Urban armours: this is how you may define the designs created for the 2014 edition of Feel the Yarn by Ka-ho Cheung, a graduate from the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Yet there is more behind the exaggerated silhouettes and the geometrical quilting Cheung designed. Part of his "Soul-diers" graduate collection, the circular knit bombers and long oversized sweaters and shirts in pale pink and blue were dubbed by Cheung as "Tiān Dì" (Heaven and Earth), terms borrowed from Tibetan culture.
Tibetan letters engraved on bowls and bells inspired indeed the quilted and ribbed motifs and the variety of Tibetan symbols brought the moods for the knitting patterns, while the cassocks of lamas were evoked in the loose silhouettes.
Can you tell us more about the concept behind this collection?
Ka-ho Cheung: I started working on this collection in January. The concept is about a soldier, but I added to this word a spiritual dimension, reinterpreting the term as a "soul-dier". In my collection I also got inspired from World War I and II. I studied a lot of history, following the developments of certain garments from the Middle-Ages and of techniques such as quilting. It was quite challenging to develop the geometric quilting and three-dimensional techniques. At times I also looked at movies à la Top Gun and air force bombers. For my graduate collection I developed for example a quilted piece with Obama's face to make a connection with Air Force One.
Which was the most challenging part?
Ka-ho Cheung: I had to do a lot of calculations when it came to the quilting and it wasn't always easy to come up with the results I had in mind on the knittig machine.
Which design do you prefer, the pale pink or blue?
Ka-ho Cheung: I like them both, but I prefer one specific garment, the oversized T-shirt because it's wearable and practical.
How was it working with Pecci?
Ka-ho Cheung: It was great: they sent the colour cards, I chose the different yarns and they sent over their beautiful materials. I loved using them, they had great colours and quality. Italian yarns are different from Chinese ones, the price is much higher, but so is the quality.
What plans do you have for the future?
Ka-ho Cheung: I would like to fine-tune my collection, find buyers to sell my designs and maybe develop more saleable pieces like my oversized tees.
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