Meet GFF International Talent, Zhang Liuyue, from Donghua University in China. Inspired by the relationship between human nature and animal nature in human beings, her collection has combines origami three-dimensional modeling of animals with suiting to explore this contradiction. Read on to discover more about her work and plants for after graduation.
Contact Zhang Liuyue
Email: 953495689@qq.com
Tell us about you, where are you from, what lead you to fashion and choosing that course?
I come from China and have loved fashion design since childhood. When I was a child, I would often make clothes for barbie dolls, and then imagine the clothes for the dancing party and other scenes. Later, I came to Donghua University to learn the courses I liked.
Describe the inspiration and concept behind your work. Talk us through your final project and your research process. How did that come about?
Inspired by Darwin's theory of evolution, human beings evolved from animals. Therefore, the existence of animal attributes is inevitable in every individual human being. My clothing series discusses the contradictory relationship community between human nature and animal nature in human beings. It combines the most humanised suit coat with animal three-dimensional shaping to create a state of balance between ready-made clothing and artwork.
Tell us about your design process. How do you work? How do you take your research and develop your own designs?
The existence of animal attributes is inevitable in every individual human being. My design focuses on the origami three-dimensional modeling of animals. The animal images are displayed through the splicing of different fabrics. The offset pattern of fabrics partly represents the natural trace of time peeling off. The collision between primitive roughness and rational block surface is just like the game between human nature and animal nature on human body.
Tell us about your Collection Development. How do you toile, how do you like to pattern cut, do you like to drape?
My design focuses on the origami three-dimensional modeling of animals, and adopts the method of three-dimensional cutting and the research of pattern. The large part combines small pieces of ready-to-wear printed patterns with large areas of creative printed designs, designs mottled printed patterns of computer jacquard, finds appropriate gathering and scattering effects and design positions of mottled patterns, conducts a series of experiments and explorations.
Talk us through your final collection and each outfit. Why where these the final designs?
The sketch uses different animal models to simulate the origami shape and also has more exploration on the three-dimensional innovation of the patchwork process. In the final effect drawing, six sets of clothing which can better reflect the theme, have more concise and clear outline, have more visual impact on the pattern part, and have more successful exploration on origami animal modeling were selected for in-depth research and production. Six sets of clothing represent a complete chain of life which includes men and women in human gender, vegetarians and carnivores in animals which exist in the whole nature together, depend on each other and coexist.
What materials have you used within the collection and how did you source them? Why were this the right material for your collection?
I used offset printing and knitting as two different methods to design my pattern, combining the primitive and rough feeling of Africa, imitating mottled natural silhouette and designing with 2-3 sets of colours. In the study of the three-dimensional patchwork animal parts made by origami, 3D modeling, origami experiments, vertical cutting and other methods were used to construct the animal image and fishbone and iron wire were added to make the turning surface more rigid and achieve the supporting effect.
Tell us about your illustration technics. Explain your final line up and what art materials and technics you use to showcase it.
Collecting traces of time peeling in nature, extracting and abstracting them into large fabric patterns, separating colours with 2-3 sets of colours, converting them into vector files and then processing them into screen offset printing patterns to be printed on clothing or directly using nylon knitted garments to integrate regular grid patterns and mottled patterns representing human nature.
What part of your final project have you enjoyed most and why? ie, the research and concept or maybe the manufacturing of the collection.
I like my innovation most. I hope I can create a structure and design expression that is different from the current trend. I don't design according to the natural contour of the human body and exclude the restriction of external space for the design of clothing. Returning to the original heart and nature, we can use the simplest comparison and block surface, select the most authentic trace and the most primitive form bionic in nature and use direct contradiction to reflect to cause thinking about human nature.
What’s an aspect of the fashion industry that you’re passionate about fixing or having a positive impact on?
I am interested in green clothing design under the guidance of sustainable development thought. Through design, I can create a green environment that is pollution-free and conducive to the sustainable development of human society, so that human beings can live in harmony with nature. For example, in this series, the wide and large models that are simple to return to are used for secondary recycling of fabrics with patchwork.
What is your plan once you finish your BA? Where do you wish to be in the future?
I intend to pursue a master's degree.During the undergraduate study, especially in the production of graduation design, I realised the interest and depth of design. When I lacked inspiration, I also made a lot of detours in design. I found that there was still more to learn in the field of fashion design.I hope I can do more exploration and study in the field of fashion design in the future.