VFW Bio -
Tong Hao Lin, the creative force behind emerging label tunggiya, transforms discarded textile scraps into singular handcrafted garments that challenge conventional notions of masculinity and making. Originally from Jilin, China, and drawing from his Manchu heritage, Hao Lin's path from artist management to fashion design was sparked by late-night experiments with fabric remnants and an urgent need to express his own creative vision. His grandmother's resourceful sewing, knitting with recycled yarns, instilled in him the belief that constraint breeds magic, a philosophy that now defines his practice of spinning waste materials into "Reclaimed Yarn." For Hao Lin, tunggiya represents both personal reclamation: the brand name honours his family's original Manchu identity and a broader reimagining of fashion as tender, vulnerable, and alive.
Interview -
Please share a bit about your journey to embrace fashion design as a career.
Long story short. When I was a kid, my grandmother always made me sweaters. I love watching her knitting. I joined some art student communities in college in China, where I made acquaintances with artists and designers. That led me into a career in talent management. Later I immigrated to Canada and I went to TMU for fashion study. My previous experiences have had so much influence on me, which guided me into this field. Fashion design is a major part of my career, besides creative direction. They both help me tell visual stories.
What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
The easiest part as a designer for me is that I can find inspiration from anything and anywhere. Also, I can visualize my ideas very fast. The hardest part is to choose the right material, knitting it into the piece that matches the size because the thickness, softness and elasticity can be so different for each material. That requires a lot of play and experiment.
Where do you find inspiration for new collections? How important is colour to your design process?
I find inspiration in life or everywhere - nature, work and life, social issues, humanity, etc. When I see things, I will have ideas of different designs - can it be a dress? a photo? a poster? a film? and I'll visualize the products in mind.
Colour is a key part of my design. It's the first thing that the audiences see of a product, which leaves a very important first impression. It's also crucial to have the colours match the theme of the collections. I always decide colours first when I design.
Readers would love to know more about the collection you showed at VFW SS26.
This collection is called Persephone's Last Canvas, and I find inspiration from the season transition between summer and fall and the Greek mythology of goddess Persephone. I always believe all myths derive from nature. Persephone is the goddess of spring, she lives on the earth in spring and summer. When summer ends, she returns to the underworld and spends the rest of the year with her family. When she leaves, fall comes. Everything starts to wither. In this collection, I use colors, materials, textures to intertwine her story and the season transition. There are a lot of green, gold, brown, yellow and red. You can see the yarns and bonings which I design to symbolize the trees and branches, as well as sheer fabrics symbolizing leaves and flowers.
Do you have a favorite look in this collection?
It's hard to say but I did have surprising moments when I put the garments on real models. Look 1, 4 and 15 really surprised me. Look 1 is a corseted dress knitted with light-green chiffon and tulles, which takes the silhouette of the leaf. Look 4 is a knit corseted dress with moss-green yarn, covered by a gold sheer, which is inspired by the decaying grass and tree. Look 15 is the last piece made of gold tulle, symbolizing the fallen yellow leaf, it also echoes the hope and joy of harvest in fall.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
We don't sell garments currently. However, we offer styling rentals for all purposes. We also provide custom services for clients based on their needs. You can email us at thetunggiya@gmail.com or directly message to IG @tunggiya.official.
What's next for you as a designer and your brand?
I'll keep designing and knitting. Probably for a period, I won't be presenting my designs as in collections but piece by piece. I'm also leaning towards more customized services for my clients.
Links -
Interview -
Please share a bit about your journey to embrace fashion design as a career.
Long story short. When I was a kid, my grandmother always made me sweaters. I love watching her knitting. I joined some art student communities in college in China, where I made acquaintances with artists and designers. That led me into a career in talent management. Later I immigrated to Canada and I went to TMU for fashion study. My previous experiences have had so much influence on me, which guided me into this field. Fashion design is a major part of my career, besides creative direction. They both help me tell visual stories.
How did you learn your skills?
I went to fashion school at Toronto Metropolitan University and majored in communication. For my graduation project, I decided to do fashion design with 5 runway looks instead of communication design. I knew nothing about fashion design or knitting. I spent most of my last year in the studio, watching Youtube tutorials and learning to knit. My professor Tanya also taught me a lot of designing skills.
Who are you as a designer? Aesthetic? Customer? Brand?
I usually don't call myself a designer. I'm more toward a creative director and visual storyteller. Fashion design is one of the main tools to carry out my vision. Photography, filmmaking, and visual design are also my skills that help me tell a story.
I went to fashion school at Toronto Metropolitan University and majored in communication. For my graduation project, I decided to do fashion design with 5 runway looks instead of communication design. I knew nothing about fashion design or knitting. I spent most of my last year in the studio, watching Youtube tutorials and learning to knit. My professor Tanya also taught me a lot of designing skills.
I usually don't call myself a designer. I'm more toward a creative director and visual storyteller. Fashion design is one of the main tools to carry out my vision. Photography, filmmaking, and visual design are also my skills that help me tell a story.
What comes easiest for you as a designer? What is hardest?
The easiest part as a designer for me is that I can find inspiration from anything and anywhere. Also, I can visualize my ideas very fast. The hardest part is to choose the right material, knitting it into the piece that matches the size because the thickness, softness and elasticity can be so different for each material. That requires a lot of play and experiment.
Where do you find inspiration for new collections? How important is colour to your design process?
I find inspiration in life or everywhere - nature, work and life, social issues, humanity, etc. When I see things, I will have ideas of different designs - can it be a dress? a photo? a poster? a film? and I'll visualize the products in mind.
Colour is a key part of my design. It's the first thing that the audiences see of a product, which leaves a very important first impression. It's also crucial to have the colours match the theme of the collections. I always decide colours first when I design.
Readers would love to know more about the collection you showed at VFW SS26.
This collection is called Persephone's Last Canvas, and I find inspiration from the season transition between summer and fall and the Greek mythology of goddess Persephone. I always believe all myths derive from nature. Persephone is the goddess of spring, she lives on the earth in spring and summer. When summer ends, she returns to the underworld and spends the rest of the year with her family. When she leaves, fall comes. Everything starts to wither. In this collection, I use colors, materials, textures to intertwine her story and the season transition. There are a lot of green, gold, brown, yellow and red. You can see the yarns and bonings which I design to symbolize the trees and branches, as well as sheer fabrics symbolizing leaves and flowers.
It's hard to say but I did have surprising moments when I put the garments on real models. Look 1, 4 and 15 really surprised me. Look 1 is a corseted dress knitted with light-green chiffon and tulles, which takes the silhouette of the leaf. Look 4 is a knit corseted dress with moss-green yarn, covered by a gold sheer, which is inspired by the decaying grass and tree. Look 15 is the last piece made of gold tulle, symbolizing the fallen yellow leaf, it also echoes the hope and joy of harvest in fall.
Where can readers purchase your designs?
We don't sell garments currently. However, we offer styling rentals for all purposes. We also provide custom services for clients based on their needs. You can email us at thetunggiya@gmail.com or directly message to IG @tunggiya.official.
What's next for you as a designer and your brand?
I'll keep designing and knitting. Probably for a period, I won't be presenting my designs as in collections but piece by piece. I'm also leaning towards more customized services for my clients.
Links -
- Website - www.thetunggiya.com
- Instagram - @tunggiya.official
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