Today we’d like to introduce you to Yuan Tian.
Hi Yuan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My hometown is a small seaside town in China, a small city far away from fashion and luxury words. My only contact with fashion was the small magazines sold on newsstands that taught me how to dress. It was the only color and aspiration of all Chinese high school girls who only had papers and studies in their lives at that time. At that time, I never wanted to study fashion design, and I was never interested in it. But I never thought that a book about McQueen would change my mind completely. My interest in fashion design started when I came across a book about Alexander McQueen’s work in high school. This book opened the door to a new world for me, and I seemed to be able to understand McQueen’s screams and shouts to the world, as well as his sadness and despair when his spiritual support collapsed. From then on, I started to try to pay attention to fashion and to imagine another possibility of life and future. When I was choosing my major in college, I saw fashion design among the options, and I don’t know if it was by magic or fate, but I chose it.
In fact, when I first started studying fashion design at a Chinese university, I was still very confused for a teenager. It seemed like I had entered a world of light and strange, and everything was so new and interesting, which was a very different experience from my high school days. The world suddenly became a bigger place, and there were more choices so I couldn’t start. I feel that I have a lot to learn, and I want to learn every single one of them, but I feel that my ability is very limited. I spent four years of college in a daze, feeling I didn’t know what I had learned. The only thing I can be sure of is that I have not gotten any further from fashion in these four years, I still need to continue learning, I need to really master the way to do design, I need to find my own style. In the beginning, I didn’t have the idea of coming to the US, I just wanted to continue my study in China and go to graduate school. But then I realized that maybe to really learn how to do design, I need to go to a place closer to fashion design. So I came to the U.S. and came to Savannah College of Art and Design. Here I felt I had entered the real world of design. I was frantically learning, exploring, finding my way, finding my personal design style, and finding what I wanted to pursue in the future. With works that make me satisfied.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
After I decided to study fashion design in the U.S., I started to make a personal portfolio to apply to schools. But I had never made a personal portfolio before, so I was very confused about it. At that time, my instructor gave me nothing but negativity and discouragement, and all my friends around me advised me to give up. My parents also advised me to give up, telling me to stop pursuing unrealistic dreams and that they wanted me to go home and get a bar exam, study law with him, and have a stable career in the future. At that time, I was also very hesitant and did not know whether to continue. I didn’t know if I had the talent to do fashion design, if it was really like what they said, that everything I insisted on was illusory and impractical. But I finally realized that fashion design had become a part of my life, and I loved it and couldn’t give it up.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For fashion design, I am passionate about taking inspiration from society, humanity, and nature and translating it into fashion language. I want to express my point of view and make my voice heard through my designs. I want to be able to influence others through them. I love deconstructing design and discovering the beauty of the human body through clothing. Clothing should become the second skin of the human body, bringing out the beauty of the human body’s lines.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
They don’t know how many amazing ideas I have, and I’m eager to make them happen. They also don’t know how much I love fashion design.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yutian27.wixsite.com/my-site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ja.de4610/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%E6%BA%90-%E7%94%B0-364778258/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JadeTian20
Image Credits
Fashion Designer: Yuan Tian Photographer: Beibei, Shanshi Model: Avaina. Tara, Asha, Parker
