Today we’d like to introduce you to Leng Chin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Leng. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was fifteen years old when I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer. My sister Xindy brought it to my attention that fashion was my creative outlet. She was the first person in my family to really see how passionate I was about fashion and my desire to do fashion design. I kept telling my parents fashion designing was the only thing I wanted to do and could see myself doing. I was lucky enough to have their support. They helped me by letting me go to a fashion drawing/sketching class, which I attended once or twice a week while still going to normal school. When I applied to my dream school at the time, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the admissions office asked me to submit a portfolio and I felt like I had good work to show. Attending SCAD gave me a different insight into the fashion industry and the different aspects that defined what a fashion designer could do.
Has it been a smooth road?
I suffered through personal struggles like depression and anxiety during school that built me and pushed me to become a stronger person. In high school, I found I would spend hours after school putting outfits together and thinking about what I wanted to wear the next day instead of focusing on studying. The more I experimented and created with fashion, the more I was able to focus on school and work. It’s beyond satisfying to find the balance of creativity and methodology. My first year at SCAD consisted of foundation classes that included drawing, writing, and public speaking which helped me throughout college. I’m still not the strongest public speaker and it’s something that I work on to this day. I definitely questioned myself on why I was at SCAD. Junior year of college was the hardest and I had many mental breakdowns, which made me contemplate on whether fashion design was the right fit for me. In the end, I reminded myself that I am confident and talented and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. That being said, I think it’s good to be able to lose yourself and find yourself over and over again. The process of finding/rethinking who you are, keeps you humble. You’ll want to be creative and that refines you in a way so that you start developing your strengths as a creative. You start to find your niche and that is when you get really good at your craft. As an artist, you go through periods of self-doubt, but I’ve just learned to pick up different opportunities that I had knowledge in and they have only benefitted me.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’ve been a womenswear fashion designer for six years now. I’m well-known for sketching, draping, concept development, and technical design. For my senior collection, “Rebirth”, I chose to do a resort collection with six dresses. The concept of “Rebirth” is to revive a style that was once an essential, and now continues to influence the world. The collection is filled with earth and nude tones, consisting of a light skin tone, quartz, mauve, and dark earth Pantone. The color story for the collection was inspired by a picture of a canyon filled with reds, oranges, nudes, and browns. The drapes fit close to the body and flow freely. My idea of using an embroidery hoop to function as a clasp accent and pulls the silhouettes together. The fluidity of the canyons matches the fluidity of the drapes that naturally follow the form of the body.
What sets me apart from other fashion designers in the industry is that each collection reflections what I’ve experienced and through intuition, I’m able to tell my story using clothing. I create for strong, spiritual, sophisticated and creative-minded people who are not afraid to experiment when it comes to art. Anyone who finds enjoyment being outside and inside, through what they observe, they take in what the world has to offer. This goes back to me talking about losing oneself and finding oneself over and over again. My brand reaches out to women who believe in my aesthetic and want it to be a part of their lives.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes, I feel Atlanta is a good place for creatives like me to explore, create, and grow. I can definitely see Atlanta becoming a place for fashion because it already has a few places for fabric sourcing so getting materials isn’t very difficult. There are many opportunities for upcoming fashion designers and of course, networking is key. If you want to start out in Atlanta, what I’ve learned is understanding the business side and understanding numbers is just as important as having a great design. As long as you have all of the aspects needed, I would recommend starting out in Atlanta.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.behance.net/lengchin
- Email: leng.chin@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lengchin_
Image Credit:
All of the photos that were taken for photos for my business: Willis
Instagram: www.instagram.com/trap_lanta
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