Asia has been playing a strong role in fashion in the last few years. Quite often in design competitions held in Europe, you meet more students from the Asian continent than from the United States, a clear sign that things have been radically changing also when it comes to education in many countries that, up until a few years ago, weren't considered as major players in the fashion industry. This was the case for example at the latest "Feel the Yarn" competition, hosted during Pitti Filati 73.
Wai Kit Wan, one of the finalists, came from the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, an institution well known around the world for its researchers and lecturers specialised in innovative fabrics and technologically advanced materials.
The three designs Wai Kit Wan created for Feel the Yarn were a sort of ode to urban youth tackling the rise of opposition and mass resistance movements, from the Occupy campaign to the more recent uprisings in Turkey and Brazil.
While feeling the influence of Western fashion, symbolised by commercial and pop icons like Mickey Mouse, and including elements from African tribal body carving and Japanese tattoos, his pieces were the representation of global revolutions and of the many souls behind them, physically embodied by the variety of yarns and materials - golden threads, tufted motifs, rainbow coloured faux fur, woven fabrics and different finishing techniques - forming a sort of disruptive complexity. If certain social movements called for a decolonisation of specific sectors such as finance and health from private forces, Wai Kit Wan used his knitwear to call for a decolonisation of fashion from certain style and taste canons, suggesting not a new direction in knitwear, but a direct-action.
What inspired your designs for the "Feel the Yarn" competition?
Wai Kit Wan: I always get inspired by the things that surround me and the society I live in. For example, global demonstrations against the government in different countries, from Turkey to Brazil, have been on the news and newspapers for quite a while now. Throughout the last few months we have also witnessed demos tackling different issues, from the Occupy movement to gay marriages. I'm part of this society and, as a fashion designer, I feel I have the responsibility of merging my personal vision with what's happening around me. I don't want my designs to be just pretty - a lot of people can indeed produce pretty designs - but to have more meaning and send messages while raising awareness about different issues pertaining to the society we are living in.
Which were your reference points fashion and style-wise?
Wai Kit Wan: The title of my collection is "And we live off the unsettling soul" and was created keeping in mind also teenagers and the fact that they never compromise, but always fight. I wanted the collection to have a rebellious edge about it, so I referenced the fashion scene from the '80s and icons such as Boy George. I also threw into my designs a lot of women's wear references like rainbow coloured fur reinterpreted using mohair yarn and shimmering materials. My other point was blurring the genders and coming up with something that can be worn by both men and women. This is a theme that fascinates me and that I hope to explore also in my future collections.
Did you enjoy working with on the "Feel the Yarn" project and what did you learn from that?
Wai Kit Wan: I loved it. We really had a tight schedule: I was partnered with yarn manufacturer Giorgini Silvano, they sent the yarn cards, we picked the materials, started the production and, at a later stage, we visited the factories. Believe it or not, this was actually the first time I tried my hand at knitwear design and at what the fashion industry technically categorises as menswear. I think that, from now on, I will work on more knitwear pieces since I discovered that this craft offers me a new and exciting ground on which I can build something completely new. The fact that I don't come from a strictly knitwear design background could actually be a benefit since it means that I can break the rules about my structures and inject an innovative energy into knitwear, while also overturning preconceptions about knitwear being boring and not offering anything new to buyers. I think that, as long as you're creative, you can do anything with knitwear.
What plans do you have for the future?
Wai Kit Wan: I've finished university and I'm on the lookout for job opportunities in London. Fingers crossed I will find a job there, but I'm also going to check out the fashion schools in Europe in case I want to go into further studies.
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