YOU AND THE THOUGHTS
YOU AND THE THOUGHTS Photography, Styling FIONA CHAN Fashion graduates of 2014. Leaving the messy but cozy student hall of residence, stepping into the real fashion world. We are starting a new chapter of a story in our lives and everything seems exciting. A new journey of growing up begins and everyone is trying hard with the anticipation of making big things. But in reality, working like a machine in a five-day-a-week routine and starting to forget the original intention and feel so lost. We all know that there is really a thought of making a dramatic change for ourselves and for the world, but depression and anxiety attacks in the mean time. Who does not get frustrated with reality while facing different challenges from work and life? However, the now generation has the willingness and fearlessness to create newness. They are going to break the boundaries because they are all bright kids with the force of magic. One of the best solutions would be to talk to your best friends who know how it feels. Can we just have a break and start thinking of our inner selves, find the vitality that we used to have and challenge ourselves and the world? Thanks to all my intelligent and creative friends to share their brilliant ideas with me. Let’s stay true to ourselves.
Feeling frustrated?
TIP #1 Talk to friends and be inspired
HIMMY, 22, FASHION DESIGNER Describe your style. Freshness, geeky, samurai Who inspires you? Stefano Pilati. He, as an Italian designer, is humorous and sophisticated at the same time. He is also with a bit weirdness in his style which I adore. What is the best thing of being young? The best thing of being young is to be impulsive and dare to voice up. Feeling you are about to conquer the world with an idea or work. What makes you love fashion? I love the transformation power and the fluid nature of fashion, where fashion in a way reflects what u are thinking at a certain moment but it’s ever-changing too. What is your motif? Presence. To me, it’s very important to open my heart and choose to connect and feel every moment we are at. Always be ready to be inspired and read the surrounding with humility and concentration, so every energy of life is captured and reflected.
LOUIS, 22, FASHION DESIGNER Describe your style. Experimental Who inspires you? No single person, but life and fate. They come naturally and stimulate my mind to live my own way. What is the best thing of being young? The best thing of being young is to enjoy failure. Nothing wrong with making mistakes and it is like having adventures. No need to think too much, just enjoy it. What makes you love fashion? Fashion gives me a lot. Like my friends who love fashion like I do. It is a union, like an utopia. What is your motif? Dilemma. We often face dilemmas in our life, regardless of work, life or love. It seems negative, but it does push me to the next level. I believe we have improvement after going through dilemmas.
SARAH, 23, FASHION DESIGNER Describe your style. Clean Who inspires you? Phoebe Philo. I like the simplicity that she created and I appreciate how she respects fashion and the attitude of being a low profile designer. What is the best thing of being young? The best thing of being young is to laugh! What makes you love fashion? I love the process of designing clothes. It is the happiest thing to me and there is no limitations. What is your motif? i’mperfect. This word is combined by ‘I’m prefect’ and ‘imperfect’. I think nothing and no one is perfect, but imperfection can be perfect to me. It motivates me to improve and to create better designs. It also makes me to open up my mind to be a better me.
SONIA, 23, GRAPHIC DESIGNER Describe your style. Subtle, classy Who inspires you? Little thunder, who is an illustrator. I adore her attitude towards work and life. She is so brave to show her style and the real personality to the world. Somehow she gives me the courage to express my crazy ideas. What is the best thing of being young? Being young is a reason for doing wrong things. What makes you love fashion? I believe that fashion can change a person. Not the look or the taste of a person, but the style to live and to see things. And the best thing of fashion is that it gives people confidence. What is your motif? Karma, I believe what goes around, comes around. Everything happens for a reason. And the funny thing is i love it and hate it at the same time, because it may sound terrifying but It can be the reason for everything I have done. It also reminds me to pay attention to every details of my work and my life.
JOYCE, 22, FASHION DESINGER Describe your style. Freedom, weirdness, daydreaming Who inspires you? Marina Abramovic,who is a former artist. She has been described as the grandma of performance art. Her performance explores the relationship between performers and the audience, as well as the possibilities of the mind, which inspire me to challenge myself constantly. What is the best thing of being young? The best thing of being young is we can go travel and I think getting lost will be good to find yourself. What makes you love fashion? I can’t imagine how my life would be without creativity and fashion. Fashion is one of the ultimate ways for me to express my ideas, feelings and life. What is your motif? As i said before, getting lost can be beneficial in the process of growing up. And I want to stay innocence and naivety through this process and find myself. Just like the white dots, getting lost in purity.
And smile.
TIP #2 Be confident, bright and beautiful
Don’t be shy.
ZEE, 23, BUYING ASSISTANT Describe your style. Masculinity, Confusion Who inspires you? Markus and Nurius, psychologists. They explore the meaning of ‘self’ which inspires me to think about the construction of identity. “Who am I?”, is the question which I always ask myself. Perhaps there are lots of different “selves”. What is the best thing of being young? Being young allows me to experience the changes of our mind, identity and role though we are living in a rigid world. What makes you love fashion? Fashion helps me to construct my ‘ideal self’. I can be everyone in the fashion world and I cannot depart from fashion. What is your motif? Fragmented. I am always trying to be complete and perfect but somehow I know that’s impossible. The word ‘Fragmented’ reminds me that we are all incomplete because we are composed of different fragments which makes us unique and it is also the best way to be the real self.
ANTON, 23, VISUAL MERCHANDISER Describe your style. Free Who inspires you? I’m inspired by the beauty of everyone. What is the best thing of being young? Being young is to be spontaneous, right? What makes you love fashion? I love all my friends here. We love to share and fashion is about sharing and it is FUN! What is your motif? Carefree. “Let the beauty we love be what we do. There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” – Rumi, I love to see the beauty of diversity.
MONNY, 23, MODEL Describe your style. Retro, Classic Who inspires you? My mum. She is the most prettiest women I have ever seen, it is not just because of her appearance, it is because of her confidence. I am inspired by confident women who dress whatever they like. Beauty is actually shown from our heart and through how we dress and act. What is the best thing of being young? Being young is all about anticipation. We are looking forward to work, to learn, to love, to every awesome thing in life. What makes you love fashion? Fashion provides me chance to work with different people and I truly appreciate the effort they have made for every single projects. What is your motif? 梦, this word is part of my name. It means “Dream” or “Illusion” in English. In ancient Chinese literature, it has a symbolic meaning as an epitome of life. Due to its subtle, dim, and faintly discernible nature, people always put together with their destiny and fate by using “ 梦”, since both of them are full of variations and unpredictable alternations. If we look back into our life, no matter happiness or plight, all in one as a grand dream once compared with the spectacular world. Also, as the first gift I acquire from my mother in my life, it is not only my name, but also includes her expectations and blessings on me, which is each my favourite treasure.
Let’s go to the playground.
TIP #3 Listen to yourself
TRACY, 25, FASHION DESIGNER Describe your style. Simplicity, Complexity Who inspires you? Everyone, seriously. But recently, Petite Meller inspires me a lot. She is a French singer which is so surreal and different, just like a modern version of Brigitte Bardot. I am now so obsessed by how quirky but elegant she is. What is the best thing of being young? The best thing of being young is we have endless time, scrambled life and the belief of “I got nothing to lose�. What makes you love fashion? I love fashion because it can be conceptual and intellectual. For me, I love to create something out of nothing. Fashion allows me to reflects my conscious mind through fabric, colour and construction. What is your motif? (An ear) I am not a sensitive person but somehow I want to be sensitive. I usually ignore my own opinions in order to fit in something. It become a unconscious habit for so long. The ear is to remind myself to listen not only myself but also the noise that surrounding me, to sense what people sense.
E, 22, FASHION DESIGNER Describe your style. Dreamy Who inspires you? My sister. She teaches me not to judge, but to feel. What is the best thing of being young? We have many incomplete chapters. But the best thing of being young is we have the freedom to choose the genre of our own stories. What makes you love fashion? I think fashion makes people live better. It pushes people to improve, to challenge and to make impossible things realistic. What is your motif? Be water. We should always empty our mind, be formless and shapeless. Then we will have the power to transform and change. And the most important, to have rooms to adapt to everything.
PSYCHE, 22, FASHION DESIGNER Describe your style. Dress like a kid. Who inspires you? Children are always my inspiration. What is the best thing of being young? Being young means being fresh all the time. And we can keep creating new things and search for possibilities. What makes you love fashion? I really love to be inspired and to create in my own way. And I love fashion that gives me courage to do what I like. What is your motif? LOVE. It connects everyone. Love is powerful, it brings people a mystery force to exist and to accept oneself and the others. LOVE also brings harmony to the world and make it a better place to live.
Have fun.
Special thanks to: Himmy Ho, Louis Lee, Sarah Lam, Sonia Lee, Joyce Ngan, Zee Lam, Anton Yeung, Monny Wong, Tracy Choi, E chu, Psyche Chiu
FIONA CHAN 2015