of supple leather and lots of studs, rivets and tassels. "I design with passion," he said.
Born in Paraguay to Chinese parents, Wu studied industrial design at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. He moved to Shanghai in 2007, and started his own studio and the brand Flying Scissors the next year. His leather products can be found in a freestanding store on Zizhong Road, as well as five other boutique stores in Shanghai, Beijing and Wenzhou in the neighboring Zhejiang Province.
Q: What made you decide to move to Shanghai?
A: I think I moved here for the same reason a lot of people moved here. China, in general, is on the stage of growing. As a designer, it's natural for us to go to big cities with more opportunities. When I first came to China, I came to Shanghai. For some reason, it seems Shanghai is closer to the rest of the world compared with Beijing, a city is so up-north.
Q: And what made you decide to become an accessory designer?
A: I always knew that I wanted to do something with design. I learned industrial design in school, and started with designing electronics, but it was quite boring. I wanted to try things that are more traditional and expressive. Leather products are so much more fun.
Q: So why choose handbags? Usually girls are more into handbags than guys.
A: Actually, I wanted to do men's bags only at first because they are more basic, and all you have to do is to concentrate on the details. But I think doing stuff for women is more interesting and challenging for a designer. There's more room to play with the colors, shapes, materials and styles. When I design, I really need to sit down and it takes time for me to figure out what I want to draw on the paper.
Q: How would you describe your style in short?
A: Polished renegade - for the time being. My collections are cool, rock'n'roll, but never too exaggerated. They are classic with a clean finish.
Q: You use a lot of studs, rivets and tassels in almost every piece. Can we say it's your signature style?
A: I don't know if those are my signature. But those are all things that I like.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
A: There's always a story behind every piece in my collections, happy or sad. At the same time, I want the products to be practical and wearable, unless it is a conceptual piece.
Q: How often do you update new products?
A: It depends. Ideally I want there to be six new styles every season. But you decide whether you want your brand to be Lamborghini or Apple.
Q: Could you recommend an item or two from your latest collection to the readers?
A: I put the same amount of care into every product. They are like my kids or, at least, little creatures that I make. They all need my love. If I say, this one looks better, it's unfair to the others. Every piece is beautiful. Just choose the one that fits you better.
It is actually a pair of scissors with flying wings, said the 30-year-old who once labeled himself as a "rebel child." His collections of handbags and small leather goods are by no means cute or girly. A combination of rock'n'roll and romantic, the products are defined by the use of supple leather and lots of studs, rivets and tassels. "I design with passion," he said.
Born in Paraguay to Chinese parents, Wu studied industrial design at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. He moved to Shanghai in 2007, and started his own studio and the brand Flying Scissors the next year. His leather products can be found in a freestanding store on Zizhong Road, as well as five other boutique stores in Shanghai, Beijing and Wenzhou in the neighboring Zhejiang Province.
Q: What made you decide to move to Shanghai?
A: I think I moved here for the same reason a lot of people moved here. China, in general, is on the stage of growing. As a designer, it's natural for us to go to big cities with more opportunities. When I first came to China, I came to Shanghai. For some reason, it seems Shanghai is closer to the rest of the world compared with Beijing, a city is so up-north.
Q: And what made you decide to become an accessory designer?
A: I always knew that I wanted to do something with design. I learned industrial design in school, and started with designing electronics, but it was quite boring. I wanted to try things that are more traditional and expressive. Leather products are so much more fun.
Q: So why choose handbags? Usually girls are more into handbags than guys.
A: Actually, I wanted to do men's bags only at first because they are more basic, and all you have to do is to concentrate on the details. But I think doing stuff for women is more interesting and challenging for a designer. There's more room to play with the colors, shapes, materials and styles. When I design, I really need to sit down and it takes time for me to figure out what I want to draw on the paper.
Q: How would you describe your style in short?
A: Polished renegade - for the time being. My collections are cool, rock'n'roll, but never too exaggerated. They are classic with a clean finish.
Q: You use a lot of studs, rivets and tassels in almost every piece. Can we say it's your signature style?
A: I don't know if those are my signature. But those are all things that I like.
Q: Where do you get your inspiration?
A: There's always a story behind every piece in my collections, happy or sad. At the same time, I want the products to be practical and wearable, unless it is a conceptual piece.
Q: How often do you update new products?
A: It depends. Ideally I want there to be six new styles every season. But you decide whether you want your brand to be Lamborghini or Apple.
Q: Could you recommend an item or two from your latest collection to the readers?
A: I put the same amount of care into every product. They are like my kids or, at least, little creatures that I make. They all need my love. If I say, this one looks better, it's unfair to the others. Every piece is beautiful. Just choose the one that fits you better.
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