Let's continue today the Academy of Art University thread that started yesterday by looking at another student, Yuming Weng.
People familiar with the works of New Zealand illustrator Henrietta Harris will know that her paintings often feature ripples of distortions, as if the image of the person had been altered by a sudden interference. Paintings such as "Your Tomorrow", "The Greatest" or "Fresh Hell" are all characterised by this visual feature. Fascinated by it, Academy of Art University's student Yuming Weng decided to play with distortions in her collection.
Born and raised in China, Weng earned an undergraduate degree in International Accounting and Management from Xiamen University, working as a design intern at the Xiamen Huarong Company in China, before moving to San Franscisco to pursue her Masters of Fine Art Degree in Fashion Design at AAU.
Moving from Henrietta Harris' distorted portraits, she created a series of designs in wool and double face wool in a neutral palette, employing varying shades of grey to give a stone-like consistency to her looks.
Can you tell us more about your background?
Yuming Weng: I was born and grew up in a small seaside city from the south part of China called Xiamen. I didn't have any art background before I came to the Academy of Art to pursue my MFA in fashion design, but I found myself in love with drawing, calligraphy, and painting from a very young age. I did a lot of oil and Chinese painting during my teenage years. Although I knew art is my passion, I never thought about making a career in that. Instead, I chose accounting and management as my major for my bachelor's degree. Because I am the only child in my family, I was planning to help my dad with the family business after I graduated. Yet, soon after I found accounting really bored me, I couldn't stand it or imagine doing it for the rest of my life. In my sophomore year of university, I started to intern for a production company that my aunt used to work for. They produce many kinds of feather products, such as shawls, feather trims and masks, and sell them to Japan, Europe and America. I originally went there to learn and intern for the accounting department, but I left the office within a week and ended up going to the production department to oversee the whole production process. I thought that was much more interesting, and I think it was at that time that I became fascinated with the world of fashion.
What's the most important thing you learnt from your years at AAU?
Yuming Weng: If you have a dream, you've got to believe in yourself, and just do it!
Who has been the greatest influence on your career choices?
Yuming Weng: My aunt. I learned so much from her, she is the person who first taught me how to use a sewing machine.
Can you tell us more about your creative process?
Yuming Weng: I create samples, swatches, and sketches based on my inspiration. I love the unexpected aspects of the creation process. I love trying different fabric manipulations. Waiting for the unexpected result is the most exciting part for me.
How did you feel at showcasing your collection at the Academy of the Arts fashion show?
Yuming Weng: Excited and nervous.
Is there a designer who inspires you in your work?
Yuming Weng: Alexander McQueen and Margiela.
Your collection features minimalist shapes, what inspired the colour palette and the silhouettes?
Yuming Weng: The inspiration for my collection came from New Zealand artist Henrietta Harriss's paintings. Harriss paints distorted portraits by using soft waves and this feature fascinated me and made me think about a lot of creative solutions. The silhouette for the collection is clean but strong. Tailoring is a big aspect of this collection. Since the shapes are quite minimal, I used a lot curves and seams to hide darts and create shapes. These organic shapes of the seams came from Harriss's paintings. The color palette is mainly based on muted neutral tones with various shades of grey. The latter was mainly used with woolen materials to give a stone-like consistency, as I wanted my models to look like walking sculptures on the runway.
What plans do you have for the future?
Yuming Weng: I will start applying for intern placements or jobs in the U.S. or Europe to gain more experience in this industry. But I am pretty open to any opportunity that may come my way in the future.
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