Ten MA Fashion Design Technology Menswear designers will be showcasing their complete Masters collections to an international audience through a livestreamed catwalk show on Friday 5 January as part of LCFMA18 in central London. So we are putting each designer in the limelight for our Graduate Spotlight series to meet the next group of designers about to make an impact on the industry. Next up in the series is Guangzhou-native Yingyi Lu and her Victorian-styled doll boys who turned a lot of heads at our internal show back in December 2017. Get to know the designer below.
Graduate Spotlight: MA Fashion Design Technology Menswear graduate Yingyi Lu.
Tell us about your final project…
My project is based on two concepts: the ball-jointed structure and symbolic clothing of young boys during the Victorian era. My starting point was a toy doll. In the beginning, I studied images of humans created by humans, such as dolls, mannequins and humanoid robots. I then started studying the making of dolls and the materials used – focusing especially on the ball-jointed structure, which is relevant to the movement of dolls in that it connects the body to the limbs.
Every single doll is based on a certain period and has a style, but in general, dolls are made based on images of children. I observed a pattern that most boy dolls are made in the Victorian style. In the Victorian times, boys would wear dresses until they were ‘breached’. Thus, a lot of boy dolls of that time wore skirts or dresses. Also, in the 19th century, the sailor suit was favoured by young Victorian boys. Thus, the sailor suit is symbolically linked with the image of young Victorian boys. I combined ball-jointed structure and clothes symbolic of the Victorian era to design the tailoring style garment for my collection.
What would be your top tips for new students…
Recognise yourself as early as possible and make clear the goal of your development. This will help you during the course. More thinking of technological knowledge is helpful to the development of creative design.
What made you chose LCF and London…
London is one of the most developed cities in the global fashion industry. There are good resources, opportunities and information about fashion, especially the atmosphere, like London Fashion Week. London is also a multicultural city, which means I can learn more about different cultures to broaden m y horizons. However, LCF has a long history of menswear teaching. They are strict with the requirements of the process and focus on the commercial value, which is a great help to the student’s career.
What were the highlights and biggest challenges of your course…
I think the highlights and biggest challenges of my course are applying the idea to the garment. In this process, we need to consider how to implement some of the design ideas. Whether you can invest in the production link and learn how to communicate with the manufacturer to achieve the quality of the garment.
What song or album are you currently listening to?
‘Une Barque Sur L’Ocean’ is the song I like to listen to in the studio. This song is very emotional and has helped my design process.
My biggest inspirations and muses are…
My biggest inspiration and muse for my collection has been Hans Bellmer, his work gave me a lot of structure.
What are your plans for life after your MA…
After my MA, I plan to find an internship in London, because that’s the best way to understand the industry deeply. I want to learn more about the branding and marketing side of the business, while improving my design skills in the meantime. Hopefully this will help me get a rough idea of how to develop my own brand in the future.
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