Interview With EFWA Upcycling Challenge Designer Alex S. Yu (London, Vancouver, Taipei)

Share about the journey that led you to fashion design.

I’ve always liked fashion since secondary school after being introduced to the world of fashion from Fashion TV, the internet and various magazines. I became obsessed with models, fashion designers and their world. I aspired to be a designer or a stylist ever since.

I know you trained at Blanche Macdonald and the London College of Fashion. Talk about the highs and lows of studying fashion design. What did you find easy? What was a challenge?

Studying fashion design is a lot of hard work and barely any sleep. I did not know how to sew at all before Blanche and couldn’t tell the difference between a seam or a hem or what a bobbin is. But the course at Blanche was very fast, so I had to work extra hard and practice a lot to get the hang of sewing. So sewing was definitely the biggest challenge for me during school. During London College of Fashion, the biggest challenge and the whole objective of the course was to discover who you were as a designer and what your voice is in this industry. So naturally there was a lot of soul searching and really thinking deeply about what I wanted to do with my voice in the industry.

Who you are as a designer? Aesthetic? Customer? Brand? Etc.? Do you offer a new line each season, create custom work or both?

I am an optimist. So I want to bring happiness and a sense of fun in my collections. I want to say that it’s okay to have some fun, and not be so serious all the time with my clothes. I create colourful and minimal garments that explore the fine line between reality and fantasy. My aesthetics rollick the happy emotions of childhood, nostalgia and wanderlust; and ponder the very definition of femininity in a modern, quirky way through garments.

The ALEX S. YU woman loves to have fun, and isn’t afraid of trying new things. She loves colour, prints, quirky shapes, textures, and most importantly, values comfort. The ALEX S. YU woman is eccentric, lively, nonchalant and views life through a pair of rose tinted glasses. I create two collections per year, SS and AW. Custom works are limited and thoroughly selected. I usually only accept custom works from VIP customers or if their requests are in tune with my aesthetics and vibes.

I am so thrilled to have you a part of the EFWA Upcycling Challenge by Marilyn R Wilson. Have you ever upcycled used garments before? If so, how? I am an avid thrifter and love hunting for second hand clothing. However, I rarely change the used garments that I have, I usually just alter the size/length or fix some stitchings if needed. So this will be the first time that I use used garments as materials to create something that is my aesthetics.

Please share a little about your approach/inspiration for creating your runway look for this international show? What can the audience expect?

I will create a look that is in tune with the ALEX S. YU aesthetics. It will be colourful, lots of fun and have a lot of different textures.

What would you most like the international fashion audience to know about you as a designer and your brand?

I would like to welcome them to the world of ALEX S. YU and experience the fun.

What’s next for you as a designer? What are your long term dreams?

I would like to continue making collections and get my clothes into boutiques around the world. My long term dream would be to have my own flagship store selling the collection. If I have my own store, I can present my ideas and voice holistically from the clothes, to the interior designs to the layout of the store.

Links – 

Website – www.alexsyu.com
Instagram – @alex.s.yu
Facebook – www.facebook.com/pg/alexsyualexsyu/