Stitched up for Success Fashion Designer
Many fashion designers dream of presenting their works on world-class runways. Zhang Xiaotian, 25, a Chinese student at Parsons The New School for Design in New York, has already realized this dream. Her collection Opposite Side of My Brain was shown on the catwalk of New York Fashion Week last month.
"It was my graduation piece. I am so happy that it could be seen by fashion designers," she said.
Possessing an obsessive interest in fashion design since childhood, she strives to be a creative designer and pushes herself to make breakthroughs. Her wide-ranging interests, hard work ethic and experiences help her court her dream of being an excellent fashion designer.
Inspired by life
For Zhang, fashion design is not just about imagination. She prefers to find inspiration in life. "Everything can be a source of inspiration as long as you think and connect it with design."
Her inspiration for Opposite Side of My Brain came from a book she read about biology. She learned that scanned pictures of brain cells show a fabulous combination of colors in accordance with a person's emotions.
After visiting a neurology museum and doing thorough research, she decided to focus on the pairing of color in her design. "Nowadays designers pursue classic colors like white and black. But I want to try something special and create my own style," she said.
Color expertise
In order to create eye-catching effects, she collected hundreds of colors until she found the perfect match. "It's challenging, but interesting as well. This is the first time I have tried so many colors," she said. The scattered, colorful dots in her picture of brain cells inspired her to use small beads. But her method was unique. She made use of the weight of beads to create folds on the dress. Also, the beads were dyed in corresponding colors that match the dress. "The essence of design is to try something others never have. I push myself to create something new each time," she said.
When she was an undergraduate at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, she gained inspiration from a documentary about melting glaciers. She then designed a prom dress integrating glacial elements and won Best Design award at 2011 Arts of Fashion (AOF) International Design Competition.
Self-starter
Her constant attempts to challenge herself contributed to her achievements as well.
During every holiday, she looked for opportunities to do internships at fashion houses. She even went to Paris, Rome and New York to train. These experiences broadened her horizons and allowed her to communicate with designers all over the world.
"They improved my aesthetic abilities and helped me learn the fashion industry as well," she said.
Each experience brought her new opportunities. Because she got prize at AOF, she got the chance to intern in Paris.
"It was my graduation piece. I am so happy that it could be seen by fashion designers," she said.
Possessing an obsessive interest in fashion design since childhood, she strives to be a creative designer and pushes herself to make breakthroughs. Her wide-ranging interests, hard work ethic and experiences help her court her dream of being an excellent fashion designer.
Inspired by life
For Zhang, fashion design is not just about imagination. She prefers to find inspiration in life. "Everything can be a source of inspiration as long as you think and connect it with design."
Her inspiration for Opposite Side of My Brain came from a book she read about biology. She learned that scanned pictures of brain cells show a fabulous combination of colors in accordance with a person's emotions.
After visiting a neurology museum and doing thorough research, she decided to focus on the pairing of color in her design. "Nowadays designers pursue classic colors like white and black. But I want to try something special and create my own style," she said.
Color expertise
In order to create eye-catching effects, she collected hundreds of colors until she found the perfect match. "It's challenging, but interesting as well. This is the first time I have tried so many colors," she said. The scattered, colorful dots in her picture of brain cells inspired her to use small beads. But her method was unique. She made use of the weight of beads to create folds on the dress. Also, the beads were dyed in corresponding colors that match the dress. "The essence of design is to try something others never have. I push myself to create something new each time," she said.
When she was an undergraduate at Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, she gained inspiration from a documentary about melting glaciers. She then designed a prom dress integrating glacial elements and won Best Design award at 2011 Arts of Fashion (AOF) International Design Competition.
Self-starter
Her constant attempts to challenge herself contributed to her achievements as well.
During every holiday, she looked for opportunities to do internships at fashion houses. She even went to Paris, Rome and New York to train. These experiences broadened her horizons and allowed her to communicate with designers all over the world.
"They improved my aesthetic abilities and helped me learn the fashion industry as well," she said.
Each experience brought her new opportunities. Because she got prize at AOF, she got the chance to intern in Paris.
